Tiger Beach Bahamas 2011 - Shark Diver

In just a few short weeks we'll be back at our second home, the Bahamas, to dive with our favorite locals - the Tiger sharks.

We're also back with Scotty Grey and the MV Kate one of the best vessels operating at the beach right now with one of the most accomplished and flexible shark crews out there.

We use Scotty and crew exclusively for all our Bahamas operations, from film crews to commercial diving they deliver safety, value, and comfort.

This season we're only running six divers per trip and this is the key for us. Small families and dive groups enjoy a private charter set up on the 65' MV Kate, and this allows us the ultimate flexibility on site and at other sites as well.

We cannot wait to get wet this March-May, and frankly, like you, we're tired of the winter.

Here's to 80 degree days, sunshine, Tigers, lemons, reef sharks, and oh yeah, we'll even throw in a day swimming with the spotted dolphins, or not, it's your expedition after all.

Image Frazier Nivens

Doc Gruber-On Commercial Shark Diving

Felix over at the excellent blog Oceanic Dreams posted a return email from Bimini shark researcher Doc Gruber this week.

The email was in response to a TV producer who wanted an expert opinion on the subject of diving with, and feeding, 'dangerous' sharks; specifically, how these activities affect or alter shark behavior, and also whether Dr. Gruber would consider cage-free shark diving a "hazardous" activity. Posted emails like these serve to enlighten our community and help guide future conversations about sharks and television and the industry as a whole. Kudos.

Typically questions like these are stacked for eco-edutainment programming that feature bad things with sharks. Doc Grubers response serves as a template for well reasoned and pro shark thought on the matter. It's hard to fault the opinions of a guy whose entire life has been spent in the company of sharks:

"I feel that shark dives produce several very beneficial outcomes for humans and sharks. First exposing divers to sharks, safely and professionally - and in a beautiful environment will inevitably turn fear into fascination. Quickly these people become ambassadors for shark conservation. Further it produces jobs and income for areas and folks that need the work - especially in an economy such as the Bahamian one.Tourism in the Bahamas is the country's life blood, and sharks are a draw".

Complete Post

Shark Tourism-RTSea

Editors Note: One of the many reasons why we work with RTSea Productions and have come to count on the friendship and guidance of Richard Theiss has been his innate ability to look at complex issues from many points of view. His perspective on the shark diving industry comes on a global scale and his conclusions are sound policy statements that get to an industries sustainability and longevity:

Lately I have been fortunate to have the opportunity to screen my white shark documentary, Island of the Great White Shark to large crowds, to discuss shark issues with the audience, and be interviewed by newscasters. Their questions and comments would be wide-ranging, expressing a variety of opinions. While I tend to avoid op-ed positions (I find I get long-winded as you can see) and prefer to enlighten people with the facts, sometimes I feel compelled to express just where I stand.

Eco-tourism:
Eco-tourism has taken an interesting journey, evolving from the hunting safaris of the past into photo safaris to its current position as a conservation-minded endeavor. In the process, it has moved from a high adventure, risk-your-life type of activity to that of ecological enlightenment. This is not to say that it is without risk - from inclement weather, to a charging animal, to tenuous or hostile political environments in some developing countries. But those involved in eco-tourism who choose to promote it as a thrill-seeking, dangerous activity are behind the curve regarding its future and in the end can do more damage than good.

This is particularly true of shark diving. Many leading NGOs have turned towards shark eco-tourism as a possible new strategy to pursue. While past strategies of regulation and prohibition have produced legislative results, eco-tourism offers an additional supportive approach by providing countries or businesses with economic alternatives to curtailed anti-conservation activities while also providing a means to educate the general public with first hand experiences.

However, the NGOs commitment to eco-tourism becomes shaky when safety protocols are not strictly enforced, resulting in aberrations like some of the incidents or activities that have received broadcast media or YouTube attention - like riding, grabbing or playing "kung fu" with passing sharks or cage breaches due to unsafe bait handling. The days of high testosterone, "face the malevolent monster" are at an end and undermine the efforts of those who are working hard to build a general public consensus regarding the importance of shark conservation.

I have personally seen how shark eco-tourism can be beneficial, as I brought out in Island of the Great White Shark at Isla Guadalupe. Those shark diving operators who have been a model of effective eco-tourism have supported the island's "biosphere" status financially, supported Mexican shark researchers both financially and logistically, and have acted as unofficial watchguards in the absence of Mexican enforcement due to the country's limited resources.

