Spinner Shark takes on surfer - Video

The spinner shark (Carcharhinus brevipinna) is a species of requiem shark, family Carcharhinidae, named for the spinning leaps it makes as a part of its feeding strategy. This species occurs in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide, except for in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It is found from coastal to offshore habitats to a depth of 100 m (330 ft), though it prefers shallow water. The spinner shark resembles a larger version of the blacktip shark (C. limbatus), with a slender body, long snout, and black-marked fins. This species can be distinguished from the blacktip shark by the first dorsal fin, which has a different shape and is placed further back, and by the black tip on the anal fin (in adults only). It attains a maximum length of 3 m (10 ft).

Sphyrna mokarran feeding time - Florida

Hat Tip: The Dorsal Fin blog for the amazing video find.

Gives a whole new meaning to catch and release...and recycle:

Watermen and Women in a Kickass Exploration of Film

Kudos to the team behind this. Eye popping fun at 150'

Sharks - Market Demand

Back in 2001 the state of Florida banned chumming for sharks and ended a nascent statewide commercial shark diving industry. Tourists and shark divers then flooded the Bahamas which enjoys a robust commercial shark diving footprint and enhanced revenue stream for local hotels and restaurants.

Back in Florida demand for safe shark encounters did not go away. Enter land based shark tourism, the future of shark encounters worldwide, as more aquariums and theme parks open their enclosures to the public:

Cause and Effect - Shark Mortality

Going out on a limb here with this absolutely unscientific theory about "sport caught shark mortality". It's an observation, nothing more, but it has historical precedent. Here goes:

The Storming of the Bastille, Paris occurred on the 14 July, 1789. While the prison contained only seven prisoners and therefor was of no value to anyone, its fall was the flash point of the French Revolution, and it subsequently became an icon of Democracy. Heady stuff.

The attack on the Bastille was lead, apparently, by a topless woman who was followed by some 500o screaming men waving small arms. She became known as the "Mother of the Revolution" and this opens the discussion to the power of women's, ah, breasts, to cause men to do seemingly irrational things.

Moving ahead.

Sport caught sharks have little value aside from the actual shark image and if current statistic hold true 98% of sport caught sharks are in fact caught by men. So why do they do it?

Back in 1980 the first "telling image" from Florida of a sport caught shark was transmitted to the world. This image caught the imagination and interest of millions as it made the front page of newspapers.

As you can see this was one impressive shark.

For sport caught sharks in Florida this was the dawn of the shark fishing era. Men from all over the state poured into the oceans like Drover Ants catching and killing as many sharks as they could all for that elusive dockside photo opportunity.

Like the unknown and unnamed "Mother of the French Revolution" this woman and this image became known as the "Mother of the Shark Fishing Revolution", a legacy that lives on to this day.

Today sport caught sharks are a regular feature in many marinas, public piers, and at fishing events worldwide.The reason for this mostly male activity remains as elusive as the the first day it was conceived, but I have a suspicion that it may have something to do with what I am terming "The Bastille Effect".

Oh, you laugh now, and perhaps even throw a few snide comments about mental astuteness for conservation ideas and childish responses to images found on the Internet - but.

As you can see this "Bastille Effect" is all pervasive and it is fast becoming a hard fact of the sport caught shark world. These are the images we typically see of sharks brought back to marinas for photo opportunities.

Like I said this is a totally unscientific theory and merely an observation at this point.

Clearly more observation is needed.

Apologies in advance to offended feminists worldwide.

No this is not a serious post.

Bucky Dennis - Son of a Bitch

Ah, makes you madder than a bag of Diamond backs in a bucket of Habenaro sauce on a hot day in July.

The killing of a pregnant world record Hammerhead was greeted in Florida this week by a triumphant media, a disinterested public, and a shocked research and shark diving community.

Oh, that's right, Florida banned sustainable shark diving in the state back in 2001 - in lieu of this, miscreants like Mr.Dennis kill breeding aged populations for the thrill. It is well known in the region this is the time of year for super large Hammerheads who come to pup.

