Salmon Shark Mystery or Media Push?

Salmon Shark young of the year have been washing up along the coasts of both California and Oregon over the past three years with increasing frequency. At least one "marine expert" thinks there's something fishy going on...we're not so sure:

First came the fang-toothed lancetfish, washing up on Oregon beaches last spring and summer.

Then came the young salmon sharks -- which resemble baby great whites -- turning up on the sand through October.

Now Bill Hanshumaker, a marine education specialist at the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport, wants to figure out why at least 10 or more of each species beached up on Oregon shores in the past several months. It's not unusual to find a few each summer, but this year's high numbers remain a mystery.

Who's Josh Lay? We'll Take the Thai Massage!

This week we got a call from a "Josh Lay" wanting some information about a white shark diving trip for 3-6 divers to Isla Guadalupe. On the outset it sounded like an honest phone call, we gave him our standard sales pitch and closed out the conversation.

Here's where it went south. All yesterday, and part of today we have been getting phone calls asking for "Josh Lay". In fact a good buddy of ours from Main who owns www.sharkdiving.com
called us to say he had a hot lead for a party of 3-6...you guessed it "Josh Lay".

The number Mr.Lay left behind to contact him is 323.240.9xxx that number is linked to our home office number here in California, so when you call it you get us!

Amusing? Yes. Whoever this "Josh Lay" is, he knows all about call forwarding, and has a great sense of humor. We have spoken with half the fleet in South Africa, a small shark diving operation in Honduras and a crazy German from Thailand who's got some kind of shark diving and beach massage service...for our money the Thai operation sounds like the winner!

Bill Wieger-Shark Artiste

Shark diver Bill Wieger joined us a few years ago at Isla Guadalupe.

At the time he was fresh face in another week long batch of excited divers we see each season, but we quickly came to know Bill as an artist.

On his first expedition to I.G he was introduced to a simply stunning female shark we named "Mystery" for her ability to just appear when she wanted to and vanish just as quickly.

As you know by now the I.G site is known for 100 foot visibility-so that's a pretty neat trick considering this animal is simply huge.

Bill went home and reproduced "Mystery" as a sculpture and now produces limited editions for interested divers and shark fans worldwide. As you can see from this image, he's got talent!

Right about now about 20% of you have your credit card out and we're pretty sure he will not mind if we post his email for interested buyers: billwieger@att.net

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.

Freakish Mystery Surround "Seal Shootings"

O.K, so it's not like the media gets things wrong all too often, but this is just too creepy. As you know we have been following recent events in Oregon where several caged seals were "shot to death" apparently in response to record low Salmon stocks.

Today an autopsy revealed that all 6 dead, caged, animals had not been shot at all...here's where it gets bizzare, read on:

Exam indicates sea lions weren't shot to death in Oregon

3 hours ago

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Federal fisheries officials now say the six sea lions found dead in traps on the Columbia River apparently were not shot to death.

Spokesman Brian Gorman of the National Marine Fisheries Service said Wednesday that preliminary results of a necropsy found no evidence of recent gunshot wounds but found numerous shallow puncture wounds in one animal consistent with sea lion bite marks.

Gorman says X-rays found metal fragments in soft tissue near the neck of two animals.

He says a metal slug was found in the blubber of one animal, but neither the fragments nor the slug appear to be fatal and may have been from old wounds.

The agency is still trying to determine how the animals died near the Bonneville Dam.

The Big Question-Just how do 6 caged seals end up dead in one single night?

Stay Tuned.

Mid East Undersea Cable Mystery-Solved!

Dubai (CMN)- As conspiracy theories build over the sudden and "mysterious"disconnect of 5 intercontinental data cables connecting large areas of Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. A small team of specialized "cable divers" went down to investigate the reason for the sudden destruction.

What they discovered this week has shocked the world and answered the nagging question "Where did 5 Billion Dollars earmarked for Iraq's reconstruction go?".

Dive team leader John Magor from Dubai Salvage and Tow came right to the point, "We discovered an entire underwater city, complete with working tram lines (click image) that had inadvertently cut these cables when they ran over them". "This city is brand new, with hundreds buildings...even a Starbucks!".

The US State Department put out the following press release this afternoon, " Yes, dammit, we did build an entire city for 800,000 underwater. Everything we built above water in Iraq was being blown up, so we thought this was a good use of the Taxpayers money".

The following Underwater Onion was brought to you by Shark Diver. Seriously, this whole undersea cable thing is a bit spooky.