Filming Sharks in Bimini - A Cautionary Tale

Yesterday we watched the antics of a film crew in Bimini harbor swimming around at a boat dock across from us with baited Bull Sharks in an attempt to place a "fin cam" on the back of an animal.

Sadly, as they discovered, the shark site they chose has many faults. It is too shallow, the light is iffy, it's sitting off a sand bar so the vis is usually terrible on the outgoing tide (when you get sharks), and one of the town sewage outflow pipes runs right through it.

It takes some measure of bravery to snorkel in the raw sewage from "Home Week" we were impressed.

The issues are simple facing film crews who want to shoot sharks in Bimini harbor. We have taken careful stock of these issues in the design and implementation of Bimini Bull Run from site selection, to water depth, to fidelity of animals. This site and these sharks are for specific film projects - not all.

Safety, sharks, and looking at the shark resource in Bimini Harbor as a long term investment in Bimini, it's people, and the animals is what BBR is all about.

Swimming with these animals outside of cages and attempting to feed them at the same time is absolutely contrary to any kind of long term success with these wonderful resident animals. It is also disrespectful to the people of Bimini who call this harbor home. 

Seriously, the level of arrogance exhibited by this crew who knew nothing about these animals was broad by even film industry standards and it didn't go unnoticed by those who were observing.

Like Tiger Beach, if these animals were to be conditioned to swimmers/divers and bait, that combo in a harbor setting will have dire consequences.That's why we designed the cage system for BBR with a removable face panel for filming and it is open to all - whoever you are.

We want to see safe shark interactions, we also want to see great production values. Amateur hour baiting and interactions at the dock across the way will get you no where in the long run.

Fact is we have been doing this a while and we know what works, we are sorry you didn't get your fin cam placed, but we could have told you that in advance - if you had asked.

Lastly about putting tech on any Bull Shark here in Bimini. Go through the Shark Lab first and bring them into the production space for projects like these.

We did it with a South Korean crew last month, fact is they have been here the longest, they know the sharks better then any of us and it shows a measure of professionalism and respect to reach out to the Lab.

So enough said. Our site is available to you and anyone who is interested. We chose the site well knowing that there would be a few who would take swimming in raw sewage over working with us, but that's the nature of the shark film world. 

Ego's aside everyone, safety and production values should be foremost considerations, they are with our crew and always have been. You are either doing crap fly by night productions with sharks or you are serious about your craft. For those who choose the latter, go somewhere else, for those doing serious work you'll soon discover that Bimini is a shark wonderland filled with possibilities.

If you actually want to get Bull Sharks in Bimini Harbor we're here to help.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Shark Sanctuaries: The HEPCA Enforcement Roadmap?

We just found this website and we have to say it's a great idea and perhaps an actual solution or stop gap measure to the question of shark sanctuaries and enforcement.

Welcome to the fine folks from HEPCA who have had enough of sharks being taken from the Red Sea and are on a "name and shame campaign" to put a stop to it.

It's a fine concept that needs a little help, like a Facebook side, and a smartphone app, and an actual website that enables divers and boaters to submit real-time reports and images of sanctuary violators direct to government agencies.

Come to think of it maybe a site like Dive Sentry which is basically an in depth version of what the folks over at HEPCA are moving towards?

Regardless, it is good to see this kind of non NGO push for safer sharks, kudos to all.

BTW Dive Sentry is still looking for a good NGO home, it's ready made and ready to roll, know anyone who has the need?

PADI Project Aware, we're looking at you guys.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

CITES Well Done - Sharks Get a Break

Five species of sharks and two species of manta rays will now be subject to international trade regulation under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, or CITES, a move that could save these threatened species from total collapse.

The required two-thirds of the 177 CITES member governments voted to protect these animals—the oceanic whitetip and porbeagle sharks, three species of hammerhead sharks, and the two species of manta rays—marking an increase in the number of sharks protected by CITES from three to eight species.

"This is a major win for some of the world's most threatened shark species, with action now required to control the international trade in their fins," said Susan Lieberman, director of international environment policy at The Pew Charitable Trusts.

"This victory indicates that the global community will collaborate to address the plight of some of the most highly vulnerable sharks and manta ray species. Today was the most significant day for the ocean in the 40-year history of CITES."

