{"id":290581,"date":"2026-02-14T06:57:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-14T06:57:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/290581\/"},"modified":"2026-02-14T06:57:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-14T06:57:10","slug":"israeli-shark-diving-community-pushes-to-reopen-hadera-beach-after-fatal-attack","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/290581\/","title":{"rendered":"Israeli shark diving community pushes to reopen Hadera beach after fatal attack"},"content":{"rendered":"

For nearly a year now, Eliran Ovadia has struggled to reunite with his favorite marine apex predators.<\/p>\n

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Despite the tragedy, Ovadia, a diving instructor for 27 years and owner of the \u201cMiddle East Divers\u201d school, insists sharks are not inherently dangerous animals. In his view, their fearsome reputation is largely a public relations failure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an injustice that Steven Spielberg did to them in \u2018Jaws,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cMost of the population, here and worldwide, is afraid of this animal. Why? Because of the movies. People see sharp teeth and panic. The fear is not justified in relation to reality. For me, it\u2019s a fish. Yes, a top predator, but still a fish.\u201d<\/p>\n

A big fish, and one that can be dangerous in certain circumstances.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gap between what people imagine and what actually happens is enormous,\u201d Ovadia said. \u201cOf course you have to learn about it, and I\u2019m not recommending anyone go to a beach marked \u2018Danger: Sharks\u2019 and jump in freely. Absolutely not. Like anything in life, before you do it, you need to study it and train with professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ovadia, 49, who lives in Moshav Ganei Yohanan, began diving at 21, shortly after completing his military service. His first encounter with a shark came while working at a fish farm in Ashdod.<\/p>\n

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Diving with sharks in Israel <\/p>\n

(Photo: Eliran Ovadia)<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were a few guys there and didn\u2019t really understand what was happening or how to behave, but it was fascinating. It just swam around us and disappeared. That day I realized it\u2019s not such a big deal to dive with sharks. Everyone stays in their own world, even when you meet by chance in the depths.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to Ovadia, sharks play a critical ecological role that many people overlook.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe shark sits at the top of the food chain and has a role in ecological balance,\u201d he said. \u201cIf there are no sharks, we could see invasive species here, like lionfish from the Red Sea or sea urchins that start multiplying. The shark eats them. If there\u2019s no predator for those just below it, they multiply and multiply.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hadera became Israel\u2019s unofficial shark capital largely because of the Orot Rabin power plant. Warm water discharged as part of the electricity production process creates a relatively comfortable winter habitat. Schools of fish gather in the heated currents, providing a steady food source.<\/p>\n

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(Photo: Natursports\/ Shutterstock)<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause of the warm water, fish are there all year, so prey is available,\u201d Ovadia explained. \u201cThe artificial current also allows sharks to live there more easily. A shark needs movement to survive. If you catch a shark and stop it from moving, it can die. Around the world, sharks live in areas with strong currents that keep them active.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most shark activity in Israel is concentrated off Hadera, Ashkelon and Ashdod, but Hadera has the largest aggregation. \u201cJust recently I counted about 100 sharks there using drone footage,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been living this for 13 years as divers.\u201d<\/p>\n

The dominant species are the dusky shark and the sandbar shark, which arrive with the cold, typically from November and December through April, when water temperatures range between 20 and 24 degrees Celsius. In summer, when temperatures climb to around 30 degrees, they migrate onward.<\/p>\n

For years, the site drew divers and curious onlookers. In November 2018, the Hadera municipality even issued a public call to regulate boat tours that would allow people to view sharks in a controlled and safe manner. The initiative eventually stalled.<\/p>\n

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5 View gallery <\/p>\n

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The divers, from right: Dafna Blum-Zeira, Shay Gispan, Eliran Ovadia, Adir Magen and Michal Nigkar <\/p>\n

