Editing Great white shark (section)

=== Shark tourism ===
{{Main|Shark cage diving}}
Cage diving is most common at sites where great whites are frequent including the coast of South Africa, the [[Neptune Islands]] in South Australia,<ref>{{cite web |title=Shark cage diving |url=http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/marineparks/enjoy/shark-cage-diving |publisher=Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources|access-date=11 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409072843/http://www.environment.sa.gov.au/marineparks/Enjoy/shark-cage-diving |archive-date=9 April 2013}}</ref> and [[Guadalupe Island]] in [[Baja California (state)|Baja California]]. The popularity of cage diving and swimming with sharks is at the focus of a booming tourist industry.<ref>{{cite news |last=Squires |first=Nick |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/256863.stm |title=Swimming With Sharks |publisher=BBC |date=18 January 1999|access-date=21 January 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030817170427/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/from_our_own_correspondent/256863.stm |archive-date=17 August 2003}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Simon |first=Bob |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/swimming-with-sharks-06-12-2005/ |title=Swimming With Sharks |publisher=[[60 Minutes]] |date=11 December 2005 |access-date=22 January 2010 |archive-date=19 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019222305/http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/12/06/60minutes/main1099368.shtml |url-status=live}}</ref> A common practice is to [[chumming|chum]] the water with pieces of fish to attract the sharks. These practices may make sharks more accustomed to people in their environment and to associate human activity with food; a potentially dangerous situation. By drawing bait on a wire towards the cage, tour operators lure the shark to the cage, possibly striking it, exacerbating this problem. Other operators draw the bait away from the cage, causing the shark to swim past the divers.

At present, hang baits are illegal off Isla Guadalupe and reputable dive operators do not use them. Operators in South Africa and Australia continue to use hang baits and [[pinniped]] decoys.<ref name="www.bluewaterhunter.com">{{cite web |title=Blue Water Hunting Successfully |url=http://www.bluewaterhunter.com/education/education_successfully.html |publisher=Blue Water Hunter |access-date=20 August 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818030820/http://www.bluewaterhunter.com/education/education_successfully.html |archive-date=18 August 2012}}</ref> In South Australia, playing rock music recordings underwater, including the [[AC/DC]] album ''[[Back in Black]]'' has also been used experimentally to attract sharks.<ref>[http://www.surfersvillage.com/content/great-white-sharks-favorite-tune-back-black "A Great white shark's favorite tune? 'Back in Black'"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160416021034/http://www.surfersvillage.com/content/great-white-sharks-favorite-tune-back-black |date=16 April 2016 }} ''Surfersvillage Global Surf News'' (3 June 2011). Retrieved 30 January 2014.</ref>

Companies object to being blamed for shark bite incidents, pointing out that [[lightning]] tends to strike humans more often than sharks bite humans.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/attacks/relarisklightning.htm |title=Shark Attacks Compared to Lightning |publisher=[[Florida Museum of Natural History]] |date=18 July 2003 |access-date=7 November 2006 |archive-date=15 December 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121215171334/http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/attacks/relarisklightning.htm |url-status=live}}</ref> Their position is that further research needs to be done before banning practices such as chumming, which may alter natural behaviour.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/3716093.stm |title=SA shark attacks blamed on tourism |publisher=BBC |date=15 April 2004|access-date=24 October 2006 |first=Richard |last=Hamilton|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120323072204/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3716093.stm |archive-date=23 March 2012}}</ref> One compromise is to only use chum in areas where whites actively patrol anyway, well away from human leisure areas. Also, responsible dive operators do not feed sharks. Only sharks that are willing to scavenge follow the chum trail and if they find no food at the end then the shark soon swims off and does not associate chum with a meal. It has been suggested that government licensing strategies may help enforce these [[sustainable tourism|responsible tourism]].<ref name="www.bluewaterhunter.com" />

<gallery mode="packed">
File:Chuming the water.jpg|alt=Photo of man dropping chum off the side of a boat|Putting [[chumming|chum]] in the [[water]]
File:Great white Dyer island 2010-07.jpg|A great white shark approaches divers in a cage off Dyer Island, Western Cape, South Africa
File:Great white shark and cage diving 2.wmv.OGG|A great white shark approaches a cage
File:White shark cage diving, Gansbaai.jpg|Tourists in a cage near [[Gansbaai]]
</gallery>