Lieberman added that the gridlock created by those who oppose such controls has been broken. Sharks are primarily traded to Asia for use in shark fin soup. Manta rays are caught and killed for their gill rakers—the part used to filter their food from the water—to make a purported Asian health tonic.

"The tide is now turning for shark conservation—with governments listening to the science and acting in the interest of species conservation and sustainability," said Elizabeth Wilson, manager of Pew's global shark conservation campaign. "With these new protections, oceanic whitetip, porbeagle, and hammerhead sharks will have the chance to recover and once again fulfill their role as top predators in the marine ecosystem."

Pew added that this commitment by the global community to shark conservation needs to be fully implemented and enforced, and should be coupled with national and regional efforts to ensure a sustainable future for these and other top ocean predators, all of which are critical for the health of the wider marine ecosystem.

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 143 shark species are threatened with extinction, but few management measures exist to protect them.

Votes from Committee I on Monday 11^th March:

OCEANIC WHITETIP The vote was 92 For (68.6%), 42 Against, 8 Abstentions (and was taken by secret ballot).

HAMMERHEADS The vote was 91 For (70%), 39 Against, 8 Abstentions (and was taken by secret ballot).

PORBEAGLE SHARKS The vote was 93 For (70.45%), 39 Against, 8 Abstentions (and was taken by secret ballot).

MANTA RAYS The vote was 96 For (80.7%), 23 Against, 7 Abstentions (and was taken by secret ballot).

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/03/13/5261350/pew-applauds-unprecedented-conservation.html#storylink=cpy

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Mystery Sharks off Rottnest?

Mystery sharks off Rottnest shed new light on species

News Release

The University of Western Australia

28. February 2013

————————
The discovery of two sharks never seen before in Australian waters is set to re-write scientists’ understanding of the species.

Shark biologist Ryan Kempster, of The University of Western Australia’s Oceans Institute, said the rare sharks were caught off Rottnest Island two years ago at a depth of 430 metres by local recreational fisherman Steve Downs.

Mr Downs gave the two sharks to a group of researchers at UWA’s Oceans Institute and School of Biology, and the WA Museum.

The mystery sharks were a male just under a metre long and a pregnant female about 1.2 metres long.
“After two years of thorough investigation which included DNA sequencing, the sharks were identified as mandarin dogfish (Cirrhigaleus barbifer), a species never before seen in Australia,” Mr Kempster said.

“This species was known previously to be found only between Indonesia and Japan, and also New Zealand.”

It’s not known why the sharks were found so far from their normal habitat.

But the find already has scientists re-evaluating their understanding of the species.

“The female shark found off Rottnest had 22 unborn pups and is only the second ever-recorded specimen of a pregnant female of this species,” Mr Kempster said.

“Previously, it was thought that the maximum number of pups for this species was 10.”
The researchers’ findings were announced this week in the Marine Biodiversity Records journal published by Cambridge University Press.

Source: University of Western Australia

Related Scientific Paper :
Ryan M. Kempster, David M. Hunt, Brett A. Human, Channing A. Egeberg and Shaun P. Collin (2013).




About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Bimini Bull Run - Big Sharks, Bahamas

The Bimini Big Game Club Resort and Marina today announced plans for a unique one-day guaranteed shark encounter experience that will also help fund regional shark tagging and conservation efforts through a partnership with the Shark-Free Marinas initiative.

Bimini Bull Run is a first for the global shark diving industry, providing divers and non-divers with an up-close and personal adrenaline packed thrill of shark encounters from the safety of specially designed cage systems attached directly to the docks at The Big Game Club Marina. The system will employ a unique “Hooka’ air system, allowing non-certified divers to experience the opportunity in addition to those certified divers who would prefer to SCUBA.

Michael Weber, Big Game Club General Manager, said the Bimini Bull Run operation will feature safe encounters with Bull Sharks at the marina and offshore species like Tiger and Lemon sharks.

The site will also act as a film and television hub for U.S based shark productions seeking ease of access to the wild world of sharks.

“As a Shark-Free Marina member we only welcome live sharks at our docks,” said Weber. “We are very excited to be able to partner with conservation organizations like The Shark-Free Marinas initiative to help fund regional shark research and the ability to introduce the world of sharks in their own environment and in a manner that is safe both for the sharks and humans.”

Weber said the Bahamas, a collection of 700 islands sweeping across 240,000 square miles of territorial waters was recently declared a Shark Sanctuary with the government banning commercial shark fishing. One of the premier shark-watching destinations for divers, reeling in $800 million over the past 20 years for the Bahamian national economy, sharks in the Bahamas are big business and certainly worth more alive than dead.

Globally, sharks are under attack with estimates of up to 90 million harvested annually commercially for their fins, considered a delicacy in certain areas of the world.

For more information, visit www.biggameclubbimini.com.

Press Release here.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

PEW Hiring for Global Shark Conservation

Manager, Global Shark Conservation

 Responsibilities:

• Manage campaign consultants and their activities, in support of the development and implementation of shark sanctuaries and other national level shark conservation measures in target regions of the world, such as in Latin America or the Pacific.
• Develop and maintain working relationships with decision makers, government officials and national and international institutions, as well as relevant NGOs in the field.
• Assist in the development and success of a clear and focused strategy to meet identified campaign goals at the global, regional and national level.
• Represent the Pew Environment Group and the campaign at meetings and events where shark conservation policies will be discussed.
• Assist in monitoring, analyzing and influencing emerging shark policy proposals at regional fisheries management organizations (International Convention on the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), InterAmerican Tropical Tuna Commission (IATTC) and the Western Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) and other intergovernmental bodies such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES).
• Develop and coordinate the production and dissemination of scientific and policy documents, and outreach materials for campaign shark conservation efforts. 

Apply here, good hunting.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

2012 Isla Guadalupe White Shark Trip Reports

Aug 26 -31, 2012 Isla Guadalupe Trip Report 

Mark Denstedt is a return Shark Diver and now part of our shark diving clan. We plan on getting him face to face with Tigers in the Bahamas next;)

The sharp slap of small ocean swells against the hull of the Horizon crack the night air. The loud rumble of the engines begin to slow into a deep throated purr. The inky black of night slowly gives in to the small slivers of sunlight. And suddenly there it is!

From out of the gloom, the dark silhouette of Isla Guadalupe fades into view from it's shroud of mist.

It's around 5:30am and I'm standing in my favorite spot aboard the Horizon at this time, the bow. I can never get enough of the stunning sunrises out here away from the din of civilization. There before me is the shape of Isla Guadalupe, my second time out here with Sharkdiver and the Horizon. And it's every bit as awe inspiring as it was the first time. Even now I have goosebumps thinking about it.

As the boat secures itself and both crew and aspiring shark divers begin to stir,and  from out of no where it hits you! There it is!! The reason you've travelled across 200 miles of ocean and it's the most beautiful thing you've experienced so far. The smell of Chef Mark's cooking!

Ok, ok, maybe that's not the reason for doing this but it's a damn close second if you ask me.

Obviously the real reason is seeing Great White Sharks doing what they do up close and personal. And boy did we get that on this trip. Day 1 there was a total of 14 white sharks spotted and identified by the end of the dive rotations for the day. At one point there 6 within viewing range of the cages. Already this trip has easily surpassed my first time out in 2010. In between rotations we had a full White Shark breach about 3 feet off the port side directly in front of one heck of a startled diver struggling to pull on his wet suit! We had a couple of the local seals come out and play around the cages for the entire day with the smaller of the two very curious about the cages and us. So curious in fact that he wound up pretty much in the cage! He poked me several times from behind with his nose startling me each and every time. He did the same thing to Richard a few times on his dives. Maybe it was because we're Canadian.

The second and third days were more quiet as far as the shark spotting went but the seals were back entertaining us and a couple of dolphins cruised by for a couple of minutes on Day 2. And we did see another 4 White Sharks.

Day 3 no seals but another 3 White Sharks were spotted with one being a rather large female. When she cruised our cage several times she was breath taking in her mass and girth. Myself, Trent and Matt just looked at each other wide eyed shaking our heads in wonder from the confines of our cage. And there was yet another full White Shark breach this time about 200 yards away but every bit as amazing as the first!

All in all I think we saw somewhere in the range of 20 sharks over the 3 days, I'm sure Martin has the exact number spotted. In any case this being my second trip out here it definitely one upped the last trip! I'm still unable to convey with words just how incredible it is to see a White Shark swimming less than six inches away from you, or the feeling I get when one makes eye contact with it's big beautiful blue eyes. It's at once a little frightening, a lot of exciting and a lot of goosebump raising. I don't know that I'll ever not be completely overwhelmed by the experience. It's kind of humbling and man, that burst of adrenaline you get when a Great White Shark seems to just materialize from out of no where is nothing short of incredible! I can not recommend this trip and Shark Diver enough. Yes there are other companies that do this trip, but at the same time there isn't. There is only Shark Diver.