These animals are the factories for future generations and as such should be protected, not killed and traded for a piece of paper with a date and a weigh-in number on it.

Here's the media, the image says it all.

Kudo's to Mote Marine Lab for telling "Bucky" to keep his kill, they wanted nothing to do with him or his new record shark. Perhaps "Bucky" will amount for something in his life, as the spokesman for catch and release. One can only hope - for the rotting pile of pups he now has in the back of his pickup truck, hope for the next generation of Hammerheads in the region is something long gone.

Murray the "Little Monster" - Op Ed

Well lookee here. Just when you think Floridians are incapable of any "nuanced thought" concerning sharks and conservation, along comes writer Ed Killer (seriously that's his name) and an Op Ed worthy of any shark conservation NGO:

The great shark debate: To kill or not to kill

Nothing generates a media sensation like a shark. A shark bite, a dead shark, a shark migration, aerial spinner sharks, Shark Week — ratings grabbers all.

This week, it was a shark caught by Aidan Murray Medley, 13. The young teen made NewsChannel 5 when word reached producers of his Tuesday catch of a 340-pound bull shark off Palm Beach. Last year, Medley also made the news when he reeled in a 551-pound bull shark.Both sharks were killed — brought in and hung at Sailfish Marina as trophy catches. Medley said he mounted last year's shark and will mount this one, too.

The news generated as much interest for its controversy as for its subject. Not only are we fascinated by terror-inducing man-eaters, but we love debating the ethics of when it's considered OK to kill one.

Complete Story


Editors Note: Parents, beware not letting your young sons meet girls. The results can sometimes be troubling, as is the case with young master Murray here.

After School Programs for "Little Monsters"

The State of Florida's - "State of Sharks" is at an all time low and we have been covering the decline.

As you know Florida banned all commercial shark diving in 2001, opening the door to 70's self styled shark killers, media seekers, and commercial tournaments.

This month thirteen year old Aidan Murray Medley reeled in another breeding aged shark for the media frenzy and a few moments of glory.

Young Aidan also wants to be a marine biologist when he grows up. For now though he's going after even bigger kills, claiming that the Great Hammerhead is next on his after school program "wish list".

Note to parents - have you considered team sports as a reasonable alternative for your sons continuing education?

Florida Tourism - Dying For Imagination

With the news of a 16 foot Great Hammerhead caught and killed off the Miami coast yesterday we thought this would be a good opportunity to look into the state of Florida's tourism.

Florida Tourism by the Numbers

57 Billion - The economic impact of tourism in Florida

6.9% - Current decline in hotel revenue for Miami-Dade region, Florida's largest

10% - Overall decline in tourism since 2007 and falling

Florida needs tourism dollars. The state is in free fall with sharply declining tax revenue, the housing debacle, and in some regions of Florida a shocking10% unemployment rate. It is time for Florida to reevaluate every tourism option they have and that includes shark tourism.

We have been harping on this for a while now. Since the ill fated decision in 2001 to ban shark diving in Florida's waters millions of tourism dollars have gone to places like Bahamas where divers enjoy safe encounters with sharks. Shark tourism, done right, could be plugged into Florida's existing scuba community to begin major tourism revenue generation in one year or less.

Those numbers include hotels, airlines, taxi's, restaurants, time shares, the economy. Since 2001 the state of commercial shark diving worldwide has "matured". With the proper protocols in place, oversight, and even stiff fines for operations that fail to follow shark protocol Florida could become a world leader in safe shark encounters drawing tourists from all over the planet.

One final number to consider - 200 million. The estimated value of commercial shark diving worldwide and growing. In countries like the Maldives, shark tourism already accounts for 2.1 million dollars in tourism revenue, an estimated 100 times more than the export value of shark meat from the region.

Looking at the Great Hammerhead caught yesterday by one tourist from Illinois it becomes elemental to estimate the ongoing value of that animal just as easily. Unfortunately for the struggling hotels, restaurants, and unemployed in the Miami region the only value they will ever see from that shark is on the Channel 6 news archives.

