Isla Guadalupe Shark Cage Diving - 2011 Trip Reports

Guadalupe Island is once again in full bloom with another season of record shark numbers and as always the "unexpected."

Newly minted Shark Diver James Woodhead joined us last week at Guadalupe not sure what to expect - but ready for anything.

It was that mindset that helped James when the "unexpected" happened, it's also the reason why Shark Diver builds and maintains the best shark cages in the business.

Here's James after action report:

Turning 40 this year finally lit a fire under me to fulfil a childhood ambition - diving with Great Whites. Luckily, my web research led me to Shark Diver's website, and I'm so glad it did.

After a long sea journey to Guadalupe we finally got to suit up and get going. Being non-certified, Dive Master Martin showed me the ropes of breathing with the regulator and clearing my mask underwater, and thankfully I didn't have any problems.

On the first day, amongst some 'regular' Guadalupe sharks returning to say hello to the cages, a notable encounter was with a very shy young male White Shark who was very wary of the cages. Martin said we should keep a special eye out for him over the next few days. Again on day two, our young shark turned up and kept his distance. We also saw Jaques, a Guadalupe regular who is now over 16-foot, and a female regular too.

Both sharks got very close to the cages.

On our last day, the regulars turned up again. Our mystery male also arrived, and this time headed straight for my cage. I took a lovely photo of him very close to the cage, which I have attached, and thought "He's not stopping". The next second he'd rammed our cage with his snout - just out of curiosity - and shot off at very high speed.

It might have been the shock of his life, but it was a huge thrill for myself and my cagemates.

I would like to thank Patric for his excellent customer service, and our crew; Captains Spencer and Kyle, Galley Crew Mark and Alyssa, Dive Master Martin, and crewmen Mark, Nick and Kyle, who were always friendly, informative, funny and professional, (and in the case of Mark and Alyssa, damned good cooks!).

I'd also like to thank my shipmates, who to a man (and woman) were excellent company.

They all helped to make the dreams of a 5-year old English kid an unforgettable experience for a 40-year old English guy!

Cheers,

James Woodhead UK

What some call Undersea Adventure we call Shark Diving!

Tiger Beach, Bahamas. When it's this good it's just shark diving heaven. Join us in the fall of 2011 and the spring of 2012, the sharks are waiting.

Shot by Fraizer Nivens in RED with the M/V Kate.

Tiger Beach, Bahamas 2011 from Frazier Nivens on Vimeo.

Sustainable fishing for Sharks - Heresy? - You Bet

Mike aka Da Shark is one of the industries deepest thinkers. He can also produce an industry rant that can peel the paint off buildings across the street from any device with Internet access.

His latest post is one that landed with little fanfare and as I suspect, left more than a handful of Shark Messiahs frothing at the mouth.

Yes, Mike is asking questions about "Sustainable Shark Fishing" which is for many within the shark conservation world an anathema.

But go here we must, because the idea of global bans on shark fishing is not comprehensive or even real world and in the end doomed to failure. In fact the entire shark conservation track thus far is setting up a world in which the price for some species of shark is higher than ever, with fishermen moving into set aside areas of abundance to harvest sharks because of little enforcement and high dollar prices.

So the "fishing idea" needs to be explored, vetted, and discussed by conservationists now before we get to the point where illegal fishing of our own design takes hold in areas we once thought protected.

It is easier to monitor existing fisheries than to patrol against illegal fisheries, just ask Sea Shepherd.

Here's Mike post again. It's filled with links, ideas, and some big words. So if you're not into big words or deep thoughts, go back to painting your protest sign with that day glo crayon of yours and happy protesting.

For the rest, read this because it's as good as it gets and about 5 years ahead of the current curve for shark conservation thought and strategy.

Tiburón Cíclope - Baja California - Video

Ya'll remember the one eyed crazy shark they found in Baja?

We do and now there's a video. No this was not a hoax it was shark evolution baby, the next step to sharks with actual frickin' lazer beams on them:

White Shark Cage Diving Guadalupe - 2011 Reviews

When Phil Wiseman called us in 2009 to book a white shark expedition for 2010 he sounded excited. This was going to be a family affair with two of his clan joining him.

Unfortunately "life got in the way" for Phil and his family and they could not join us in 2010, so it was this year that we got to meet the Wisemans...and what a nice family!

Here's Nancy's take on her recent adventures with White Sharks at Guadalupe island.

Thanks guys, we'll have you back anytime, your new friends the sharks are waiting:

Dear Patrick and crew of the Horizon, I just completed a tour with you and would like to share my experience.

I am 68 years old and grateful that my son Phil found your tour and asked me if I wanted to come along. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect to be within a few feet of a magnificent Great White Shark. I will marvel that event forever.

I had a bit of a problem the first night trying to gain my sea legs but once my body and my brains stopped arguing with each other I was good to go.

The entire staff of the Horizon were just great. They couldn't do enough for me and I indeed felt special. Every meal was fabulous, it was great to wake up every morning to the smell of coffee and bacon frying in the pan. Martin (diver operations) was ever so patient when he worked to help me breath with the regulator. It was fun to hear all the knowledge he had about the sharks of Isla Guadalupe.

Thank you all for a great experience.