Once again I extend my thanks to Patric, the crew of the Horizon; Martin,Carey,Dan,Mark,Carolyn,Nick,Kyle and Stephan, and most importantly the incredible group of divers that allowed me to share in their experiences out there. Once again I've made some new friends from this trip.

Last nite after one last dinner with Jay, Leo and my fellow Team Canada friends I walked back out to H&M Landing to watch the Horizon leave for the start of a new adventure with a new batch of divers. A couple of tears filled my eyes and a lump caught in my throat as I watched her head out. I was sad that once again my journey has come to an end but excited for the people aboard getting to experience the beauty and excitement of everything this trip has to offer.

Farewell Horizon, see you again in a couple of years,

Mark Denstedt

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Jawesome trip to Guadalupe Island 2012!

Another great trip to report for the 2012 white shark season. Smooth sailing down to Guadalupe Island and 12 different sharks on the first day with visits from Diablo, Thor, The Russian, Bite Face, Harvey, Mau and Chugey along with 2 new, unidentified sharks were among the sharks competing to be photographed by our divers.

The second day was a bit slower, but we had one new shark entertain our divers all day long with some fantastic passes close to the cage.

On our last day we had" Bullseye" show up and put on the best show of the season. He has not been seen since 2009 and was curious to check us out. He was investigating our cages, propellers and divers at extremely close range, this is what we call "Epic" shark diving. Our trip back was a smooth as it gets, with glassy ocean waters and no waves.

Are you on our next trip, we cannot wait to see you!

Cheers,

Martin Graf
Dive Operations
M/V Horizon
Shark Diver

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Shark Photographer James Dylan - Epic!

In 2011 we were excited to have underwater photographer James Dylan aboard the good ship Horizon for a week of shark adventures at Isla Guadalupe. Famed for white shark encounters that have been thrilling divers for the past decade.

James and his sharks did not disappoint and he cranked our some amazing shark images. Here's his report and his website for a closer look at his white sharks:

"I climbed slowly down the ladder trying to adjust to the extra weight strapped to my waist. I looked around for my designated regulator and drop into the royal blue Pacific. The water was cold as ice, but I didn’t care. The metal enclosure that I stood in rocked back and forth with the waves and I had to grab onto the bars to keep my balance. I scanned the endless ocean for some sign of life besides the school of fish surrounding me. A dark shadow moves in the distance. A massive great white shark materializes out of the depths. My heart stops and I have to remind myself to breathe out of the regulator. This was the one moment I had been waiting for for 17 years and that one moment will forever be seared into my mind. 

Over the next two days I came in contact with between 10 and 15 different white sharks, all with different personalities. On day two, perhaps the most famous shark at Guadalupe showed up. They call him shredder. He is 16 feet long and always loves to show off to the divers watching him. He circled the cage for three hours giving everyone a good look. As he swims past you, he looks at you dead in the eye and you can see his eye snap from diver to diver. Let me tell you, there is absolutely nothing more amazing, thrilling, and terrifying than having a 16 foot great white, swimming mere inches away from you, stare at you; studying you.  Another smaller, unidentified shark, paid us a visit later that day. This one was showing more… aggressive tendencies. He would dive deep and torpedo up from the bottom right at our cage and veer off at the last second.

The whole reason I got into photography was for this very reason.  Shark Diver was able to provide me with the opportunity to capture stunning images which I was able to display at an exhibition last spring.  Several examples from this exhibition are posted above.  For more of my work, please visit my website at www.james-dylan.com.

I had an incredible experience with Shark Diver.  I hope to see you all again very soon."

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Conservation Messaging - PSA's To Watch

Conservation PSA's are the lifeblood of any movement and one of the leaders of the shark movement is David Diley who produced this great look at Fiji's sharks.

Sadly for the folks in Fiji, the Shark Sanctuary did not pass, a rare set back in an island nation that has, until last month, been a leader in shark conservation efforts.

All things comes to pass and we're sure the fine folks in Fiji (many of them in this video) will be back on the hunt for new shark protections soon, it's in their DNA to be innovative.

