A new tragedy with tourists in Egypt: they started talking about human “feeding” for sharks

Why people are taken to the sea by faulty boats

After a fatal shark attack on a Russian in Hurghada, the Egyptian tourism industry is struggling to maintain its reputation: an official list of 21 hotels in Hurghada has been published, in front of whose beaches anti-shark nets are urgently installed, high Egyptian officials met with the father of the deceased, promising “any help.” But tourism in the Land of the Pyramids seems to be pursued by evil fate: on June 12, in the open sea, for no reason at all, a yacht carrying tourists to dive caught fire, three were missing. And as soon as this incident was made public, it turned out that this was not the first accident with a tourist ship in the last two weeks that occurred for no apparent reason. Local residents have their own version of the troubles that have befallen their water area.

An examination of a tiger shark caught after an attack on a Russian showed not only that it is the killer, but also that it is not the first time that it treats itself to human flesh. The explanation of the fact of the existence of a man-eating shark in the reservoir does not cause controversy among ichthyologists from different countries: due to certain circumstances, predatory fish had the opportunity to taste human meat, it liked it, and now it specifically hunts for this prey. Experts argue only about who exactly made the shark a cannibal.

“It’s not profitable for us to admit that this is our shark,” a resident of Hurghada shares on condition of anonymity, “it’s much more convenient to say that she sailed from Saudi waters (the border between Egypt and Saudi Arabia runs along the Red Sea – ed.). And the Saudis now have a hajj that will end by Eid al-Adha, which this year is June 28 (the Muslim holiday of the end of the holy hajj to Mecca – ed.). So ours said that it was the Saudis who dumped the pilgrims who died during the Hajj into the Red Sea, which is why sharks have been appearing in Hurghada just before Eid al-Adha for the second year.

– Immediately after the attack, the Hurghada people also mentioned Sudan, where they allegedly also dump bodies into the sea.

– The truth is that sharks start attacking people when, for some reason, inanimate human flesh is in their habitat, as a shark will not attack a living person if it does not already know its taste. Yes, pilgrims from all over the world, including middle-aged ones, are drawn to Mecca, and the conditions of the Hajj are such that not everyone can withstand the heat and pandemonium. Many die, that’s true. And it is likely that the Saudi authorities are simply not able to identify each of the deceased and send his body to his country. What is happening in Sudan and how many human victims there, we can also only guess.

However, the rumors that the tourist yacht standing in the Dream Beach marina, where the shark attacked the Russian, on the eve of the tragedy “suddenly, and from this went to the bottom,” the authorities tried in every possible way to stop, equating it with rumors. But the people of Hurghada remembered another unexplained accident of the previous week. Off the coast of the Egyptian resort of Marsa Alam, a boat with 26 tourists on board also sank “for no apparent reason.” They, as well as two guides and eight crew members, were picked up by a boat, which, fortunately, turned out to be nearby. All of them escaped, but what happened to the yacht, which was allowed to transport tourists, remained without explanation, although the prosecutor’s office allegedly took up the investigation.

And then on June 12, a new state of emergency with a tourist vessel: on Sunday, the yacht was carrying 15 British tourists, accompanied by 2 guides and 12 crew members, for diving in Marsa Shagra (a place for diving with sharks 21 km from Marsa Alam – author .) and suddenly caught fire 12 km from the coast. Rescuers did not manage to find three tourists. The investigation found that this yacht, as fully operational and safe for tourist transportation, was allowed to transport tourists only 6 days ago – on June 6. And since storms and undercurrents in the Red Sea, due to its size (it is quite narrow), are very rare, shipwrecks due to the fault of the sea element in its waters are also extremely rare. That is why among the uneducated and superstitious sections of the inhabitants of the province of the Red Sea, mystical explanations for the inexplicable death of boats in calm water are already circulating.

– But there is a real explanation for this, – says the resident of Khurgadin, who, for obvious reasons, does not give his name. Boat trips and taking tourists for diving are the most profitable business in the resorts. That is why the anti-shark nets that most hotels are actually equipped with are almost always removed; they interfere with the passage of yachts from the moorings of these hotels. Only a 100% serviceable watercraft can be allowed to transport tourists, and everyone who has one wants to earn extra money on tourists. That is why many are willing to pay good money to have their boat with faulty, say, wiring, found fit. As a result, for the sake of profit, the ships that are breathing in their incense are taken out to sea, and if they are “unlucky” and an emergency occurs, they try to hush it up so as not to scare away tourists. And a sunken yacht with provisions or, God forbid, with tourists – this is the “feeding” for local sharks, and it is much closer than Sudan or Saudi Arabia.