THE IMPENETRABLE SEA 



only one is classified as a man-eater", and gives its name : 

 the White Shark. One need go no further than the 

 Encyclopaedia Britannica to find that ''altogether some 

 hundred and fifty species have been described", with 

 references to many of them as dangerous. But Lumiere 

 defines the conditions under which they may be danger- 

 ous, and is no doubt right regarding the sharks he has 

 met personally. He says that sharks will certainly attack 

 if they smell blood. ''If you hurt yourself on a coral- 

 head," he writes, "or otherwise, and are bleeding, go 

 into the boat until it stops. If a fish you shoot is bleeding 

 badly, get the bloody thing in the boat fast!" He goes 

 on to say that most of the sharks met with close to the 

 shore are sand sharks, and cowards. But his statement 

 that "no shark will stand up to you if you swim to meet 

 him" seems a little sweeping. He has admitted that the 

 white shark is a man-eater — and there are evidently 

 many huge sharks outside Lumiere's experience which it 

 would be insane folly to approach. 



Regarding rays, Lumiere makes some remarkable 

 statements. He says: "Rays are colourful and pleasant 

 playmates to the spearman." They have no mean streak 

 in them, he declares, so that "you may touch them 

 safely if you feel so inclined". He says regarding sting 

 rays that he actually touched them, yet in no instance 

 did they even try to strike : "Once I was surrounded by 

 half a dozen of these graceful creatures while they were 

 executing a perfect underwater ballet." 



Lumiere has an interesting reference to the noted 

 fishman Hans Hass whom he describes as "moving about 

 amongst sharks and patting them with a fatherly hand". 



Towards the end of his book he makes two further 

 references to sharks. In the first of these he tells us that 

 Cupric acetate has been discovered to be the most 

 effective shark repellent, and that it is now standard 

 equipment in the U.S. Navy and Air Force life-jackets. 

 In his final reference (p. 223) he asks "How harmless 



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