Man Bitten By Shark In Bahamas Taken To W. Palm Beach Hospital

[Slusher11]

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A 55-year-old captain of a diving vessel was bitten by a shark in the Bahamas and airlifted to a West Palm Beach hospital Wednesday.

The U.S. Coast Guard said Jim Abernethy was bitten on the arm while on a diving excursion about 18 miles north of West End, Bahamas.

A Coast Guard helicopter hoisted Abernethy out of the water and brought him to St. Mary's Medical Center.

http://www.wpbf.com/news/26628191/detail.html

[jfjf]

Hope he is OK. He is a shark expert and runs shark trips.

It is my understanding that a customer on one of the charters died from shark bite(s) a few years ago when engaged in a guided shark feeding/chumming dive.

http://www.scuba-adventures.com/index.php

[plngl]

play with fire you could get burned my mamma always said . Hope he is ok.

[SpearMax]

Wishing Jim a speedy recovery!

I heard from a Post reporter he is in stable condition.

[rtdean]

Originally Posted by jfjf

Hope he is OK. He is a shark expert and runs shark trips.

It is my understanding that a customer on one of the charters died from shark bite(s) a few years ago when engaged in a guided shark feeding/chumming dive.

http://www.scuba-adventures.com/index.php

Jim...

Hope he is OK too! I used to dive with those guys all the time.

The guy that died a couple years ago bled out from a Bull Shark bite. Couldn't get him to a hospital in time.

I think we all need to be a little more careful around Bull Sharks. If they hit an artery it could be "lights out".

Rick

[BenSpearing]

I hope he is ok, and I hope he does not operate his business by feeding sharks...if so, he got exactly what he was asking for.....if he doesn't feed sharks, then he was just dealing with the hazards of working with a wild animal...a risk Im sure he recognized and accepted.

[westpalmspearo]

didnt see this one coming

[Bulit7]

What!!! Sharks bite???????????

[Spleen]

Originally Posted by westpalmspearo

didnt see this one coming

Right? Abernathy is playing with fire and if he keeps up these shark "encounters" more folks are gonna get bit. The real shame will be when some spearo or snorkeler gets bit by some shark that has associated humans with food thanks to Abernathy's methods. I wish him a speedy recovery but I really wish he'd stop feeding sharks for fun & profit.

[riplipper]

Originally Posted by spleen

right? Abernathy is playing with fire and if he keeps up these shark "encounters" more folks are gonna get bit. The real shame will be when some spearo or snorkeler gets bit by some shark that has associated humans with food thanks to abernathy's methods. I wish him a speedy recovery but i really wish he'd stop feeding sharks for fun & profit.

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[flamencoguru]

Originally Posted by Spleen

Right? Abernathy is playing with fire and if he keeps up these shark "encounters" more folks are gonna get bit. The real shame will be when some spearo or snorkeler gets bit by some shark that has associated humans with food thanks to Abernathy's methods. I wish him a speedy recovery but I really wish he'd stop feeding sharks for fun & profit.

Of course I wish the man a speedy recovery but I too completely disapprove of this type of tourism and animal interaction. I think it is foolish and unethical. Thank God that this is no longer permitted in the US. I hope the Bahamas ban it soon.........

[flamencoguru]

Here's a quote from the paper:

WPBF 25 News learned that Abernethy was leading a week-long shark expedition on his boat when he was attacked.
Abernethy has headed expeditions to the Bahamas to swim with sharks for 30 years. He frequently gets in the water with them without a cage.

Last year, WPBF 25 News spoke to Abernethy about his dives.

“Sharks are aggressive if you're a fish, especially under stress or something like that, but not towards people," he said at the time. "Sharks want nothing to do with people.”


I don't think this is being honest with the public. There are some key elements that have been left out. Sharks want nothing to do with you if you DON'T feed them. If you feed them.... They want EVERTHING to do with you!

Why do they call it a "week-long shark expedition"? The should call it a "week-long shark FEEDING expedition"?

P.S. Here's the second reason why the general public fears sharks... The first was the movie JAWS...

He was not attacked, he was bitten.....

[IslandFever]

It's been reported that he was bit by a Lemon Shark. Not sure if it's true, but probably a good thing since a Tiger would have caused alot more damage...or torn his arm off.

I've worked these dives and they are very cool, but anyone who says they don't make sharks associate divers with food is lying.

To his credit, Jim is very passionate about shark preserverance and believes education is the key. I tend to agree with him on this aspect since the average person still associates all sharks with "Jaws" and thinks they should be wiped off the planet.

http://www.wptv.com/dpp/news/region_...est-palm-beach

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. - A well-known shark expert was bitten on a diving expedition on Wednesday afternoon.

According to the Coast Guard, Jim Abernethy was was diving off of a commercial vessel he operates called the 'Shear Water' when he was bitten on the arm by a lemon shark. He was airlifted to St. Mary's Trauma Center in West Palm Beach where he is in 'good condition.'

He is not expected to lose his arm, which has already been stitched up.

He says that he is much more concerned about the sharks than he is about himself.

"Today's minor incident will not deter me. I will continue my mission to help protect these beautiful animals and share their grace and wonder with others," he said in a statement.

"My concern is for the future of sharks, and that more than 200 thousand are killed each day for shark-fin soup."

He said he will be back to sea in a few days.

In 2008, a 49 year old Austrian tourist was bitten by a shark while diving from the same boat in the Bahamas while scuba diving. He died after bleeding to death from the bite.

[jfjf]

Originally Posted by flamencoguru

Here's a quote from the paper:

WPBF 25 News learned that Abernethy was leading a week-long shark expedition on his boat when he was attacked.
Abernethy has headed expeditions to the Bahamas to swim with sharks for 30 years. He frequently gets in the water with them without a cage.

Last year, WPBF 25 News spoke to Abernethy about his dives.

“Sharks are aggressive if you're a fish, especially under stress or something like that, but not towards people," he said at the time. "Sharks want nothing to do with people.”


I don't think this is being honest with the public. There are some key elements that have been left out. Sharks want nothing to do with you if you DON'T feed them. If you feed them.... They want EVERTHING to do with you!

Why do they call it a "week-long shark expedition"? The should call it a "week-long shark FEEDING expedition"?

P.S. Here's the second reason why the general public fears sharks... The first was the movie JAWS...

He was not attacked, he was bitten.....

Who says sharks want nothing to do with you?. Not too long ago a boy swimming at the beach in Vero was eaten by a Tiger shark. They found a portion of his torso and a femur or two. Sharks can and do target humans, even if they are not actively being fed.

[Marco]

Originally Posted by flamencoguru

Of course I wish the man a speedy recovery but I too completely disapprove of this type of tourism and animal interaction. I think it is foolish and unethical. Thank God that this is no longer permitted in the US. I hope the Bahamas ban it soon.........

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