Because its awesome!
Worldwide, over 400 shark diving businesses operate every day of the year, logging millions of hours of dives with safety records that surpass the vast majority of recreational activities. We at Shark Angels believe that, when done responsibly, shark tourism and shark diving, produce ambassadors for sharks as well as providing a strong economic alternative to shark fishing, making it one of the most powerful conservation tools we have to protect them.
Additionally, multiple studies have concluded that shark tourism provides far more revenue to the local economy than shark fishing, making sharks more valuable alive than dead. A 2012 study of the economic value of shark tourism in Palau found that the shark diving industry accounted for at least 8% of Palau’s GDP. Theoretical comparisons estimated that a fished shark would generate just .006% of the revenue provided by that same shark as a living, non consumptive resource.
While strongly supporting shark tourism, we also believe that there are best practices for all parties involved – both divers and operators. And that divers should fully understand the responsibility that comes with diving with sharks – for the sharks, for themselves, and for other divers. Shark diving can be surrounded by significant controversy. We aim to reduce that through education, understanding, and some suggested best practices. Our collective experience with sharks is expansive and diverse, having spent thousands of hours underwater with a vast number of species all over the world. Our members include freedivers, shark scientists, professional filmmakers and photographers, scuba industry professionals, shark naturalists who spend most of their lives in the water with sharks, operators, and shark diving enthusiasts.