The Dorsal Fin

WCBV-TV’s article, Diver Narrowly Escapes Shark off Cape Cod, along with an accompanying video segment, in which the anchor describes the event as "so frightening," report on an incident in which a diver was in the water recovering a satellite tag, while a great white shark was spotted swimming toward the diver from "a quarter-mile away." by spotter pilot. Without the ability to read a shark’s mind, it would be hard to say just what the diver "narrowly escaped," if anything. While it’s certainly possible that the shark could have had predatory intentions, there isn’t really any way of knowing one way or the other.

The shark sightings near Chatham, and the tagging events are exciting news, on their own. There is no need to drum up headlines that imply would-be attacks. The same story could have been reported based simply on the facts…

A diver was in the water, when a spotter pilot noticed one of the sharks moving swiftly in the direction of the diver. As a precautionary measure the diver was promptly alerted and exited the water without incident.

The story itself is reported fairly objectively in the article. It’s the headline that comes off as a bit over-the-top. I guess a headline of "Diver Safely Exits Water After Shark Warning" simply doesn’t draw as much attention as a headline about "narrowly escaping" a shark.

According the AP, three more great white sharks were tagged yesterday (09/08/09) off of Monomoy Island near Chatham, Massachusetts. This brings the total number of white sharks tagged to five, in the past week (two great white sharks were tagged in the area on Saturday). Several Chatham beaches continued to remain closed due to the presence of the great white sharks in the area.

CBS news also reported on this story, but they apparently could not resist the temptation to play up the "Jaws" angle, as seen in the video segment below.

From a shark research standpoint, the tagging of five white sharks in the Atlantic is exciting news. Hopefully, the data acquired as a result of the taggings will lead to more insight into migratory behaviors of Atlantic-bound great white sharks.

Variety reports that actress Halle Berry is in talks to play a dive instructor who survives a near-fatal great white shark attack in the upcoming film, "Dark Tide." The article does not mention whether the shark angle is a central part of the plot or not. No word on whether or not a gigantic, fake, rubberized, mechanical shark will be used in the film, which, in turn, could then be used as a pop-culture reference in any news story involving the mention of sharks.

In the "Why is this even considered newsworthy?" story of the week, former Knight Rider, Baywatch, and YouTube video star, David Hasselhof, was reported to have a supposedly "close call" with a tiger shark while filming a shark-related television series for the Underwater Channel, according to the Houston Chronicle According to the article, Hasselhoff was given a scare when a 10′ (3m) female tiger shark began swimming toward him with her mouth open. According to Hasselhoff, he "held out the bait, hoping that would keep her happy." The shark took the bait and then "retreated."

If I didn’t know any better, based on Hasselfhoff’s account, it would seem as though the shark was reacting to the "bait" that he was holding rather than Hasselhoff, himself. The last time I checked, "bait" is used to lure and entice, so I’m not sure why it’s news that baiting a tiger shark would result in the tiger shark responding accordingly to the situation.

And the winner (or is it loser?) is…ContactMusic." Why is Contact Music reporting a story about sharks in the first place?" you might ask. Well, it’s Steven Spielberg related news, of course. He directed that shark movie back in ’75. What was it called again? Oh yes, “Jaws.” That’s the one. Hence, any story regarding great white sharks should automatically be associated with Spielberg (in the eyes of some media outlets, at least).

ContactMusic’s article, “Jaws sightings close Massachusetts Beaches,” is about as utterly ridiculous as they come. Just to clarify the headline, multiple sightings of great white sharks near the coastline are what prompted the closing of several Chatham beaches, not sightings of the movie Jaws. The article goes so far as to say that the recent white shark sightings near Chatham, Massachusetts are "terrifying residents of nearby Martha’s Vineyard" (where Jaws was filmed). Say what? Was there any reporting done to substantiate the terror has fallen upon the residents of Martha’s Vineyard? It seems that the good people of Martha’s Vineyard wouldn’t be too fazed by white shark sightings, considering that there have been white sharks reported around the Vineyard repeatedly in recent years. I guess the white sharks around Chatham are more fear-inducing than the ones that were in closer proximity to Martha’s Vineyard in the past.

Thanks for spreading unnecessary fear, ContactMusic. Now, back to reality.