I have been diving in the mediterranean for some time and have never seen a shark, heard of anyone seeing one or seen shark diving advertised. And still there are all kinds of sharks in the mediterranean. Why are they so hard to spot?

For comparison: There are a lot of accounts of people seeing sharks in for example the Maldives and other places.

Something like this would be unthinkable in the Mediterranean: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yg-dUPVzWiM

  • $\begingroup$ It’s not just the Mediterranean, but depending upon many factors, such as the species, typography, depth, current, and availability of food, your chance of encountering a shark in the wild changes, though generally through scuba or skin diving it is still rare. $\endgroup$ – Sudachi Jan 5 '18 at 22:46
  • $\begingroup$ @Sudachi sure, but I am talking about any sharks at all, not a specific species. I have never seen one in the Mediterranean, although they are out there. Sharks should be active somewhat near shore and in somewhat shallow water right? I have dived to 40m but have seen 0 sharks. $\endgroup$ – user1721135 Jan 5 '18 at 22:50

It really boils down to the species and the conditions. You are only able to cover a limited area and shallow depth and limited amount of time as a diver. Many species of shark are likely to know you are there before you know they are there and sharks can be shy and avoid divers. However certain shark spots can be popular feeding grounds, sleeping grounds, or mating areas. While I think there is a lot more historical pressure from fishing sharks in the Mediterranean, I don’t think there is anything innate about the sea there that makes all shark species there shy. I have heard of shark spots in Lebanon: http://www.nisd-online.com/article-101506-talesanddivesinlebanon.htm, though I do know the Red Sea offers a lot more in terms of shark encounters. There simply is a lot that goes into a shark encounter and we do not know nearly as much as we would like on their behavior. I’ve been on many dives in different parts of the world to see hammerheads in the wild and it can be a shot in the dark. It takes many years of local knowledge of the species’s behavior and conditions (season, tides, current, temperature, time of day, moon phases, undersea typography, etc). They are out there, but my best advice is to speak to fisherman and local divers, and also get creative in how you approach them (think about boat sounds, consider beach entries only, go in small groups, try early morning, try different seasons, etc.) Many scientists doing research on certain species in a locale find talking to fisherman to be a huge source of knowledge too.


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