Nancy Wiseman

RTSea Productions Using Shark Footage for Great Shark Media

Meeting at the intersection of responsible shark media and great visuals is this news piece from ABC. Kudos to Richard Theiss from RTSea Productions who has been a tireless pro-shark media campaigner with many years of shark footage for use by the media that portrays these animals in this most natural light.

This white shark footage is from Isla Guadalupe shot with the crew of Shark Diver. Richard will be back at the island again this season (2011) for more shark encounters:

Crazy Cool/Amazing Shark Video From Catalina

It's got all the elements, a gill netted seal, a hungry white shark or mako, and a surprise.

If it's September in California it's shark time folks. A free Shark Diver T-shirt to the first person to positively ident this shark as either a mako or very small white.

A similar attack by an actual mako on a seal happened on July 31, 2010 at Catalina.

Enjoy:

Isla Guadalupe Shark Cage Diving - 2011 Trip Reports

The 2011 white shark season has started with a "bang" at Isla Guadalupe and our Shark Divers have never been happier.

We have identified over 14 regular customers and a few new animals that have caught us off guard.

One of them, a young male, decided to test our cages last week with a gentle nibble, thrilling divers, and providing more shark stories for the 2011 season.

Newly minted shark divers Tammy and Wayne just got back with their own trip report.

Congrats guys, and welcome to the world of Shark Diver:

Wayne and I would like to extend our thanks to the entire crew of the MV Horizon. We set out the eve of August 19th, after a long trip from Canada, we were tired and a bit foggy but the crew were so enthusiastic and helpful we found our second wind. We were immediately made welcome and felt right a home very quickly. From beginning to end the entire crew made the trip, and we can't say enough. We have both traveled a lot, and client service and the food far exceeded our expectations !

The sharks were amazing, only a part of it though, the entire trip is an experience of a life time. It stands alone from lazing on a beach or by a pool, we both agree that it will leave a lasting memory for both of us. Experiencing the Pacific on the dive boat was awesome, waves at times but the crew was very diligent about safety and we never felt in danger.

Seeing Humpback wales, dolphins, turtles, Seals & Sunrises, was all part of the experience.

The crew made us feel like family and I don't think I was ever seconds with a look of "I'm not sure what I'm doing" without someone right there to help me or even asking if I wanted another beverage.

Mark & Kyle made the finest meals in that galley kitchen, AMAZING!

Captains Spence, Carie & Kyle, ran the boat and always made sure our safety was number one as well as having some fun with us too.

Nick, Mark & Tim made sure we always had what we needed and that if there was anything they could do to let us know. Martin made us feel very comfortable in the water, we are both non - certified, and we were not sure really what to expect, but Martin put all our concerns at ease and was very informative about the sharks too!

We have told everyone how much fun we had and have told them that it wasn't just the amazing sharks, it was the crew that made the trip so much fun!

We'd be happy to answer anyone's questions who might be considering going.

Thanks again for the memories

Tammy Leveck & Wayne Bigelow
Ottawa, Canada

Shark Diver The Movie on the App Store

Shark Diver : The Movie

Award winning Director Mark Tipple invites you experience the hauntingly beautiful world of the Shark Divers and go on an aquatic adventure in this short film based on his feature length screenplay.

Shark Hope Video - First Rate Conservation Messaging

From TheDorsalFin on Aug.30, 2011 at 10:54 am, under Shark Videos.

Shark Defenders have posted the trailer above for a documentary titled “Shark Hope” to their YouTube channel. According to the video description the documentary is a collaboration between Walker Films, Ratu Manoa Rasagitale, the Coral Reef Alliance and Pew Environment Group. The documentary focuses on efforts to create Fiji National Shark Sanctuary.

Kudos to everyone involved in this project, this is first rate shark conservation outreach and messaging:

Cephalopodic Horror - The Horror!

Far be it for us to suggest that any particular culture should abstain from "playing with food," but then again the following video is just plain gruesome.

The science behind this is simple, freshly dead cephalopods can be reanimated with a healthly dose of salt found in most soy sauces.

The results will make even the most hardened Zombie Apocalypse fan wince:

Are These the Killer Seychelle White Sharks?

The answer is no. These are Lemon sharks (Negaprion brevirostris) fish eaters.

But that has not stopped the Seychelles gov from engaging in a wide spread Jaws style shark hunt in an attempt to prove to their tourism base that they do not have a "shark problem."

To the Seychelles credit and a country that depends of 50% of it's GDP to tourism dollars they had to do something, but an old school shark hunt targeting every shark species within 20 miles of an attack site?

That's not in keeping with modern tourism values, nor does it fully recognize the intelligence of today's tourist who understands more about sharks now than 20 years ago when a full court shark hunt was de rigueur.

The Seychelles even went to the extreme lengths to hire several South African Shark Mercenaries to hunt down their Killer Sharks.

What has transpired over the past several weeks in the Seychelles has been a farce.

At first this was not a shark attack, then it was deemed a shark attack, then the animal without any scientific proof was identified as "not a local animal." From there various sources within the Seychelles gov said this was a white shark, again no proof was offered but it worked nicely with the desperate storyline that the Seychelles did not have sharks in its waters.

Along with this weeks Lemon shark haul, Seychelles shark hunters also came back into port with two large Tigers, so much for the Seychelles storyline that they don't have sharks in their waters.