Let's begin to rethink shark diving in Florida.

PETA Schizophrenic Messaging for Sharks

A few months ago we had a few things to say about the ill conceived and ill timed PETA Shark Week campaign featuring this image.

This week PETA announced a pro shark campaign in Florida to coincide with annual shark migrations and the negative hyper media that usually follows in it's wake.

This smart media tactic piggybacks on a natural shark event and effectively allows PETA to insert it's messaging into the local conversation.

Singer Island, Fla. -- The annual migration of hundreds of sharks off the South Florida coast has prompted PETA to create a pro-shark banner that will fly over Singer Island's beaches on Saturday from 12 noon to 3 p.m.The banner, which reads, "Sharks Aren't the Only Predators. GoVegetarian!," is part of PETA's campaign to raise awareness about the plight of sea animals who are killed for food.
Every year, more than 50 million sharks and billions of other sea animals are killed and consumed by humans, while sharks killed fewer than a dozen people last year.

PETA wants those who are concerned about predators in the water to think about the terror and pain that sharks experience as they bleed to death after their fins are hacked off to be made into "delicacies" such as shark-fin soup and shark steak. Many species of shark and other fish have been decimated by overfishing. According to an international team of scientists, 29 percent of fish species have "collapsed," or declined by 90 percent.

"Sharks are much more likely to be attacked by humans than the other way around," says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. "The most dangerous predators of all can be found lined up at the all-you-can-eat seafood buffet."

For more information, please click here.

Years After Shark Ban Some In Florida See "Shark Gold "

Since a complete ban on commercial shark feeding and diving in Florida back in 2001, Florida has seen the loss of millions tourism revenue.

Safe commercial shark diving is a viable bridge solution to sustainable management of species and a local tourism booster in terms of hotel stays, flights, and local restaurants.

Had Florida adopted and managed commercial shark diving in it's waters by now a minimum of 10 commercial operations would be taking divers from around the planet to safely interact with sharks. Florida is a scuba operation rich state, wherever you find success competition is sure to follow, perhaps a major factor for shutting down commercial shark diving back in 2001.

So, it was with some measure of satisfaction that we noticed at least one operation that was back ending the ban to realize "Shark Gold" in Florida waters. It begins with "one".

As the economy of the United States flounders and local states suffer their worst economic outlooks in the past 20 years it is high time to review commercial shark diving in Florida's waters again. As an "instant tourism resource" Florida has riches off it's shores waiting to be tapped while modern protocols for safe shark interactions have matured to a point where reliable and safe interaction with sharks are all but guaranteed.

Man Bites Shark-Saves Dog

....or something to that effect went down in Florida this week as dog owner Greg LeNoir jumped into "shark infested waters" to save his Rat Terrier from a shark that was happily munching on it:

ISLAMORADA -- Greg LeNoir watched in horror as a shark's mouth opened wide Friday, chomping a large set of teeth on his beloved 14-pound dog, Jake.

''Noooooo,'' LeNoir shrieked, fearing the worst.

But the case of the rat terrier versus shark has a happy ending.

Editors Note: The dog featured in this post is none other than our sharky mascot Sierra-a slightly overweight and completely fearless Rottweiler. Knowing that dogs should be able to fend off sharks and other predatory critters we chose a slightly more "robust companion" with Sierra. Hat Tip: Squid Force Media news bite.

Florida Surfers and Sharks

A pretty cool news story out of New Smyrna Beach, Florida this morning as local surfers share the waters with leaping sharks of all sizes:

It happened in the blink of an eye, but some people told Eyewitness News they still don't believe the tale of a wave-jumping shark in New Smyrna Beach even though it was caught on camera."He said, 'I hope I got it,'" said eyewitness Skipper Eppelin.It was three frames, one half-second of photography and a once-in-a-lifetime shot."I looked at the camera and go, 'You've got to be kidding me,'" said professional photographer Kem McNair.

Of course there's a catch and that is about 73% of the people who have seen this image set believe it's faked. Since we're not experts we'll let you decide.