Criticisms of Eco-tourism:
Eco-tourism is not without its critics and many of their concerns are not based on the welfare of the participants but on the animals themselves. Here are the two most common complaints often levied against shark eco-tourism and my take on the issues:

1. The animal's normal feeding behavior is being disrupted.

Well, to be honest, I have my concerns when feeding takes place pretty much year-round. I am concerned with sites like Stingray City in the Caymans and other similar spots where the potential for negative feeding behavior is possible because of an endless stream of tourists with bait in hand. These sites need specific scientific study to determine if there are detrimental effects taking place.

At a site that I am familiar with, Isla Guadalupe, this same complaint has been used by certain political forces in Mexico who are determined to rid the island of all boat activity. In this case, I believe it is a weak argument. When hang bait is used to attract the sharks, a certain number of them succeed in occasionally catching the bait being wrangled by the crew, but we are talking about bonito or tuna carcasses (the sharks often spit out bony tuna heads) - not a major source of nutritional quantity or quality. For the 3-4 months that the sharks are at the island, this activity does not supplant their normal feeding behavior (primarily pinnipeds and whole tuna) or leave them starving the remaining 8-9 months when they migrate.

I recently had the opportunity to discuss this issue with shark researchers at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. The consensus was that a specific study would be needed for a definitive answer (researchers don't like to guess) but the feeling was there is probably some behavior modification regarding the sharks "recognizing" the presence of shark diving boats but a negative impact on their feeding habits from hang baits alone was a bit of a stretch.

2. Animals will associate humans with their food/bait.

With regards to sharks, the fear is that providing bait to sharks will make them associate humans with their food and become more aggressive to divers, surfers or swimmers - in essence that we're teaching the sharks to eat people. While a specific scientific study would be needed on a site-by-site and/or species-by-species basis to determine it once and for all, I can at least add my anecdotal observations.

In all my years of shark diving, I have yet to see any shark become specifically aggressive towards the divers in cages or myself (where I am often more exposed to the sharks) when conservative baiting is present. This is not to say that I am willing to put my arm in front of a floating bonito while a white shark bears down on it and expect the shark to swim around me. Nor will I place myself in the midst of a group of frenzied reef sharks tearing apart a large piece of bait and act surprised if I get nipped accidentally. But with all the various prey and various scents that sharks detect and recognize, to assume that a shark will equate fish blood to human prey is an A equals B logic that my experiences just don't support.

The Shark's Role as Predator:
In building public awareness in shark conservation it is critical that we build consensus based on truth. And the truth is that to maintain a healthy eco-system nature needs its predators - even the big, fearsome ones from sharks to grizzly bears to lions, tigers and so on. Many of these animals benefit from the "warm and fuzzy" factor. We look at the mother polar bear and her cubs strolling across the Arctic ice and we get all soft inside, forgetting the fact that the polar bear is a ferocious predator - a role defined for it by many, many years of evolution.

Sharks do not have the warm and fuzzy factor working for them. They live beneath the waves in their own realm and for centuries all man has been able to do is scratch the surface of that realm and form attitudes steeped in ignorance and fear.

So at one end of the attitude spectrum there is "sharks are killers" and "the only good shark is a dead shark." What we must do is to educate people as to the important role that has been defined for these animals through millions of years of evolution. For some of our larger sharks, their role as predator and scavenger may not be a pretty one, but it is absolutely vital in preserving the intricate weave that we call the marine eco-system.

Unfortunately, I have sometimes seen the spectrum move too far in the other direction. For some people, their enthusiasm as shark advocates pushes them to ascribe social or human-like traits to sharks that don't really exist. To promote sharks as cuddly puppy dogs who smile at our approach is not a responsible position based in fact and can ultimately be dangerous not only to the cause of shark conservation but literally to any person who interacts with a shark, forgetting at a crucial moment the animal's refined sense of self-preservation, of flight or fight. Timothy Treadwell tragically lost sight of this while studying Grizzly Bears.

This circles back to my earlier comments about shark diving. As a professional filmmaker, I am paid to take a calculated risk in filming and sometimes exposing myself to an animal that might choose to defend itself aggressively. Eco-tourists who pay to see these same animals should do so in a safe environment. If we promote some of our most maligned sharks as gentle, loving and smart (in human terms), we are setting up the cause of shark conservation for the inevitable backlash when someone is injured in an unprovoked (or provoked) shark/human interaction.

