Naval divers to help sharks settle in

If the State's coffers are at risk from Army deafness claims, what could it cost for a nibble by a shark? That's one question facing the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, as Naval Service divers volunteer to "welcome" five US sharks to Kerry.

The Naval Service diving team's help has been requested by Mr Kevin Flannery, director of Dingle's Mara Beo aquarium, as he prepares to take delivery of the five sharks from Florida later this month.

The two brown and three tiger sharks are due to fly "cargo class" via El Al to Amsterdam, and will be transferred from there via London to Farranfore airport in Co Kerry.

The Naval Service sub-aqua unit, led by Lieut John Leech, will assist local divers, including Mr Mike Shanahan of the Dingle Marine Diving Centre, in acclimatising the big fish. A £400,000 tank has already been installed in Mara Beo, which is one of the most popular visitor attractions on the Atlantic seaboard.

The sharks and two stingrays were purchased from a Vietnam veteran in Florida, and were originally to have travelled to Ireland with a visiting US navy band. A London brokerage company has now stepped in to organise the final leg, according to Mr Flannery, and the whole venture is expected to cost about £100,000.

The predators will be transported in special tanks or "coffins", and will be anaesthetised for the transatlantic journey. The divers' main task will be to wake them up and keep them moving as they recover from jet lag. Little risk is anticipated by the volunteers. However, Mr Flannery, who is a rare fish expert and has worked with the Department of the Marine for many years, is a little more cautious.

The sharks are not of the Jaws category, but can be dangerous, he says. "Especially if they haven't been fed, and they are getting use to the water temperature, and they are recovering from an anaesthetic."

Sharks and dogfish are of the same family and some Irish tope have been acquired to swim with them. "Hopefully, the tope won't be eaten," Mr Flannery says.

Demands on the Naval Service diving team have never been busier, due to the increase in interest in marine leisure. Team members have been deployed to the river Lee for events surrounding the Tour de France, and to Cork harbour for Ford Cork Week, the sailing festival.