Bionic Dolphin-Cool Tech

If there's one thing we love about the oceans and covering this subject it's stories like this one.

Researchers and staff at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium
rescued a young Bottlenose dolphin last year who's tail was unfortunately lost to a crab trap.

What they did with her after that is nothing short of amazing:

"CMA's marine life stranding response team is one of the nation's most successful. Many of the sick or injured animals we rescue are released after rehabilitation, but some become permanent CMA residents, due to the extent of their injuries. Residents include dolphins, sea turtles and river otters. The most amazing rescue story of all is Winter's."

Shark Capture Causes Traffic Jam

What is it with Floridians anyway?

Perhaps the most shark crazy bunch of people on the planet right now with perhaps the exception of China.

Let us qualify that, coastal Floridians.

LOWER MATECUMBE KEY -- All the Miami fisherman wanted to do was measure the lemon shark he had caught and then release it back into the open sea.

Instead, James Fuqua caused a traffic mess on the Overseas Highway when about 50 people parked their cars haphazardly on the road and waded into shallow waters to take pictures, touch the shark or simply get a closer look.

To make matters worse, the gawkers trampled hundreds of native plants -- sea oats, sea-oxeye daisies and sea grapes -- that had been planted in a volunteer beach restoration project over the weekend.

All this for a lemon shark?

Florida Commercial Shark Killers Cry "Regulations!"

Suffering from one of it's worst budget shortfalls in years, Florida has come up with a novel way to recoup falling tax revenues from crumbling home sales.

"State regulators offered a voice of support this week to West Florida's boutique shark (fishing) industry, which has all but shut down after federal scientists declared several key species dangerously overfished."

"St. Petersburg attorney G. Michael Mastry, who represents the shark (fishing) industry, estimated that about 75 fishermen and a dozen seafood processors would split up about $6-million to $8-million if the request is granted."

So once again sharks are going to the front lines of the continuing eco-slaughter. This time for the sake of 25% of the projected revenues going back into state coffers. As an eco tour company that champions all sharks we would just like to point out one thing:

Florida is the same state that banned sustainable shark diving eco tours off it's shores. To be replaced,not 4 years later, with state sponsored shark killing...all for 25%.

Worst...Dive...Website...Ever!

You know, we spend a fair amount of time here reviewing our dive industry and roaming through the various websites out there.

Most often we come across dive companies that are at the forefront of web tech. Their stunning underwater imagery compels you to click through page after page-while their online content weaves fantastic and "vivid" tales of dazzling dive sites and excitement that you just have to experience...and then tell your friends about.

This is not one of those sites.

To the fine but old school folks at Paradise Springs we say, "Welcome to 2008!".

Tiger Shark Diving-Bahamas and SharkDiver.Com

For the serious shark diver there's only two places on the planet where divers can get face to face with Tiger sharks. One of these spectacular dive sites is Tiger Beach located in the Bahamas. This unique-sandy bottom dive site allows divers and filmmakers unprecedented access while filming anywhere from 2-12 Tigers at the same time. Not to mention upwards of 40 Lemon sharks as well!

For the divers and crew of Shark Diver Tiger Beach is the perfect next step from Great White shark diving at Isla Guadalupe for those who want to discover the "Wilder Species" of sharks from sub surface state of the art cages and gates.

New for 2008 Shark Diver is working with the research vessel RV Tiburon and is now running 7 day charters from Freeport, Bahamas. This new dive schedule allows our divers a full extra day of shark diving over the old schedule out of Palm Beach, Florida.

The Shark Diver crew will introduce you to Tiger sharks ( Galeocerdo cuvier ) and Great Hammerheads ( Sphyrna mokarran) and "clouds" of Reef Sharks (Carcharhinus amblyrhynchos) up close and personal. Plus you'll get to snorkel and play with Spotted Dolphins, dive incredible sites complete with wrecks, reefs and more. Packing as much diving and shark encounters as they can into 7 days is what this is latest adventure is all about: