DIVE LOG AUSTRALASIA FEB 2025 ISSUE 410

When a shark feels that you are too close, they can turn away on a ‘dime. Often, this powerful thrust is accompanied by a clearly audible thud as their tail bends at right angles.

The agonistic behaviour of sharks is just as readily identified. The easily recognized behaviour of a shark that is about to attack follows a pattern of increasing aggression. Some sharks will make swift passes closer and closer to you. They are sizing up a potential meal. Whaler sharks are renowned for making direct charges and swerving off at the very last second. If this elicits a panicky response, the shark will become emboldened and far more curious. The next step is for it to charge again and bump into you to see how you react. One thing to remember here is that many sharks are cautious. They take a very long time to make up their mind that they can attack without any injury to themselves before Like many sharks, Port jackson sharks are quite tolerant of divers up to a point. They allow you to approach to less than one metre

they escalate into a full blown assault. This period of indecision by the shark is when you have time to safely leave the water. It is absolutely vital that you stare deep into the eyes of a shark. First of all, if you are calm and confident, the shark will quickly learn its ‘place’ in the pecking order and become more tolerant, careful or even submissive. If you stand your ground and stare down a shark, they are not equipped to deal with defiance and their natural sense of caution will prevail. Gazing deeply into a shark’s eyeball is where you assert your power and you can stare down the shark. It works! All you need is plenty of ‘gumption’. I like to say that you should raise up your occupational defiance disorder (O.D.D.) and let it blossom. If all of this fails, the shark may begin as swimming stiffly;

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DIVE LOG Australasia #410 February‘25

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