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).

Shark Research in Action - Bahamas

Kristine Stump, the current Principal Investigator at the Bimini Biological Field Station, describes the research she is conducting as a part of her PhD studies.

Kristine's doctorate thesis investigates the effects of habitat loss on the juvenile lemon sharks that use Bimini as their primary nursery.

Bimini's mangrove lagoons function as critical habitat for a wealth of wildlife, from seahorses and snappers to stingrays and sharks. Kristine's study aims to quantify the impact that removing these mangrove nurseries will have on Bimini's lemon shark population, and the wider ecosystem as a whole.

Sea Stewards - Pro Conservation Shark Media

Sea Stewards asks you to join them and help build a shark sanctuary in the San Francisco Bay Area and have produced a new PSA to go along with this unique campaign.

Sign the petition.

Ask our San Francisco leadership to speak out for sharks and stop the sale of shark fins and fin products until fins are obtained through a sustainable and certified source that does not kill sharks for fins alone. Help us educate the consumers and let the community know that sharks are important for a healthy San Francisco Bay and World Ocean.

More from RTSea Productions blog about the need to personalize shark conservation.

Ocean Encounters - New Website

Ocean Encounters founders Fred Buyle and William Winram will take you places you never dreamed of diving. Both avid world-class breath-hold divers, they have taken it upon themselves to share their passion for the underwater world with the rest of us.

They will bring breath-hold diving courses to your door, take you on live-aboard freediving cruises and organize expeditions for the chance to breath-hold dive in the company of large marine animals.

In their many upcoming activities, you will find one that is tailored to suit your needs whether you are a complete beginner wanting to improve your comfort underwater, or a dedicated breath-hold athlete looking to fine-tune your technique for your next competition.

The more adventurous amongst you will participate to shark encounters for an opportunity to discover the natural behaviour of these amazing creatures in their own territory.

Ocean Encounters is no ordinary endeavour. In addition to organizing courses and expeditions for the public, Fred Buyle and William Winram regularly join expeditions for the purpose of scientific research on large marine animals. From tagging sharks in the wild on a silent breath-hold to documenting unique animal features through photography and video, they contribute to the advancement of ocean preservation.

Buyle and Winram are scheduled to arrive in French Polynesia on December 5, 2009 to complete the last of five HDTV documentaries for the project Ocean Quest, a series which will, without a doubt, change the world’s view on the true nature of the oceans and their creatures.

For more information on Ocean Encounters, visit http://www.oceanencounters.net.

Amanda Cotton Priority Reminder

Amanda Cotton shot what we consider the Iconic Shark Image of 2009. Today her blog reminds us sharky folks that while shark conservation efforts are a 365 day a year push, let's not forget there are others who could use some help too.

Thanks Amanda for the post.

Beth's Story from TakePart on Vimeo.

Douglas Kiesling - Whale Shark Video

In a controversial video bound to raise a few eyebrows underwater photographer Douglas Kiesling takes us into the world of unregulated shark encounters:

Here is the video from this past weekend while I was out on location in the Gulf of Mexico with our Southwest Florida Weather Paparazzi, Brian. We were working on a Coral Reef video project when we encountered a pair of the largest sharks in the world, Whale Sharks. The first Whale Shark was about 25 feet in length and the second Whale Shark was at least 30 feet in length.

The most amazing thing that happened was that when the group of divers we were with in the water got near the larger Whale Shark, it stopped and let everyone rub its back and head. It acted as if the divers were there to clean it and must have thought we were a cleaning station. This gave everyone that was in the water with the larger Whale Shark a once in a lifetime experience since this was out in the wild and is an extremely rare event.

In the video below, I shot the footage in the water while Brian was on the boat and shot the topside footage. That is until put his camera away and jumped into the water with the rest of us to swim with the gentle giants.