In the meantime watch this video and share it. Inspiration can also be a useful tool and this video has it in spades.

Kudos David, thank you for the images, the words, and the beauty and joy of sharks:




About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Shark Week VW Commercial - Behind The Scenes

Yes, that's Luke Tipple driving the SOVW or as we knew her "Skittles," in the Bahamas a few months ago during the filming of the anchor commercial to Shark Week 2012.

Seen it yet?

From the same team who brought you last years anchor commercial with Gillette, comes a series of very cool design, build, deploy shark commercials that bend the world of underwater exploration.

Luke was not alone in this endeavor. Greg "Moondog Mooney," was in charge of the design and build phase and underwater dive safety and site layout. Scotty Grey basically held the dive operations together with all those extras that productions need,and has been an integral part of every shark production we have completed for the past 5 years. Johnny Friday and his entire team shot this commercial in RED.

Kudos to the Bahamas Film Commission and Donna Mackey who once again smoothed the way for Bahamas film magic and to the Old Bahama Bay Hotel for providing the entire crew great accommodations. 

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving, unique film productions with sharks, and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Isla Guadalupe White Shark Cage Diving 2012 - Trip Report

From the Sat phone on the M/V Horizon this week a quick update from Captain Spencer on the M/V Horizon:

Moooove on over epic 2011 season and bow down to 2012 White Shark season!

16 passengers and a crew full of shark men (and women) set off on a 5 day journey of a life time and got a life time worth of White Sharks in just 8 hours!

As the sun sets over the hunched back of Guadalupe Island the prime rib is exiting the oven bound for a hot date with some happy folks.

A saxophone is caressing the air played by a passenger on the top deck. Others exchange experiences over a ice cold beer in lounge chairs on the back deck. After our arrival here at 4AM people began to stir in their cabins. Cages were in the water as the sun peaked up out of the big blue Pacific.

After breakfast everyone had a rotation in the cage to shake off the cob webs; it was game time. Enter Carcharodon carcharias (Great White Shark). For the next eight hours it was breath taking. Over twelve different sharks made an appearance on day one of the 2012 shark season.

At times they came within inches of the cages.

Here's my left side and then my right side, as if the sharks were putting on a show for our viewing pleasure. We saw so many sharks today my voice is shot from yelling WHITE SHARK so much. The afternoon it was even crazier. There were times when people would come out of the water saying they were seeing 3-4 sharks at a time!!!

What an epic day aboard the good ship Horizon.

As I walk through the laptop filled salon, divers share their epic day with photos. Pictures and movies of sharks up close, sharks in the back ground of divers, and of course smiling the whole time. No words can explain what just happened here at this magical island in the middle of the Pacific ocean.

I can't wait to see what day two has to offer.

Cheers,

Captain Spencer Salmon
M/V Horizon 2012

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Shark Week 2012 Returning to Their Roots? Yes!

After five very long years in the wilderness searching for Shark Week programming that was innovative, informative, and flat out beautiful from a visual perspective - we have arrived.

Shark Week is back!

A none to soon. It would seem that executive producer Brooke Runnette (we still want that couch) has re-discoverd the awe and inspiration of the original Shark Week and added a healthy dose conservation messaging along with innovative camera work.

The kind of, "in your face" animal encounters that made Shark Week the best week on television and inspired a host of up and coming commercial shark diving operations world wide to seek sharks - everywhere.

We were one of those operations. Inspired back in 2009 to create Shark Diver and we have never looked back.

Kudos to everyone who had a hand in the 25th Anniversary of Shark Week and a big cheer, thus far, for the programming. The Air Jaws Franchise has never looked better.

Oh, and the Volkswagen commercials have been pretty epic as well, but we had 25 years of inspiration to get us there.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving, unique film and television commercials with sharks and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

WWF, AlJazeera, and Whale Sharks?

If you want to see some really good conservation reporting - go to AlJazeera this week. 

AlJazeera you say? Yes.

Kudos to Gelareh Darabi and her entire crew for this production.

For the past three years AlJazeera has produced a series of  top notch and in depth looks at our planet and the many conservation issues facing it.

This week the program Earthwise focused on Donsol and commercial whale shark diving there along with actual bots on the ground conservation efforts by the WWF who have made Donsol home for the past decade.

