Filming Sharks? Yeah It's Fun!

One look at this image has industry folks asking, "so what's with the suit of armor?"

This was part of our 2009 production with the Mythbusters at Tiger Beach, Bahamas for Shark Week.

The crew from Shark Diver was tapped to take Jamie and Adam, two of the nicest guys in television right now, down to The Beach to interact with sharks.

Part of that multi day production involved suiting up Adam for the shows intro segments. We thought it would be one of those unique production images that really captured the imagination - and it did.

The Mythbusters 2009 Shark Week appearance set new records for the Shark Week franchise and we were happy to be a big part of that shoot.

Since then we have set the standard for innovation underwater with sharks on a commercial level shooting groundbreaking productions that employed all manner of objects and sets underwater with sharks.

When it comes to sharks, why shoot in a sterile environment?

Of course safety is always our highest priority and we are happy to note that 12 years later we are proud of our 100% safety record with sharks and talent in the water.

2012 will see another series of productions around the world with sharks, so stay tuned if you happen to like sharks, we have some unique excitement coming your way.

Understanding Tigers like Guy Harvey Does

Thanks to the Guy Harvey Foundation and tagging work being done in Bermuda through the invitation of veterinarian Dr. Neil Burnie, who has independently running a tiger shark research effort, the once elusive world of Bahamas tiger sharks is opening up.

Or are they Bermudas tigers?

Recent tagging data is showing a migration pattern that is interesting to say the least.

For the past decade the question of where these animals vanished to periodically was on commercial shark diving operators minds in the region.

Last year Guy Harvey's Dr. Mahmood Shivji, and company decided to find out. They reported back with an in depth discussion on conservation, marine protected areas, and current tagging with Dr. Neil.

Last month a tiger was sport caught in Bermuda setting off a storm of controversy, tigers are also sport caught with relative impunity in Bahamian waters as well.

With this latest data interesting questions about protection for these animals comes up. As commercial shark diving operators ourselves we have long advocated and enabled in depth shark research at the primary dive sites we operate in. Understanding the animals we work with is the key to working with the resource beyond just the commercial which leads to greater protections backed by in depth site data.

Local efforts to shepherd and steward sharks is the hallmark of commercial shark diving in many places worldwide. Kudos to the work being done by Dr.Neil, Guy Harvey, Dr. Mahmood, and others who are in a race to uncover the once secretive world of tigers.

Only good things can come of this latest discovery.

Volunteers, sponsors sought for tiger shark tagging project

Tigers in Bermuda and a nascent research program could use your help this week:

It costs $6,000 to sponsor a shark, but along with adopting the animal, they are also given the opportunity to meet their shark in its environment.

The more sponsors they are able to find, the more sharks they can tag, which means more information for the researchers.

Sponsors are offered regular updates on their sponsored shark, and are even invited to join Mr. Aming in tagging the animals.

"It's not every day you get to reach down and pet a tiger shark," said Mr. Aming. In order to tag the sharks, they are first caught with rod and reel, and brought close to the boat only when they are exhausted.

"You obviously don't want an 800 lb shark full of energy and right next to the boat," said Mr Aming. "These are dangerous sharks. They're not as bad as most people say, but they can kill you."

After the shark is brought alongside the boat, it is cinched to a specially designed stretcher and brought on-board the boat, where it is measured and tagged, before being released.

He said the tag costs $3,000 and tracking time costs $20 per shark, per day and while Mr. Aming has already found several sponsors, including Lindos Markets, he's still looking for more.

"Every scientific project always needs more funding," he said. "We've got a bunch of local sponsors. Some are friends, some are keen fishermen."

The tagging project started last year, with the team tagging three sharks in a test run of the equipment.

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