Let's be true to the facts, true to the sharks, and true to the belief that people can rally behind a cause like shark conservation without being misled, no matter how sincere the intentions. The truth shall, in this case, set the sharks free!

UNEXSO Hosts Protect The Sharks Foundation

When Christine Zenato teams up with Protect The Sharks Foundation only good things for both the Bahamas and for the sharks in the region can come of it:

Grand Bahama Island - UNEXSO was pleased to host for a second time Protect The Sharks Foundation which is a non – profit organization based in The Protect the Sharks Foundation is trying to convince people how important it is to save sharks and in particular stop shark finning.

With this in mind Geert Droppers the founder is producing educational films aimed at showing the beauty of the shark and dispelling all the myths about “that dangerous monster.” Last year on his first visit to UNEXSO he filmed a documentary “Gimme A Hug” with Cristina Zenato, UNEXSO Diving Supervisor and Dive Instructor who is recognized as a Shark Dive professional.

It is a short film aimed to create awareness and a better understanding of this misunderstood animal. It is being distributed world wide and has already received outstanding reviews at film festivals in This year Geert returned to UNEXSO to dive with Cristina and show the beauty of the local Caribbean reef sharks and further develop “Gimme A Hug” for release in The film will highlight that there is no need for the mass slaughter of sharks for their fins in an area of the world where Shark fin soup is a delicacy.

The group was joined by 12^th Grade Marine Science students from St. Georges High School together with their teacher Andy Loveitt. They were interviewed and then participated on a shark feed under the watchful eye of Christina and Andy.

Sharks-Taking a Leadership Position

This morning we read an astonishing post by a shark diving operation in Fiji. As we have come to learn "the hard way" the commercial shark diving world has a similar unsaid credo to that once uttered by Ronald Reagan-"Speak no ill of fellow shark diving operations". Or put less succinctly by those still in the 80's mindset to our industry,"Mind your own goddamn business".

Commercial shark diving has evolved from a few maverick shark divers, who showed the way back in the late 70's, to an actual $200 million dollar global industry. It's a hard fact few within our industry fully comprehend the magnitude of.

Unfortunately, our industry is also at point in time where our actions are inspiring an entire generation of up and coming operators and underwater photographers. In many cases they are being inspired to attempt animal encounters that will inevitably lead to spectacular and unfortunate events.

It has happened already and the perception of sharks when this happens dumps them back into stone age erasing years of positive shark messaging and pro shark efforts. It's a classic Catch 22. The desire by some for closer encounters with top predators to educate the public these animals are not killers, which inevitably leads to an accident or outright attack on a diver, which then destroys the animals reputation once again.

The two burning issues that most commercial shark diving operations fail to realize are the following:

1. Due to the nature of what we do we are high value targets for the media and for misguided wildlife advocates.

2. Regardless of where you have a shark operation your actions ripple through a global industry. This is a fact.

I have to hand it to Beqa Adventure Divers for taking the stance they have taken. We have been strong advocates for industry standard protocols with macro sharks like Tigers, Bulls and Great Whites. On the flip side the imagery taken by Amanda Cotton was stunning and one might argue several of her images will do great things to change peoples perception of sharks.

As we have said in the past there's a "line in the sand" between what we do as commercial shark diving operators with the general public and needs of commercial underwater photography. We covered this same issue last month.

What we do with sharks should be based first and foremost on long term sustainability not a "run of good luck".

Shark Free Marinas, Bahamas It Starts With "One"

We are proud to announce the first of 10 marinas in the Bahamas who have joined the Shark Free Marinas Initiative saying "no" to shark kills by educating the public to sustainable catch and release fishing.

Our goal is to have these signs and public education material at a minimum of 30 marinas in the Bahamas. Based on the initial response thus far it looks like we might just meet this goal.

For now please join us in thanking and supporting the Bimini Sands Resort Marina who, with the help of Katie Grudecki, have realized the need for sustainable shark management in the Bahamas and now stand as educational point guards against the taking of sharks for "images and weigh ins".

As we have long said in our industry and with shark conservation efforts worldwide:

One Blog. One Person. One Website.

Everything begins with "One"

Shark Free Marinas, Bahamas

After three weeks and some great push by the shark bloggers out there we're happy to report the Shark-Free Marinas Initiative is a "go" in the Bahamas.

To date eight marinas have "agree in principal" to join this conservation effort. On the East coast there's some interest with a larger NGO to roll the project out there. They see how this would work on many levels to raise awareness about sharks.