It's evident that the Seychelles have no clue how to deal with their sharks, even though these animals have been living in a peaceful coexistence with swimmers for the past 30 tourism filled decades.

At this point all that can be done is to watch the unfolding disaster and plan for the next gov reaction to a shark attack. We can learn from the Seychelles media disaster as a case study on how not to react and deal with the aftermath of a shark attack.

While shark attacks are unfortunate, and deaths from shark attacks tragic, they remain rare events and we can do a lot better than South African Shark Mercenaries, and media reports that attribute attacks to species that most likely no where in the region at the time of the event.

Tiger Beach Bahamas Video - Frazier Nivens

Underwater DP Frazier Nivens with Ocean Imaging spent a few weeks this spring with the M/V Kate in the Bahamas at Tiger Beach.

This video is about as good as it gets. If you have ever wondered what shark diving with Tigers is like, look no further, the Bahamas remains the quintessential Tiger shark site on the planet.

Shot in RED.

By the way we'll be back again with the M/V Kate this fall, who's in?

Enjoy:

Dear Shark Conservationist How About a Modicum of Style?

Dear Shark Conservationist,

It has come to our attention that your shark conservation public outreach displays seem a little, what's the word here, lame?

Yes you have the tents, along with the hand drawn signs in some sort of day glow crayon that cry out "Save The Sharks!" and as always the cute, fuzzy, plush shark toys.

Seriously, this is five years of shark conservation public outreach? Have any of you ever done corporate display work?

Fact is the folks who market and trade shark products for money do not have cute, fuzzy, shark plush toys at their trade shows. They are in the business of selling shark products to the wider public and as such are trying to make a positive impression.

Ouch.

May we suggest that the next few dollars you manage to acquire from some well meaning donor be spent wisely and that you beef up or at least try and create memorable and professional displays for your public outreach work.

Here's one thought, let's get rid of those plush toys and replace them with a few dozen of these (see video).

When it comes to marketing sharks give the public what they want and deliver it to them with style:

White Shark Caught on Huntington Pier, Ca?

Huntington Beach Pier is a well known hot spot for shark fishing. The specialty of this pier in season is Thresher shark.

Unfortunately from time to time young of the year White sharks are taken and as this video demonstrates these animals are often misidentified as Mako sharks. Leading to the question, could it be possible for a shark group in the region (and we know there's a few) to create signage to help folks identify caught sharks?

Peter Thomas has the scoop on what happened to the folks who caught this shark:

Isla Guadalupe 2011 White Shark Season - Quick Report

With our first few expedition trips away to Isla Guadalupe this season divers are writing back to update us on their experiences. Chuck lives in Arizona and when not diving with sharks he's usually found whitewater rafting.

Chuck and his cousin Georgene are now "Official Shark Divers" having spent the last three days in the company of our wonderful white sharks at Isla Guadalupe and witnessing first hand white sharks jumping clear out of the water right next to our boat.

We call it a shark breach, Chuck calls it amazing:

This is from an Arizona desert rat who never ventured deeper than the shallow end of the swimming pool.

First day on Guadalupe the sharks circled the boat and you could hear the "Jaws" music in the background, but none came to the cages.

Next day started with a complete jump out of the water by a 15 foot plus sweetie name "Chugie" (sic) and the fun began."Chugie" gave a second jump that day... sharks o'pleanty all day. No more fins, just beautiful Great Whites coming to the cages for the next two days. Mark, the chef, put 4 pounds on me. The entire crew was fantastic and the trip will be a "bucket list" topper.

Thanks so much "Shark Diver" for a memorable and wonderful trip...CHUCK SHUMWAY

Great White shark carried out fatal Seychelles attack?

Strange though it may sound to folks who know white sharks, apparently the Seychelles gov has proof that a recent well documented shark attack was that of a great white.

Now we're not conspiracy theorists, but when you look at this a little closer somethings rotten in Denmark.

We point to the fact that almost from day one Seychelles gov officials said repeatedly that the shark involved "was not one of theirs," hoping to shift blame to a "rogue shark theory".

The recent discovery of a white shark tooth and confirmation from South African experts seems to back the gov assertions that a rogue shark is in the waters of the Seychelles, an island nation that relies on tourism revenues for 50% of GDP.

No mention of the typical tropical species like the tiger and bull sharks that frequent the waters of the Seychelles - there goes Occam's Razor.

We would like to see the tooth and find out who the SA shark experts were who signed off on the "rogue white shark" in Seychelles waters, anyone know who these folks are?

The whole thing doesn't sound right, and when it comes to high profile shark attacks in major tourism waters shark attack experts fly in by the truck load and everyone has a theory.

The hard facts are sometimes harder to come by.

Can A Magnet Repel A Shark Attack? No, No, No and Ah, No

Take it from us, we're experts, we know sharks. We also know shark feeding events commonly known as "shark attacks" and there's nothing on this planet short of prayer that will "Repel a Shark Attack."

Sharks are wonderful predators with a simply fantastic suite of senses designed to confirm when or not a shark should make an attempt at feeding. If these triggers are set, either by mistake, poor visibility, or by predatory design there's nothing some rare earth magnets can do to save you.

Did you read that Shark Shocker guys?

