Harmony passenger killed by shark

[Motor City]

Definitely DO NOT “speed swim”. You will not out swim them, and actually attract the shark to you.

 

Stand in the water with your feet towards the bottom, hands and arms across your chest,  with your hands on your shoulders… So your arms are tucked in, not flailing.

 

Head/Mask down to watch the shark at all times while “walking” back towards the boat, using your flippers to “walk”.

 

If the shark approaches, face it standing position, this confuses it, since most food sources swim vertically not horizontally… Hopefully he just investigates and swims on.

Scream through your mask to confuse it, and prepare to fight if it gets within range to do so.

 

Edited September 7, 2022 by Motor City

[BecciBoo]

You'd be surprised how many times you were within a few feet of sharks on the beach on your many cruises.  If you go in the ocean, they are there.  I had a shark fisherman down in Cape San Blas, Florida tell me, sharks ALWAYS patrol the sand bars only yards from the beach.  They are not really that interested in people, but there is always a chance they will bite.  We were very careful not to venture beyond the first sand bar after that.  Some have probably looked twice at all of us!

 

He ought to know, he catches a couple every day.  He was pulling in one about 15' long when we stopped to watch and talk to him.

[gmerick]

Avid SCUBA diver.  I've had many casual encounters with sharks.  One of the most exciting, a group of 5 sharks joined up with our SCUBA excursion (Yes, a sponsored RCL excursion) about 5 minutes after we entered the water.  They stayed with us for almost 20 minutes.  They went in and out through our group, rubbed up against divers, posed for pictures, and made a totally enjoyable experience.  They reminded me of big playful puppy dogs, albeit with very sharp teeth and a voracious appetite.  

[SeaHunt]

Such a sad story. This article has more info about the passenger:

 

"A 58-year-old woman who was a longtime employee at Erie's Gannon University was killed in a shark attack while snorkeling with her family in the Bahamas on Tuesday, the university said.

 

Gannon identified the woman as Caroline DiPlacido in a statement released to the university community and the Erie Times-News on Wednesday morning. She was vacationing with her family in the Bahamas, the statement said.

 

DiPlacido, a Millcreek Township resident, was project coordinator in community and government relations at Gannon, according to the university.

 

She graduated from Gannon in 1986 and was hired at the university in July 2009 as a secretary in marketing and communications.

 

In her job as project coordinator, DiPlacido was involved in Gannon's Erie-G.A.I.N.S. initiative, for Erie-Gannon Alliances to Improve Neighborhood Sustainability, and the Our West Bayfront effort to enhance the neighborhood near Gannon, in downtown Erie.

 

"Along with her efforts to further the mission of Erie-GAINS and Our West Bayfront, Caroline was a powerful presence of kindness and friendship to colleagues, students and the wider community and cherished many family ties to Gannon," according to Gannon's statement, from the university chaplain, the Rev. Michael Kesicki. "The news is devastating, and she will be missed.

 

"We pray for Caroline as she crosses over to eternity. We pray for her husband, David, her children, David, Robert and Allison; her mother, Olivia; and her wider family.

"Let us remember Caroline with affection and hope."

 

Gannon said the university will hold a prayer service on campus at 3 p.m. Wednesday."

 

https://www.goerie.com/story/news/state/2022/09/07/pennsylvania-woman-killed-shark-attack-snorkeling-with-family-bahamas/65469062007/

[mac66]

People pay extra to swim/scuba dive with sharks. I've dived with sharks half a dozen times.  This poor woman was at the wrong place at the wrong time. 

[George C]

Definitely sad, I will stick with the pool

[Ocean Boy]

4 hours ago, Motor City said:

 Sharks absolutely randomly attack.

Thats what sharks do, their dumb, they see a potential food source, they attack…and unfortunately a bull shark can do alot of damage...very sad and unfortunate, my condolences to that poor family.

Sharks are not dumb. They see, or sense, something that looks like their food source and they go after it  or maybe they just plain don't want you in their territory. 

[cruisequeen4ever]

So sad and scary! I looked up Rose Island, and it’s one of the spots to swim with pigs. I really wanna swim with pigs, but I may pass now. 

[shellunderwater]

8 hours ago, smokeybandit said:

The woman must have (very innocently and most certainly not intentionally) been doing something while swimming that set off the shark. Shark's don't just randomly attack.

 

Talk about wrong place, wrong time.

So the people who have been bitten and/or killed by sharks were victims of some planned attack rather than random?

 

I would suggest that nearly all shark attacks are random.  

 

The ocean is the sharks home, they are the uber predator and you are potential prey.  They are beautiful amazing animals, but they can be quite dangerous.

[steamboats]

12 hours ago, cruisequeen4ever said:

So sad and scary! I looked up Rose Island, and it’s one of the spots to swim with pigs. I really wanna swim with pigs, but I may pass now. 

 

Be aware that these are not the real "swimming pigs" anyway. They keep them and let them out for the tour and guide them into the water with some food. The real ones are on an uninhabitated island close to Exuma.

 

steamboats

[S.A.M.J.R.]

23 hours ago, time4u2go said:

I wonder why they felt that would matter.