The look at how commercial shark diving helps local communities is a breath of fresh air, and for a global commercial shark diving industry proof positive that the net effects of commercial shark diving are good for local economies, conservation, and ultimnately the animals themselves.

Sustainable tourism trumps extractive fisheries every single time.

"Whale shark hunting hit a peak in the 1990s, with prices of up to $800 per kilogramme of dried fin meat attracting a fresh influx of hunters to Donsol in the Philippines. In 1997, around 200 of the creatures were slaughtered. Whale sightings started to diminish. After campaigning by the local community and conservation groups, whale shark hunting became punishable by Philippine law in 1998. WWF Philippines, the UNDP and the local government together developed a community-based ecotourism and conservation programme, with the aim of providing local people with a sustainable income whilst protecting the species. In a few years Donsol had transformed from a small coastal community into one of the world's most popular destinations for whale shark tourism."

Watch video here.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving, film television productions, and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Shark Week at 25 Thanks Brooke Runnette!

Brooke, we want that couch!

For those who do not know her she's the consummate insider at Discovery Networks with her hands firmly on the reigns of Shark Week.

She's executive producer Brooke Runnette, responsible for recent programming changes at the network that include building relationships with top tier shark conservation orgs.

At 25 Shark Week faces a series of programming challenges that few other programs face, the biggest being relevancy.

How many times can you spin shark teeth and blood and gore in the water and still stay fresh?

Fortunately over the past 25 years shark conservation has developed to a point where the messaging has coalesced (finally) and conservation groups have developed smart ideas, great outreach, and solid conservation programs.

In short a programmers dream offering fresh, relevant content to a 25 year programming dynasty that ultimate helps sharks by engaging a domestic audience of 30 million.

And that's what the 25th Anniversary of Shark Week is all about this year, along with a return to some of the kind of shark visuals that made Shark Week into the long lived juggernaut that it is today.

Point your televisions this Sunday to Shark Week. If the industry whispers are true this year will be the start of something amazing.

About that, at least we know the commercials will be amazing, stay tuned.

About Shark Diver. A global leader in commercial shark diving with a healthy dose of film and television commercials and conservation initiatives. Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Reunion’s Surfers Demand Actions after Fatal Shark Attack?

Hat Tip: Shark Year Magazine

Helmut Nickel, Shark Year Magazine, 26. July 2012

 

After third shark attack fatality,
Protesters ask Prefect of Reunion Island to allow shark fishing in Marine Reserve.

In the aftermath of the latest fatal shark attack in Reunion (here), about 300 people (most of them surfers) gathered in front of the Prefecture building in Saint-Denis early this afternoon.

The protesters demanded from the Prefect to implement measures that would prevent such tragic shark incidents from happening again.

“We made this gathering so that the prefecture is beginning to listen to us, and we can find solutions to the overpopulation of sharks,” said bodyboarder Amaury Lavernhe.

The ‘Océan Prévention Réunion’ Association (OPR) said about the protest: „… this is an important opportunity to voice our outrage and to demand that real steps are taken to stop this massacre (=fatal shark attack) “

More concretely, a delegation of ten people had the chance to meet Reunion’s Prefect, Michel Lalande, and asked him to open the Marine Reserve for shark-fishermen. It is believed that this nature reserve has become a kind of ‘pantry’ for Reunion’s sharks on the west coast. This has consequently led to an abundance of sharks and a higher risk of attacks in the region. Although there seems to be a lack of scientific evidences to support this conjecture. According to some local scientists, it appears to be a combination of factors that can explain these shark bite incidents.
Outside the Prefecture building, the protesters were shouting : ‘Open the Reserve now ‘.

After a minute of silence to honour the shark attack victims, numerous surfboards were laid in the garden of the Prefecture as a protest gesture.

UPDATE, 27. July :  Please see the related Video Surfers protest outside the Prefecture in Reunion Island

 Source and Photo Credit: zinfos974. Other Sources: reunion.orange , facebook.

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Volkswagen Shark Week 2012 - The Engineering Team

The engineering side of the 2012 Volkswagen Shark Week Commercial came from the pairing of Florida based Greg "Moondog" Mooney and the absolutely metal genius of Andre who quickly picked up the nickname, "Metal-Angelo."

In the world of sight engineering there's no better crew and the results after 20 days of hard work speak for themselves.

These guys were the heart and soul of a completely revolutionary undersea vehicle.