This video is one of the best examples of bald faced shark hucksterism we have had the misfortune of seeing in a long while and a complete disservice to the swimming public at large:

NBC News and Sharks - Taking WTF to New Lows

If you happened to be watching NBC's Today Show this morning you saw reporter Stephanie Gosk ham fist her way through a shark attack story out of the Seychelles.

Spouting factoids about sharks that were incorrect and providing descriptions of species that, if proved true, will redefine shark science as we know it, Stephanie unwittingly became the spokesperson for why the mainstream media needs to be educated about sharks.

It's time for push back because watching her in action today was enough to cause me to spill my sustainably harvested trade certified coffee all over my shirtfront while becoming "outraged."

Being outraged as a shark conservationist is state of grace we get outraged for a number of reasons when it comes to sharks.

For me major news media bias is one of them.

Yes sharks are predators, and yes sharks attack humans occasionally but the reasons behind shark attacks are what mainstream media folks fail to cover time and again, they focus on the blood, the loss, and the hype.

In case you want to know why the incidence of shark attacks are on the rise you need look no further than this recent article, great stuff.

Back to Stephanie. I won't give away her most glaring indiscretions, I will let you watch this media hit piece and perhaps become outraged as well. Suffice to say the bad taste exhibited by airing the grieving widows last recollections of her husband as he bled out on the beach in front of her reminds me of equally tasteless Shark Week productions wherein shark attack victims were forced to watch a mechanical shark monster slam into sides of beef to reenact their limb loss.

Yes this is the same kind of overblown media hype that does little to understand sharks.

As a shark conservationist I am not asking the media to rewrite what sharks are, or even attempt to soft peddle their basic predatory nature. All I am asking for is balance, nuance, and some hard facts, not the time warped 1970's lens that folks like Ms.Gosk seems to train on these animals whenever man and shark interact.

More from RTSea Blog.

Private Yacht Shark Diving Services - Shark Diver

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Shark Diver offers all inclusive shark diving and support services for mega yachts worldwide, specializing at Isla Guadalupe, the South Pacific, and the Bahamas.

Our yacht services are geared towards adventure diving and pristine shark encounters.

Based in California and Florida, we are ideally positioned to comprehensively support luxury mega yachts who desire to engage in safe shark diving and specialized dive charters with additional destinations available.

Shark Diver was the first commercial shark diving company to offer mega yacht services in 2004 with a private cage system build out on the M/Y Triton and shark diving services to Alaska with Salmon Sharks (Lamna ditropis). Our dive crews and support vessels maintain the highest safety and proven track record for animal encounters and we remain the premier shark and adventure diving and cage build service provider.

At Isla Guadalupe your white shark experience is our highest priority. Changes in vessel permitting at this remarkable site have made these experiences more challenging for yachts, we can help you with the process.

Shark Diver commercial shark diving yacht services are comprehensive with an eye towards value and safety.

Dive Management Services Worldwide

• Shark cage fabrication, sales, and service
• Full line dive equipment gear, sales and service
• Hyperbaric sales and training
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• Custom dive lockers
• Dive training, management services, open water through trimix rebreather
• Submersible sales, service, and training
• New build construction and refit

Yacht Dive Management Services

• Voyage planning
• Dive site pre-planning and expedition development
• Hiring and coordination of all local agents
• Screening and selection of local guides and dive crews
• Land based tour arrangement
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Port Services

• Cruising permits
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Not everyone loved our Gillette commercial?

Shakespere once said "all the world's a stage and all the men and women merely players," now I highly doubt many within the shark community read The Bard, in fact I know they don't.

But for those who do this video will be as amusing to you as it was to us. Yes, as it turns out not everyone loved our Gillette commercial this year. Although it was seen by one of the largest televised audiences outside of the Superbowl and even won a prestigious award at the Cannes Film Festival.

But when it come to "Charks and Chaving" this young lady does bring up several good points which we took into this weeks latest production meeting.

Enjoy:

Any DeHart Spokesman For Sharks - NBC Today

Andy DeHart is the director of biological programs for the National Aquarium, Washington, D.C., as well as Discovery Channel shark adviser. As such we have been rather dubious of Andy's shark motivations after seeing him on Shark Week for a few seasons pitching what amounted to an ongoing and horrific shark attack blood fest in 2009.

But as they say, "you don't know a fellow until you have seen him on NBC's Today Show," at least that's what someone said in our office this morning.

Responding to a recent shark attack and unfortunate death in the Seychelles this week Andy offers up a well balanced, truly fact based assessment of shark and human interactions without the usual strong armed attempts to recast sharks as anything else but what they are, predators.

If you're looking for talking points about sharks, shark attacks, and counter points to the medias persistent bias and 1970's view on sharks, watch this mornings interview, it's about as good as it gets.

Canadian White Shark Caught?

Great white shark caught in Bay of Fundy

CBC News, 17 August 2011.

A great white shark was caught this week in the Bay of Fundy, the first confirmed great white shark sighting in Atlantic Canada in more than six years.

The three-metre, 272-kilogram shark was caught in a fishing weir by fisherman Wayne Linkletter, near Economy, N.S.

Steve Campana, head of the Canadian Shark Research Laboratory, said the shark was likely looking for fish when it got trapped.