(Photo: Elad Gershgoren)<\/p>\n

Everything changed after Tzach\u2019s death. He entered the water near the stream outlet, where crowds had gathered to observe the sharks, and was fatally attacked. Since then, authorities have prohibited shark enthusiasts from entering the beach. Inspectors patrol the area and issue warnings to divers who attempt to go in.<\/p>\n

The diving community refuses to give up. If they are blocked from shore, some reach the area by motorboat. Recently, enthusiasts organized, launched a petition and are considering a future class-action lawsuit to challenge what they call a sweeping and unjustified ban.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere is no law that forbids seeing sharks, so why block us?\u201d Ovadia asked. \u201cWe have regulated diving clubs under large international organizations. We teach shark history, species, physiology, reproduction, ecology and risk awareness. And yes, also about danger, even though most shark species today are not dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n

He acknowledges that sharks are opportunistic animals and can become more active under certain conditions, such as before storms, when marine life enters a feeding mode. \u201cBut for us as scuba divers, I don\u2019t want to say incidents don\u2019t exist, but they are almost nonexistent. In nearly 100 percent of encounters, nothing happens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, as the fatal attack showed, it takes only one exception to cause tragedy.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Hadera, the dusky and sandbar sharks simply pass by you,\u201d he said. \u201cThey have no interest in us. When we\u2019re face to face, the shark sees our size, the bubbles, something unfamiliar. Through its senses, it understands we are not food and just swims on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s shark enthusiasts number in the thousands. Among them is Dafna Blum-Zeira, 57, a divorced mother of three, two of them certified divers, who only caught the diving bug last year.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen people ask why dive with sharks, I answer: Why do you go to Jerusalem? Because it\u2019s beautiful and impressive,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s the same thing. This is a rare spectacle that happens under specific conditions. We have to be part of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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5 View gallery <\/p>\n

\"\u05d7\u05d5\u05e3<\/a>\"\u05d7\u05d5\u05e3<\/p>\n

Hadera beach after the fatal attack <\/p>\n

(Photo: Elad Gershgoren)<\/p>\n

She describes diving in general as overwhelming. \u201cYou descend into deep water and suddenly see natural and archaeological treasures, and beautiful sharks. It gives you chills, not because of fear or cold water. When you come up after 40 minutes, you realize how little we know about the depths.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adir Magen, 47, a professional diver from Tel Aviv who often dives with his 17-year-old son, emphasized that enthusiasts are not encouraging the public to jump into shark waters freely.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sea is the sharks\u2019 home, and we teach people how to protect them and nature,\u201d he said. \u201cThere is risk, just like driving a car is risky, but we operate under strict safety rules. We go down with one instructor for every two divers and conduct proper briefings before every dive. Statistically, shark attacks on humans represent a tiny fraction. It\u2019s not supposed to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michal Nigkar, 40, from Ashkelon, encountered her first shark while diving in Sinai. \u201cIt was frightening for a moment,\u201d she admitted. \u201cI had a terrible fear of water as a child, but 11 years ago I decided to fight it. It\u2019s about inner work and calmness. This isn\u2019t about flirting with danger. Everything is supervised. Like birdwatching, we observe sharks.\u201d<\/p>\n

As the shark season nears its end, enthusiasts know they have already lost this year. Soon the sharks will raise their fins and continue on, away from Hadera\u2019s smokestacks.<\/p>\n

The divers hope that next winter they will once again be allowed into the water \u2014 not from balconies or video screens, but face to face with what they see as a misunderstood marvel of nature.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe death of the diver created trauma,\u201d said Shay Gispan, 51, a diver and partner in a local diving club. \u201cBut it doesn\u2019t justify an indefinite blanket ban. Diving should be allowed through clubs and professionals, not freely without supervision. With guidance and oversight, it becomes a completely different experience.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"For nearly a year now, Eliran Ovadia has struggled to reunite with his favorite marine apex predators. 5…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290582,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[85,46,43],"class_list":{"0":"post-290581","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290581","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=290581"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/290581\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/290582"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=290581"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=290581"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=290581"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}