We have come to expect more from Stuart Cove's - particularly when it comes to shark encounters and the handling of the animals...or maybe not. The video titled "Hammerhead shark tries to attack diver" shows a Stuart Cove's shark wrangler clearly teasing and antagonizing a Great Hammerhead with a piece of fish. He goes on to give the guests a "show" by grabbing on to the shark's head multiple times further exciting her with the fish. Circus and rodeo come to mind...
Whatever happened to keeping things simple.
Great Hammerhead Shark - keeping it simple. Image by Wolfgang Leander, 2007
And while no one was hurt - once again the shark is made to look like the villain, just one example - the video is featured on Yahoo with the following description:
"A dramatic video has emerged of a hammerhead shark trying to attack a diver in the Bahamas. In the footage, captured during a scuba diving trip in the Bimini Atoll in late January, the shark can be seen circling a diver before lunging forwards several times. Fortunately, the experienced diver was able to push the shark away and survived the experience without any injuries."
The description is completely laughable as is the "experienced" diver.
For more details on the story you can read Mike and Martin's blogs.
Stuart Cove's has been quick to criticize other dive operators for not adhering to high standards - it's time they look at their own.