“They’re interested in fish and perhaps small seals and dolphins. It’s very unusual for a great white to attack a person and usually when they do, it’s because they look up and see a surfer on a surfboard and it resembles a seal, which is one of their favourite prey,” said Campana.

Campana added that great white sharks are often more threatened by humans, rather than the other way around.

“Canada is within the range of great white habitat, so they’ve undoubtedly been coming up here since time immemorial,” he said. “It’s just that the population of great whites used to be much larger, at least 10 times larger, just 30 years ago than it is now.”

Campana said the sharks are sometimes seen around Sable Island.

“The great whites will go up there and have a buffet meal of tasty young seal,” he said.

The shark was caught alive but later died.

The head was sent to Halifax’s Museum of Natural History for further study.

Tiger Beach Fall Shark Diving 2011 Bahamas

Bahamas Tiger sharks are calling and fall is just around the corner. There's no better way to celebrate the end of summer shark diving than being in the Bahamas surrounded by pristine offshore reefs, ancient wreck sites, sharks and wild dolphins.That's what we do here at Shark Diver each and every year with six new, and returning dive friends.

Mark your calendar and join us September-November in 2011 and again in 2012 for unique shark encounters close to home when the biggest sharks appear in the Bahamas.

This spring 2011 was a banner season for us entertaining multiple film crews, a site visit from the great folks over at the Bahamas Film Commission, and divers joining us from as far away as Italy!

Here's a look at Tiger Beach and the diving from RTSea Productions:

International partnership expands shark research in Palau

An international team of researchers, conservationists, commercial dive operators, and government agencies has joined together to deploy and operate an array of acoustic devices to monitor the movement of sharks in the waters of Palau. This array, the first of its kind in the waters of Micronesia, supports Palau’s world-leading effort to conserve and protect sharks within the whole of their Exclusive Economic Zone.

Initially established by the Micronesian Shark Foundation, the Save Our Seas Foundation, and the Australian Institute of Marine Science, the 14-station array has recently undergone an expansion with funding from the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), through the Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS). PacIOOS is a program led by the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.

The PacIOOS investment is targeted at increasing the density and geographic range of stations—providing a more precise and complete picture of shark movement in the Palauan archipelago.

“Sharks are a sentinel species in the global ocean and are important for ensuring the health of all ocean species in the future,” said PacIOOS Director Chris E. Ostrander. “Shark populations worldwide are threatened by increasing illegal fin fishing and a shifting climate. The Government of Palau’s dedication to conserving shark populations in their waters is an extraordinary step to helping shark populations recover and we are pleased to be able to assist, with our partners, in providing necessary information on shark movement, migration, and mating.”

PacIOOS is the Pacific Islands regional component of the United States Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and is charged with providing timely, reliable, and accurate information on the coastal and open ocean waters of the Pacific Islands to residents and visitors alike.

For more information about this topic, please contact Chris Ostrander at (808) 956-5902 or chriso@hawaii.edu.

Shark Diver Guadalupe 2012 - Shark Diving Expeditions

Shark Diver M/V Horizon 2012

August

17-21, 22-26, 27-31

September

1-5, 6-10, 11-15, 16-20, 21-26

October

8-12, 13-17, 18-22

Our 2011 pricing includes 12+ divers per trip max (compare other boats with 16-24 divers), U.S. shark and vessel crews, all shark diving permits, unlimited beer and wine, soft drinks, wet suits, weight systems, on board accommodations, meals, snacks, transfers from San Diego airport.

Shark Diver offers expedition forward pricing so you do not get hit with surprises down the line.

Solo shark divers are encouraged and never hit with a single supplement fee. Ever.

Book your 2012 Adventure Today

Departs from San Diego
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$3100 per person

Michael Reiser and Blue Sharks - Great Video

Michael Reiser is a new and upcoming underwater videographer who has been spending some time free diving with Blue sharks off Rhode Island this year with Joe Romeiro.

The results speak for themselves and this is as good as it gets:

Shooting Pistolas Underwater - Thrill? Yes

"We're gonna use this satellite dish to beam the image straight to the 80's so my...."

Classic, all hail You Tube for another quality wasted moment:

Media Message Kings RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation

New online video that caught our attention.

Dunlap program director Dr. Neil Hammerschlag decided to film a Lemon shark necropsy to use as an online teaching tool. The end result, edited together by Dunlap program multimedia specialist Christine Shepard, is below.

On a side note pay close attention to multimedia specialist Christine Shepard for this latest video. This is about as good as it gets in the modern media world for sharks.

Hat Tip Southern Fried Science

Shark Defenders Action Alert

Admittedly one of the coolest Shark NGO logo and branding efforts goes to Shark Defenders.

They also have the pulse on all things related to Grey Nurse Sharks in Australia and they need your help.

As Da Shark in Fiji points out:


"Australia's Grey Nurse Sharks are critically endangered and it is imperative that we counteract the pressure by the NSW fishing lobby who wants to encroach on their aggregation sites. As SD correctly points out, individual testimonies are generally more effective than copy/pasting templates or joining petitions."

Submission close on Friday, August 26.

Please do submit your testimony.

Diana Nyad Long Distance Swim/Shark Team

Over at the RTSea Blog filmmaker and friend Richard Theiss has an in depth recap of the recent Diana Nyad swim.

Richard was hired by the Diana Nyad team to document her attempt at swimming across the Florida Straits this week.

