When it comes to diving, few topics spark debate quite like baiting and chumming. For some, they're an exciting way to get up close with the ocean's apex predators. For us at Original Diving, they're practices we view with caution. Sure, they can bring sharks closer - but they also raise tricky ethical questions about interfering with natural behaviour and disrupting marine ecosystems. Curious to learn more? Read on to understand our perspective, why we tread carefully around baiting and chumming and how we ensure every underwater adventure respects the creatures we're lucky enough to see…
What are they?
Baiting and chumming are both methods used to bring marine life closer and involve either placing bait or releasing a mix of fish scraps and oils into the ocean to create a scent trail, essentially ringing the ocean's dinner bell. It doesn't take long for curious sharks to follow their noses and arrive on the scene. They differ in that baiting offers food up directly for sharks to eat, whereas chumming is about creating a scent trail.
Benefits of baiting and chumming
The conversation around baiting and chumming is a contentious one. When managed carefully and carried out by professionals, there are some perceived benefits worth acknowledging.
Baiting and chumming can play a role in education and awareness. Observing sharks up close in a controlled setting allows us to observe their true behaviour, rather than leaning into the menacing misconceptions and myths Hollywood has fed us (yes, we're looking at you, Jaws). That shift in perspective can chip away at long-held fears, leaving divers with a newfound respect for sharks and a greater interest in protecting them.
There can also be more practical benefits. In certain situations, experts have been able to remove fishing hooks from sharks during baited dives - something our own diving expert, Rachel, has witnessed first-hand in the Bahamas. Baiting is also used in research with BRUVs (Baited Remote Underwater Video systems), where cameras are left near bait to see how sharks behave. Interestingly, scientists have found that when sharks are drawn together, they interact with each other in different ways - showing social hierarchies and even playful behaviour.
On a broader scale, shark sightings that are pretty much guaranteed (as a result of baiting or chumming) help boost local tourism, creating jobs for skippers and dive guides. In these situations, living sharks become more 'valuable' than those caught through fishing - a slightly morbid reality, but one that encourages communities to take a more conservation-minded approach, which is something we always celebrate.
Negatives of baiting and chumming
While there are points often made in favour of baiting or chumming, there are plenty of reasons why we view these practices cautiously. For one, baited or chummed dives aren't natural wildlife encounters. Sharks are drawn in by a free snack in the ocean (about as tempting as it sounds) rather than being observed in their own environment, going about their usual behaviours. This makes the experience less about the animal and turns the experience into more of a 'show', which can feel exploitative, even when the intention is good.
On top of that, baited dives can send the wrong signal - implying it's okay to manipulate wildlife for our own entertainment. For us conservation-lovers, that's a message we definitely don't want to be spreading, especially at a time when the ocean and its residents need us to protect them more than ever.
There's also evidence that repeated baiting can change how sharks behave. When sharks are regularly treated to carcasses and fish scraps tossed into the water (unappealing to us, but practically a gourmet meal to them) they start showing up sooner and hanging around longer. In other words, they learn to associate certain spots, and even boats, with an easy dinner, rather than relying on their natural hunting instincts. In a worst-case scenario, they could eventually start linking humans with food (although there have been zero recorded attacks when a baited dive is run by a reputable operator).
Early research off the coast of Western Australia found that sharks started arriving at baited sites more quickly over time compared to untouched areas, showing shifts in their natural behaviour. The good news? Australia is full of incredible places where you can watch sharks in their natural habitat - from great whites drifting along the southern coast, to tiger sharks cruising the tropical north and bull sharks exploring reefs. These sharks are still hunting their own catch, no fish buffet required.
Our conclusion
While there are pros and cons, at Original Diving our preference is for all natural encounters. There are plenty of thrilling places to see sharks in the wild, and nothing beats seeing them in action, hunting and exploring exactly how nature intended. After all, we don't want them to forget they're sharks…
