Shark Sham?

Regarding “Shark Safari” (Weekend Escape, June 7), which described an adventure in which people could get into an “open top” shark cage that would then be partially submerged in the water to view blue sharks, up close:

This idea of exposing the public to sharks “in their natural habitat” is a fraud and a potentially dangerous one at that. In the first place, they toss chum into the water to attract the sharks and work them into an unnatural feeding frenzy. Would we go to Yosemite, roll down our car window and feed the bears? Of course we wouldn’t. Experts tell us that would cause the bears to associate food and people. Surely the same logic applies to sharks.

As a scuba diver and a sailor, I spend a good deal of time on or under the waters of Southern California. Luring deep-water sharks closer to our coastline can’t be a good thing.

ROBERT DUNCAN

Simi Valley