He was also part of the dive safety shark team hired to provide non lethal swimmer protection for sharks and lead by shark conservationist and Director of the Shark-Free Marinas Initiative, Luke Tipple.

Here's the shark recap:


The Safety Diver Team (aka Shark Divers)

The safety diver team was headed up by my friend Luke Tipple - marine biologist, dive safety officer on many television productions, and Director of the Shark-Free Marina Initiative. Several other leading pro-shark professionals were enlisted to round out a team of four but due to scheduling conflicts as the weeks wore on, some would have to regrettably drop out and others were called upon to fill in. From the first meeting held to discuss safety diver protocol right up to the moment of the event, one mutual understanding between the divers and Diana existed: in the course of ensuring her safety in the presence of any sharks, only non-lethal techniques would be employed. No harm would come to any shark in the course of our duties.


So resolute were the divers in this regard, that when the New York Times reported on Diana's upcoming swim and erroneously described her safety team as "divers with spears," there was a momentary blow-up and some of the team members chose not to be involved with an endeavor that would have them characterized in such an anti-conservation manner. In the end, while many - including the divers - wanted to downplay the "shark-infested waters" angle and focus more on Diana and the swim itself, eventually Diana laid out her position regarding sharks so that members of the ocean and shark conservation community could be put at ease - despite the media's ongoing fascination with a sensationalistic shark angle.


Her is a portion of what she wrote for CNN's Health blog, The Chart, "Our team has worked hard toward this world record. But it is of paramount importance to us that we achieve the dream in perfect harmony with all the creatures of the sea we encounter . In some regard, I am humbly asking the sharks of this particular ocean to allow me to skim across the surface of their home for about three days. I am duly respectful of them, their habits and their habitat, as is every individual on the Xtreme Dream Team.


We are humbly entering their world, their territory. Yes, let’s not be naïve. There is reason to take intelligent precautions for my safety. But it is imperative to me and every member of my team that those precautions be in the hands of a highly expert, experienced team of four divers who are versed for many years now in using cutting edge, nonlethal technology to deter sharks.

These divers dedicate their lives to raising awareness for sharks and persuading nations around the world to ban shark finning."

Of course, in times past, this proactive non-lethal approach would not necessarily have been the case. And I can understand any trepidation that Diana might have had regarding sharks. Consider her environment - constantly swimming, rotating her head to take a breath and check her position in relationship to nearby kayakers and support vessels. She just wouldn't have the luxury that scuba divers or snorklers have of looking around at what might be swimming underneath and that can certainly prey on the imagination.

Add to that, the media frenzy that surrounded swimmer Penny Palfrey, following her Cayman Island swim where she encountered several sharks that were mistakenly reported by the press as having been killed, and it became very clear to Diana that a pro-shark protocol sufficient to protect her and the sharks was needed. We had a range of steps and options with regard to any shark encounter, but rather than detail them here, you can read about them at Luke Tipple's website.

Ultimately, Diana's safety diver team consisted of Luke, myself, Capt. Rob MacDonald, and Capt. Jon Rose. We were ready to go; the August tropical storm/hurricane season was bearing down and the windows of opportunity were narrowing. When tropical storm Emily, which was initially bound for Cuba and then the eastern Florida coast, dissipated unexpectedly, a potential weather window had opened. The word went out: the time is now.

Complete Post.

Tiger Rip Fest Nom, Nom, Nom

A pack of tiger sharks take turns to attack the carcass of a dead humpback whale in Onion Bay on Palm Island, near Townsville. The sharks, some up to a 5m in length, stick their snouts out of the water to rip the blubber off the carcass.

Yes we love this video, watching sharks do what they do "au naturel" is a sight to behold.

Behold:

Summer Shark Tunes Imelda May - Mayhem

The crew of Shark Diver is rarely in the office these days, we're spending too much time at sea with our sharky friends, but when we are home the tunes are cranked to "11" and the day begins with Imelda May and "Mayhem."

Call us old fashioned but this tune has a righteous hook.

Behold The Swim Diaper - Evil Incarnate

As Americans enjoy the last big blast of summer and millions of children their quality water time I am here to reflect on the Hydrological Abomination that is - The Swim Diaper.

Call me old fashioned but back in my day there were "kiddies pools" and "adult pools," with an unmentioned social wall in between.

Kiddies did not play in adult pools for fear of incontinent faux pas. And for good reason, kiddies just want to let go anywhere, we know this, we were all once kiddies.

In my day we enjoyed screaming hours of water fun in the kiddie pool often overlooked by an adult of some sort who then went back to the 1970's social scene of the day.

Today at the ripe old age of 42 I am a member of a local gym that sports a very nice Olympic outdoor heated pool. Don't hate me for having a great gym. The pool has no signage but it is assumed that it is an adult pool as no kiddies are ever present.

That is until a few months ago.

Oh, it stared off innocently enough, a few Moms with their terribly cute offspring dipping legs in the shallow end to squeals of delight. Then there were more Moms and kiddies and soon, kiddies and Moms playing with water wings fully immersed in my lovely pristine waters and all sporting The Swim Diaper.

Now I am not a curmudgeon, at least not yet, but how do we know when one of these marvels of swim technology fails? It's too horrible to contemplate, and frankly it's beginning to gnaw on my mind during swim laps each day as I am forced to acknowledge Swim Diapered kiddies in my pool.

