Shark diving tourism experiences: Perspectives from professionals and tourists to improve management

Abstract

Shark diving tourism is an industry potentially contributing to shark conservation while supporting economies worldwide. Managing experiences in shark diving tourism is essential to guarantee the sustainability of this industry and the safety of people and sharks. In this context, investigations of what constitutes positive and negative shark diving experiences are necessary to steer management. This qualitative study assessed the perspectives of tourists and professionals (N = 55) concerning positive and negative experiences characterising shark diving tourism. The study focused on Southern Africa, including four shark diving locations in South Africa and Mozambique. The thematic analysis of participants’ responses to a semistructured interview revealed that positive experiences in shark diving tourism include responsible dive operations, edifying experiences, and quality dive sites, while negative experiences include declining natural features and careless behaviour from stakeholders. Taking into account the limitations of this study, the results highlight the importance of ethically sound operational management in shark diving, as well as education, to steer the growth of shark diving tourism as a sustainable industry. Additionally, the results offer guidelines for ensuring positive experiences in shark diving tourism that can support shark conservation while counteracting negative public opinions of sharks.