Nude divers in Australia

A couple of years ago, I noticed an unusual statistic on the Web site of
the International Shark Attack File. In the tables and charts about
attacks on divers, it noted a rather high incidence (IMHO) of attacks on
nude divers. You can see the chart for yourself here:
http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks...es/Clothes.htm. Scroll
down to the pie chart for "General Pattern of Divers' Clothing." A
whopping 19 percent of attacks on divers are on nude divers.

I commented here at the time that that seemed out of proportion to the
number of nude divers I've seen (0) in my travels and wondered if sharks
had some predilection for naked human flesh. Now the ISAF folks have
come up with a possible explanation of their own. In the paragraph under
the pie chart, they note that: "all of the victims who were attacked
while nude were from Australia. Diving nude may be more popular in
Australia, so more nude divers would be attacked in Australia than
anywhere else."

Statistically, that makes sense, but I just have to ask our friends down
under, what's up with that? Don't you find the straps on the BC chafe a
bit? Don't you worry about damsel fish attacks on exposed parts (if
damsel fish got as big as sharks there'd be no such thing as SCUBA)?
Where does all this nude diving take place? Are there standards (Let's
face it, some people should only be allowed to dive in bulky wetsuits,
myself included)?

Time to tell all, Aussies. And links to photos would be appropriate.

Thanks.

g

G'day George,

> Statistically, that makes sense, but I just have to ask our friends down
> under, what's up with that?

Can't give you a lot of info as I come from the north of Oz and most of
the nude diving takes place in the south (though thee was a nude only
day boat operating out of Port Douglas at one time) - especially at this
time of year. Apparently its really the go in the kelp where the feeling
of the long fronds sliding sensuously over naked flesh is indescribable.
As a lot of this diving is near fur seal colonies some cynical souls
have imputed ulterior motives to the nude divers but this they
strenuously deny. One of the unfortunate side-effects though is that
these areas (southern kelp/fur seal colonies) are where the great whites
hangout - hence the high shark attack rate.

Sorry I could not be of more assistance.

regards,

John A

"George Cathcart" <gcathcar@nospam.umd.edu> wrote in message
news:cd0lu3$km$1@grapevine.wam.umd.edu...

I once saw a Canadian program called Oceans Alive; one episode was about Japanese
female nude pearl free divers. The husbands stayed on the boat while the women did
the diving.

Adam

Adam Helberg wrote:

> "George Cathcart" <gcathcar@nospam.umd.edu> wrote in message
> news:cd0lu3$km$1@grapevine.wam.umd.edu...
>
> I once saw a Canadian program called Oceans Alive; one episode was about Japanese
> female nude pearl free divers. The husbands stayed on the boat while the women did
> the diving.
>
> Adam
>

How did they pick up these pearls? (inquiring minds and blah blah blah...)



--
jer email reply - I am not a 'ten'
"All that we do is touched with ocean, yet we remain on the shore of
what we know." -- Richard Wilbur

"Jer" <gdunn@airmail.ten> wrote in message news:cd9l2q$eo3@library2.airnews.net...
> Adam Helberg wrote:
>
> > "George Cathcart" <gcathcar@nospam.umd.edu> wrote in message
> > news:cd0lu3$km$1@grapevine.wam.umd.edu...
> >
> > I once saw a Canadian program called Oceans Alive; one episode was about Japanese
> > female nude pearl free divers. The husbands stayed on the boat while the women
did
> > the diving.
> >
> > Adam
> >
>
> How did they pick up these pearls? (inquiring minds and blah blah blah...)
>
>

I don't recall the details, they may have carried a bag with them.

Adan