To the evil men and women who perpetrated the Swim Diaper on American Moms, a pox on you and your whole extended families. You do not have to swim in pools that have been tea bagged by Swim Diapered hoards across America. No you probably have your own pool at home with a big sign on it that says "No Children," because you know your product is neither fail safe nor sanitary.

What happened to the days of the Wet Banana? (see video).

I had fun with the Wet Banana, I didn't wear a Swim Diaper and if I or any of my little kiddie friends had a organic accident, we were shuttled off, cleaned up and sent back in for hours of screaming fun.

To the Moms who purchase Swim Diapers, you're not bad Moms, you have just bought into the marketing and hype surrounding this product that promises a Dihydrogen Monoxide Moon Shot when in fact delivers all the safety and diaper security of a Pinto with a side of biological horrors leached into my Adult Water Sanctuary.

Let's bring back the Wet Banana and lose the Swim Diaper, it's time for America to come back to safer waters.

Did this shark get beat up?

Watching Shark Week this year I noticed a show on Tigers in the Bahamas. The shark featured was a well known resident female who was in pristine condition at the start of the production.

The night segment was standard stuff for Shark Week, but it was this day after segment with the same shark that really caught my eye.

Does this shark look beat up to you?

More on this ongoing issue with Da Shark in Fiji.

White Shark Cage Diving Guadalupe 2011

With the start of our 2011 white shark season just days away we thought you might like a sneak peek at the island the world has come to know as, "The Island of the Great White Sharks."

This video was shot by Oceans Aloft with the help of Shark Diver at Isla Guadalupe in 2009.

Are you ready for Guadalupe? The 2011 clock is ticking down...

San Agustinillo, Oaxaca Shark Fishing Video

A regional shark fishing boat comes back to Playa San Agustinillo, Mexico with the days catch.

San Agustinillo is known as an upscale tourism hub in Mexico on the Pacific coast. Most of these sharks will be finned and the meat sold as "swordfish" in local markets.

San Agustinillo, Oaxaca Shark Fishing Video

A regional shark fishing boat comes back to Playa San Agustinillo, Mexico with the days catch.

San Agustinillo is known as an upscale tourism hub in Mexico on the Pacific coast. Most of these sharks will be finned and the meat sold as "swordfish" in local markets.

Contextualize Your Outrage - Well Said, Well Written

As a shark blogger who often delves into conservation issues to offer up opinions, ideas, and yes even conservation strategies, I was blown away this week by Ricks post over at Deep Sea News who tackled the recent expose on illegal shark fishing in Galapagos.

His post echos many I have read over the years and some that I have penned talking about the triumvirate of conservation.

1. Money

2. Strategy

3. Enforcement

His post is a perfect summation of the challenges that face shark conservation and a road map for next generation of shark conservation groups and individuals seeking to help sharks globally.

Yes, the loss of this many sharks in the Galapagos is a blow, it is also a wake up call to the global shark fin trade and the need, moving forward, to start thinking and acting differently.

If your not one for reading long well thought shark conservation summaries here's the crux of Ricks post:

So while we appear to be getting better at establishing legislative protection for sharks, where the rubber hist the road is in the enforcement of that protection. And enforcement takes funding, training, monitoring, consequences, public awareness, and a judicial process prepared to prosecute. Expecting open water to somehow police itself is as realistic as expecting a bank to safeguard its holdings without surveillance, guards, and a prosecutorial system.

Complete post here.

How Shredder Got His Name - Guadalupe Island

Known by a few names, Shredder has lived up to the name the crew of SharkDiver.com gave him at the start of the 2003 shark diving season back in the day when we chummed with real beef blood and divers fished for, but rarely landed, whole tuna.

Our very first white shark encounter in 2003 was with a 12 foot male white shark complete with “shredded” dorsal fin and several deep bite marks on his head.

He came in fast from the left, our first sight was of his mangled dorsal fin slicing through the surface toward our hang baits (tuna), he hit the first one with an unexpected fury, then turned and zeroed in on the second hang bait missing it and disappearing into the blue distance. This was clearly a unique animal and at the end of the day we named him "Shredder," little did we know he would more than own that new name.

Shredder Takes a Bite

I was up in the wheelhouse with our boats captain (Greg) during the last dive of our last day at Isla Guadalupe. It had been an amazing expedition thus far and our shark cages were loaded for the last time with die hard shark divers. At the time three new sharks in the 10-13 foot class were entertaining them. Two divers not in cage rotation, Kevin and Matt, were fishing for “last chance” tuna on the bow of our 88-foot dive boat the Ocean Odyssey when our crew in the wheelhouse heard a large splash. Seconds later a startled voice called up to us, “Umm, hey, a shark just blasted up and severed the anchor cable from our boat,” that was Matt, one look into his face I knew he was speaking the truth.

Our ships captain was not so sure, saying “that’s a rated 20,000 pound poly-pro anchor cable, there’s no way a shark just bit through it.”. One of the ships crew was summoned forward to have a look and sure enough came up with the last 5 feet of cable ending in one very messy shredded fray. A 12 foot great white shark had just leapt up almost 10 feet clear out of the water and bit through our anchor cable, about the size of a mans wrist and designed to hold an 88 foot dive boat in place in even the roughest weather conditions!

