A great white shark cruises past a shark cage diver off Edwards Island, near Stewart Island.PHOTO: PETER SCOTTAdrenaline junkies can once again swim with one of the ocean's top predators after a court ruling outlawing the practice was overturned. Cage diving with great white sharks was ruled illegal by the Court of Appeal but Foveaux Strait cage diving company Shark Experience successfully appealed that decision in the Supreme Court and divers are allowed back in the water from today. Shark Experience's owner-operator Mike Haines hopes to allay the concerns of the region's pāua divers, who fear the use of berley to attract sharks makes them associate humans with food, putting divers at risk. He told Morning Report today there had been gale-force winds in Foveaux Strait overnight but conditions were perfect for diving. "What we're doing is making no difference to them [pāua divers] whatsoever no matter what people are saying.

Source: Otago Daily Times December 02, 2019 01:18 UTC