27/04/2024
On behalf of everyone involved with Tobago Dive Experience, we offer our most sincere wishes to the family suffering following the shark attack at Courland Bay Turtle Beach a few days ago.
Whilst the severity of the situation cannot be understated, it’s important to remember that this is the first recorded shark attack in the history of Tobago.
We find it very disturbing that the chosen response was to launch an attack on all sharks in Tobago. We all know the sharks in our waters are endangered. They should be protected accordingly.
After many years of diving and working with sharks, we have learnt that they follow their food source. This time of year is the peak turtle nesting season in Tobago, and we know that turtles are many sharks favorite food.
Courland Bay Turtle Beach, as the name signifies, is the premier beach for nesting in Tobago.
It’s a well researched fact that sharks do not seek out humans, and this situation, as dire as it is, is certainly a case of a mistaken and confused shark.
We wholeheartedly support temporary closures of beaches in the general area of the attack. We also believe the best course of action is to use drone surveillance to monitor shark activity at beaches in the area to safeguard both humans and our wildlife.
The Tobago Dive Experience team, in our 36 years of operating, has never had any negative encounters with sharks in Tobago. Many divers come from all over the world to dive with our sharks. It’s vital that Tobago remains a place people can come to view our incredible environment, including all of our indingenous species, such as sharks.