Witnessing the results of this process up close - I'm talking of obvious, devastating damage to these micro-universes clearly observable a dozen or more years ago - has been one of life's profoundly disheartening experiences.

"making a surfer's seal-like silhouette even more enticing."

Absolutely. Look at a surfer from below (the shark's perspective), either sitting on the board or just lazily paddling, and ... yeah, there's definitely a seal-ish shape there. I know plenty of divers take comfort in believing they, on the other hand, do not resemble an edible. But if the sharks are getting antsy, perhaps they're less discriminating. One bite, just one. Perhaps the shark doesn't like that bite, shakes it off, and leaves the diver behind as it swims off in search of a real meal. Meanwhile, the diver contends with a severed artery. Oops. Diving is great, but do steer clear of the divers who boast of the number of dives they've had or other -------- rubbish. Oh, and please stay away from "shark feeds" and "shark experiences" which draw the critters by - in one form or another - chumming. Think about it.