Ask yourself why it matters the victim was a "Cruise Ship Passenger" or a "Harmony Passenger".  If they had flown there would they say "Hotel guest" or "Delta Passenger"?  

[Homosassa]

6 hours ago, steamboats said:

 

Be aware that these are not the real "swimming pigs" anyway. They keep them and let them out for the tour and guide them into the water with some food. The real ones are on an uninhabitated island close to Exuma.

 

steamboats

Let's recap: Prey size pigs are guided into the water with extra food. Sharks have learned when dinner is being served and are attracted to the waters around the island. Headline: Tourist killed by shark.

 

Got it.

[time4u2go]

7 hours ago, steamboats said:

 

Be aware that these are not the real "swimming pigs" anyway. They keep them and let them out for the tour and guide them into the water with some food. The real ones are on an uninhabitated island close to Exuma.

 

steamboats

Agreed.  The "swimming pigs" thing is actually quite cruel to the pigs.

[BillOh]

On 9/7/2022 at 7:42 AM, time4u2go said:

I wonder why they felt that would matter.

Because they want you to think their excursions are safer, which usually isn't true, their excursions just have higher profit margins and more people packed into the same excursion.

[BillOh]

On 9/7/2022 at 12:05 AM, perfect match said:

Watching our late local news in the Orlando area and this story came up right at the top of the news.

 

https://www.wesh.com/article/woman-killed-by-shark-port-canaveral-cruise/41098171

 

Unfortunately, not a lot of details here, but I’m sure we’ll be hearing more about it. Condolences to the woman and her family.

 

 

As you know I am a diver like you, and also not really related that is my home town that she is from.  Just checked, friend of a friend.  I don't think I've mentioned it to you, but since my accident in 2021 I'm probably giving up diving, too much arthritis in my neck and back to carry all that extra weight.

 

[BillOh]

1 hour ago, Homosassa said:

Let's recap: Prey size pigs are guided into the water with extra food. Sharks have learned when dinner is being served and are attracted to the waters around the island. Headline: Tourist killed by shark.

 

Got it.

While I have always considered the swimming with pigs to be the dumbest, contrived tourist thing, I've not heard of them luring the pigs into the water with food.  That said, I've speaking out of total ignorance (encouraged online/social media) as I've never done is, or never will.

[time4u2go]

3 minutes ago, BillOh said:

While I have always considered the swimming with pigs to be the dumbest, contrived tourist thing, I've not heard of them luring the pigs into the water with food.  That said, I've speaking out of total ignorance (encouraged online/social media) as I've never done is, or never will.

There's actually several ways they do it.  Sometimes they lure them into the water to get food (it may be the only way they can eat), and other times they just throw them into the water, forcing them to swim back to shore just to avoid drowning.

[gmerick]

24 minutes ago, BillOh said:

I'm probably giving up diving, too much arthritis in my neck and back to carry all that extra weight.

Don't stop -- switch to sidemount.  Instead of wearing one big heavy tank on your back, carry two small tanks under your arms.  It's also much easier to clip or unclip the tanks once floating comfortably in the water.

[moposh]

2 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Let's recap: Prey size pigs are guided into the water with extra food. Sharks have learned when dinner is being served and are attracted to the waters around the island. Headline: Tourist killed by shark.

 

Got it.

Yeah, it doesn't sound like a good idea.  

[BillOh]

Another story from the victim and my home town. Turns out I met her once when my cousin graduated from Gannon in Marketing.   I suppose these videos use keywords for their ads, but sometimes targeted ads appear a little odd.  After the video on the local paper's website ends, it went into an ad for Carnival's Thunderstruck campaign.

 

https://www.goerie.com/story/news/state/2022/09/07/pennsylvania-woman-killed-shark-attack-snorkeling-with-family-bahamas/65469062007/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=gh-erietimesnews-main&fbclid=IwAR2pwPq5n1JuqWJH4Q1c49m2MAddQ5KC8ub5USNmX-f_duzE4Qpb1x-T9ts

[mjkacmom]

1 hour ago, time4u2go said:

There's actually several ways they do it.  Sometimes they lure them into the water to get food (it may be the only way they can eat), and other times they just throw them into the water, forcing them to swim back to shore just to avoid drowning.

I think the pigs at the “real” pig island are fine, they were born there. Taking domestic pigs and putting them on islands is stupid.

[ReneeFLL]

5 hours ago, time4u2go said:

Agreed.  The "swimming pigs" thing is actually quite cruel to the pigs.

I agree and I never understood why people want to see pigs swim. 

[BillOh]

31 minutes ago, ReneeFLL said:

I agree and I never understood why people want to see pigs swim. 

Let alone swim with them. They're not cute. Swimming with kittens probably wouldn't go over well. 

[Ocean Boy]

5 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

I think the pigs at the “real” pig island are fine, they were born there. Taking domestic pigs and putting them on islands is stupid.

Putting them on the island isn't stupid, it is both greedy and animal cruelty. The people that perpetuate this greedy behavior by paying for it are the ignorant ones.

[PolicromaSol]

2 hours ago, BillOh said:

Let alone swim with them. They're not cute. Swimming with kittens probably wouldn't go over well. 

 

You'd be destroyed by a flurry of claws. Your chances would probably be better with the shark.