The challenge for this particular vehicle, being a wet submersible, ran the gamut from propulsion systems which were provided by Silent Submersion to a complete made to order life support system that no one has ever seen before.

In short, this unique engineering crew designed, created, and launched the equivalent of an undersea moon shot in 20 days.

Here's the second teaser installment of the 2012 Volkswagen Commercial - enjoy:

 


About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Shark Strikes in Australia, a Sheepish Connection?

While the conservation and commercial shark diving worlds mobilize to counter Western Australia's plans for a reversal in white shark protections and a series of limited culls of these magnificent animals in response to several deaths in the region, we came across another interesting sheep/shark connection to this story.

For those who follow this blog we also looked at the sheep/shark connection in Egypt during a series of unprecedented shark strikes last year.

Of course right about now Da Shark, located at his Blogger Bunker somewhere in Fiji, is screaming bloody murder at the very thought of dead sheep thrown into the ocean leading to sharks strikes on humans.

But wait, there's more.

In fact the notion that several hundred dead sheep suddenly dropped into any region might elicit a higher surface predatory response from local sharks is not out of the realm of possibility at all, and even the Humae Society of Australia seems to think this is an issue:

 A spokesperson for the animal protection society, Alexia Wellbelove, said  "thousands of dead sheep ... either whole or minced" were being thrown overboard as ships departed ports for the Middle East "without care or consideration for the consequences".


"It is highly likely that the disposal of animal remains in this way will attract large sharks over a wide distance," Ms Wellbelove said.

So there you have it. All joking aside the real issue as everyone knows are local politicians who will use these unfortunate events to justify more shark nets, a cull structure, and perhaps even a roll back of hard won protections for white sharks in the region.

Kudos to the many hundreds of voices that have jumped on this issue over the past week to say "hell no" and to keep Western Australia white sharks where they belong. In the ocean.

If you want to get involved you can do so here, here and here. 

The sharks thank you.


About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

White Shark Cage Diving Australia - Reprieve?

All's well that ends well, sort of.

As you know we have been following the twists and turns of the State Governments decision to cut two commercial shark diving operations from Neptune Island in Australia.

A recent research study that suggested commercial white shark operations were in fact changing the behavior of the animals on site the decision was, as industry observers have noted, not greeted with much enthusiasm.

The good news is all the operations have received five year extended permits, the bad news is they have all been reduced to 5 days a week, dropping 288 collective days from operational calendars.

What makes this decision notable is the shark research component. For years commercial shark diving operations have extended an open door policy towards research teams seeking to study sharks.

Is it time to reconsider this policy when single point research data impacts operations?

About Shark Diver. As a global leader in commercial shark diving and conservation initiatives Shark Diver has spent the past decade engaged for sharks around the world. Our blog highlights all aspects of both of these dynamic and shifting worlds. You can reach us directly at sharkcrew@gmail.com.

Cristina Zenato Commercial Shark Divings Great New Voice

Baiting at Isla Guadalupe 2005

Thanks to some simply awful self inflicted media coming out of South Africa this month the world of sharks, commercial shark diving, and yes shark baiting has blown up again.

We go through this cycle once a year, but this time thanks in large part to Chris Fischer and the circus surrounding the tragic death of a young South African at the hands of a white shark, this cycle seems a bit more frantic with anti-cage diving folks finding some wind in their sails to produce an onslaught of hysteria that would make even Peter Benchley cringe.

Thankfully the commercial shark diving world has Cristina Zenato who has begun to post her observations on our industry in a way that's refreshing, to the point, and for those who have an issue with commercial shark diving, informative.

We have been fans of Cristina for quite a few years and watched her quiet rise through the industry with anticipation. She's a smart, edgy, no nonsense kind of person who speaks to the issues surrounding sharks with a compassionate voice.

Read her latest blog post  Shark Diving, Shark Feeding and Common Sense.

This is as good as it get's and for our industry the timing is perfect.

Simply defining the interaction with all sharks as a feeding or a non-feeding situation is too simplistic. It would collect approximately 400 species of sharks under the single umbrella of generalized gray, tubular, finned, toothed creatures who just swim around the oceans behaving as we would want them to behave. Instead we can, and should, take the time to learn how each and every shark species behaves. This can be a controversial and difficult topic to present -- please understand that there will always be unique situations and habitat niches. As with any complex issue, knowledge and understanding are key.

 Kudos Cristina.