Monday, May 19, 2008

Shark Tech-Ocean Reef

On the subject of shark tech-we would like to introduce you to Ocean Reef.

For the past 5 years Shark Diver has been using these full face mask/comm gear set ups for our shark diving operations worldwide.

From spotting Salmon Sharks in Alaska's murky waters to calling out sequence shots for Discovery Channel's Shark Week Ocean Reef has been with us since the beginning.

If you happen to find yourself in an underwater space, surrounded by sharks, and need to communicate fast with clarity this is the gear you need to be using.

As you know by now, the crew of Shark Diver like their gear, and the gear we use is tested by the best in conditions that require our shark gear to work the first time and every time.

Iemanya Soiree and Charity Auction Invite

The second annual Iemanya Soiree and Charity Auction will be held on Thursday, May 29th at the Skirball Center in Los Angeles at 6pm.


I.E.M.A.N.Y.A stands for Research, Education, Management, and Advisory (Investigacion, Educacion, Manejo y Asesoria in Spanish). We are also named after Yemanjá, the celebrated Afro-Brazilian Goddess and guardian of the sea, and mother of all life.


Shark Diver will be donating one free 5 day all inclusive expedition to cage dive (value $3100) with the Great White Sharks at Isla Guadalupe, Mexico and meet famed CICIMAR white shark researcher Mauricio Hoyos on site with proceeds to going to Iemanya.

If you don't have your tickets yet, sign up online at www.iemanya.org. We look forward to having you at this dinner celebrating the ocean and sharks!

At the dinner Iemanya will be presenting their first annual SHARK WARRIOR Award.

There will also be a live and silent auction with sports memorabilia, event tickets and fantastic get-aways. Live Brazilian Samba dancers will provide the entertainment. It will be a fun evening.

Please join us!

Shark Tech-Shark Shield gets Coroner's Nod

Following what was nothing short of an online and media "witch hunt" the makers of the Shark Shield (note: Shark Diver uses and endorses this product) have seemingly turned a corner with the latest findings from the Australian Coroners office.

We blogged about this subject a few weeks ago. Shark Diver maintained when used correctly, this product does deter sharks.

In our case we have used this product for film and television work where extra site security is called for when filming sharks. Nothing on the market replaces or should replace common sense, site knowledge, local shark knowledge and gut instinct when swimming with sharks:


Shark Shield gets Coroner's nod

Recent coroner’s findings have supported the use of the Shark Shield device as a shark deterrent.

The inquest came after the shark attack death of an Adelaide University student, Jarrod Stehbens, while diving for cuttlefish eggs off Adelaide in August, 2005. The inquest also found claims that the device caused health problems or attracted sharks were unwarranted.

Paul Lunn, a former KI resident, first introduced the device to Australia through an agency, which was run out of a shed at Island Concrete in Kingscote.

The Shark Shield was originally from South Africa and called the Shark Pod. The Shark Pod was “cumbersome, had a low battery life and components often failed,” Mr Lunn said. The potential market was recognised by Paul and wife Charmaine Zealand. They developed the Shark Shield by making the original smaller, lighter, more reliable and made the battery last longer.

Shark Shield released a statement after the Coroners findings were published, “We are pleased the Coroner has quickly cleared the air and acknowledged the effectiveness of Shark Shields. We still remain concerned that many unfounded allegations aired during the Coronial Inquest could put lives at risk. It would be a terrible tragedy if one more life was lost because divers, surfers or other water user - or their places of employment - had lost faith in such life-saving technology,” Mr Lunn said.

After years of testing and development the Shark Shield is now used by many government departments, police diving squads, professional and amateur divers and surfers as well as being tested for Military use.



Crossing Over-Sharks and Art

When you spend as much time at Isla Guadalupe as we do you get to meet some interesting sharks...and people.

Case in point this stunning 4 foot replica of "Mystery" sculpted by one of our divers over the course of the last two years.

Capturing the unique "lightning patterns" on her side as she glides through gin clear waters was nothing short of magic.