We would like to thank the shark bloggers who jumped on this and got the ball rolling. You guys are the backbone of the shark conservation movement. Let's make some changes.

One website. One blog. One person at a time.

Benthic Cage Design-Open Source

With our 2008 Tiger Beach season just a few months away we thought we would share our Bahamas Benthic Cage Design with you.

Called the "Alamo" this open top cage system sits on the bottom and allows divers who are not as comfortable as seasoned shark diving professionals to enjoy close macro shark species interactions with all the benefits of a shark cage.

We pioneered the concept of Safe and Sane Shark Diving (tm) a few years ago. The understanding is that close predator interactions with macro sharks such as Tigers and Bulls need to have a "defined space" between the animals and divers. It's an approach geared towards sustained commercial shark diving with these animals.

Safe and Sane Shark Diving (tm) does not allow pre-predatory investigative bumps by Tigers on divers. Euphemistically called "love taps" by some operations we feel these closer interactions on a broad based commercial level is in the long term not sustainable.

The goal of our operation is to see sustainable solutions with macro shark species. As such we are making the Alamo Design by Luke Tipple an open source design for use by any operation that would like it. We'll email any operation the full cage design specs and site design specs should you request them.

MillionairesConcierge.com-Strategic partnership with SharkDiver.com

We got a call three weeks ago from adventure industry powerhouse and CEO of the Millionaires Concierge Doug Turner. He wanted to know if we could service high end yacht clients to the Bahamas to cage dive with Tigers and Lemon sharks...of course the answer was "yes".

Shark Diver has been providing cage systems and private yacht services to mega yachts worldwide since 2003.

The Millionaires Concierge is a unique site that covers almost every adventure imaginable from mega yacht charters to fighter jet experiences. These adventures are specially tailored to meet the growing demand for exceptional adventures for those who can afford it.

We're excited about the coming months with Millionaires Concierge and will keep you updated on the latest projects with them.

Shark Productions-Case in Point

This email came in this morning. Not sure where we'll go with this one as at least one of our hard and fast criteria for good shark productions does not seem to be there, the all important "budget". Although it does seem "interesting":

Hello there,

I have a film crew and actors all of which are at the very least dive master certified, and one of which is a marine biologist specializing in shark research. We are filming a television show that showcases our travels and adventures across the world. Right now half of our crew is out in Koh Tao, Thailand filming and due back at the end of August. We are low budget and high thrill show with a crew and cast ranging between 5 and 8 people. I saw on xxx that you are offering exclusive trips for film crews and was curious if you would accept our company on one of these voyages. Hope to hear from you soon.

Cheers,
XXX XXX
XXX Biscayne Blvd, Suite XXX
North Miami Beach
(317) XXX-XXXX

Shark Projects - Passing on "Night"

We passed on an "interesting shark project" a while back.

About twice a month we get hits from various production companies who want to shoot sharks. A few of these projects we decide to pass on for various reasons from non existent film budgets to outright crazy shark production notes.

The projects we do work with are all A-list crews who approach us with shark productions that make sense.

This latest shoot for Animal Planet (the production company will remain nameless) is set to go in the Bahamas. Called "Night" they wanted to take their show host at night-in a baited situation-with Tigers.

Cages? Minor detail.

Now this is do-able and not as crazy at it sounds, but here's where it started to go south for us:

1. The show host was not certified and had no shark experience
2. Their primary DP was not certified and had no shark experience

That's not to say they have not proceeded with this shoot. In fact it looks like they will film "Night" as planned. One thing we learned a long time ago about adding your name, or your credibility to any shark shoot - beware.

As industry members it is up to us to guide production to better production values. Sometimes you have to say "no" because in the end poor productions hurt everyone, the industry, and the sharks that we spend years trying to portray in a positive light.

Industry blow back from these productions is growing...and more often than not you'll never see it coming, especially at "Night".

Amusing-Bollywood Dancing and Sharks...Never a Good Combo

Word from the Bahamas this week that Akshay Kumar Bollywood's premier leading man and recipient of more Om Shanti Awards than any other human on the planet has suffered a head injury on his newest underwater set.

Insiders say while in the Bahamas, which involved a sunken vessel and many Lemon Sharks swirling around at 75 feet, his wild Bollywood gyrations and flowing outfit got caught, causing him to hit his head and bleed profusely. To get an idea of what we're talking about imagine the following Akshay video...underwater and covered in sharks:



Editors Note: We could not have made this up.