Sidebar - Five things you shouldn't do when feeding sharks
cutline - food falling out of shark's mouth at St Maarten's underwater feeding. Photo by Stephen Weir 5 things to avoid doing during a shark dive and their consequences if you do 1. Don’t pet the sharks. They may nip at your hand thinking you are another shark trying to steal their food. Because of the sharp nature of those teeth, even a small nip requires immediate medical attention. If still have to stroke a shark, wear gloves, their skin is sandpaper rough. 2. Don’t pick up discarded meat and hand feed the sharks yourself. Sharks rip, they don’t chew. When the meat is grabbed the shark will immediately shake its head back and forth with enough force to dislocate you shoulder (if you don’t let go). 3. Don’t point! These sharks aren’t interested in you, but, if you offer finger food …. If you aren’t holding a camera, and hanging on to a cement block the experts advise you to put your hands under your armpits. 4. Don’t use an external power source for your underwater flash. S...