We were now adrift with shark cages fully deployed, sharks in the water and one shark the (newly named Shredder) with a new taste for anchor cables. In the history of shark diving I doubt this has ever happened to another dive boat. Crew raced forward and aft, we had our shark divers calmly exit the cages (30 minutes early) pulling them from the water in record time. In exactly 20 minutes we had the ship squared away and ready to get under power. Once we had settled down our divers were thrilled. After all you cannot call it a "shark expedition” until a shark chews through your anchor cable!

That's how Shredder got his name. He's now much bigger in the 14-15 foot class and still an icon of Isla Guadalupe, Mexico. His sat tags have revealed he is a regular visitor to Hawaii's North Shore when he is not thrilling divers at Isla Guadalupe, Mexico.

Toxic Sharks - EU Rapid Alerts 2011

A lot of discussion about heavy metals found in sharks and shark products for human consumption is available on the Internet.

Discovering actual EU Rapid Alerts for toxic sharks is something to pay attention to - what's in your shark meat?

Notification date: 05 July 2011.

Notification from: Italy.

Notification Description: Mercury in frozen blue shark steaks (Prionace glauca).

Origin: Portugal.

Distributed to: Italy.

Amount: 832 kg.

Analytical Result: 3,51 +/- 0,31 mg/kg – ppm

Action taken: official detention.

Notification date: 26 April 2011.

Notification from: Poland.

Notification Description: Cadmium in frozen blue shark steaks.

Origin: Spain.

Distributed to: Poland.

Analytical Result: 0.081 mg/kg – ppm.

Action taken: withdrawal from market.

Notification date: 15 April 2011.

Notification from: Italy.

Notification Description: Mercury in frozen shark slices.

Origin: Thailand.

Distributed to: no distribution ( border rejection ).

Action taken: official detention.

Notification date: 14 April 2011.

Notification from: Spain.

Notification Description: Mercury in ‘white dogfish’.

Origin: Senegal.

Distributed to: no distribution ( border rejection ).

Analytical Result: 2.1 mg/kg – ppm.

Action taken: official detention.

Notification date: 14 April 2011.

Notification from: Spain.

Notification Description: Mercury in ‘white dogfish’.

Origin: Senegal.

Distributed to: no distribution ( border rejection ).

Analytical Result: 1.3 mg/kg – ppm.

Action taken: official detention.

Notification date: 07 March 2011.

Notification from: Italy.

Notification Description: Mercury in frozen slices of blue shark (Prionace glauca).

Origin: Spain.

Distributed to: Italy.

Analytical Result: 1.42 mg/kg – ppm.

Behind the Scenes - Video Diary 1

From Office to Ocean is David Diley's one man band shark film effort that has a lot of industry support. He's started vblogging from Fiji where Da Shark is hosting him and we'll be covering his video blog as time moves forward:

Just a quick blog to say the first video diary is up. As promised, I wanted to let you know the kind of gear we are shooting with out here and it also includes some nice sharky footage at the end which shot a few days ago. It's straight outta the camera so no processing on it but hey, check out all those Bull Sharks!!!

I'm gonna do a blog soon about how this is all affecting me and me feelings at actually being here but today, I'm sick unfortunately so will wait until I'm better to hopefully do it justice.

Incidentally, having missed the dives today due to aforementioned sickness, Mike and Chris, a really nice guy out here on a project called Broadreach, informed me they had one of the Tigers turn up not once, but twice! Damn! However, I am hopeful she'll be back to say hello to me soon.

Enjoy.

Florida Manatee Attack!

Ahhh yes, this mornings coffee spilled all over the keyboard thanks to this video from Florida:

Conservation (hic) Drinking for the Sharks

We loves our outta da box shark conservation initiatives.

Especially ones that generate funds for sharks.

Welcome to White Tip Lager Caybrews latest tasty lager in a partnership between the brewery and the Cayman Island Department of Environment.

The Cayman Brewery is also using the White Tip Lager to save marine wildlife.

“The Department of Environment’s Mat Cottam came to us and asked if there was there any chance of us actually partnering with them to use beer as a vehicle to push conservation and awareness in the Cayman Islands,” Mr. Mansfield said.

“Beer’s more interesting than a brochure usually,” said Mr. Cottam, manager of the Terrestrial Ecology Unit at the department, “and they were completely for it, they thought it was a great idea.”

The White Tip label was designed to promote awareness about dwindling shark populations worldwide and the environmental significance of this misunderstood predator.

The beer can is covered in snippets of information, as well as a 2D barcode that smart phone users can scan to be directed to the Department of Environment’s web page of shark information.

In addition to being a drinkable source of information, beer sales will also contribute to the department’s shark conservation efforts monetarily: Five cents from each can sold will go towards shark research, awareness and conservation programmes.

Story here.

Chris Fallows on Shark Week 2011

We have been fans of Chris Fallows for quite a while now. As an industry innovator, film and television personality, and a member of the shark diving community he's been hitting on all cylinders for quite a few years now.

This month Chris will once again (this makes 7 times) be featured on the long running series Shark Week seen last year by 35 million viewers.

His latest adventures with sharks takes him from South Africa to Isla Guadalupe. The paddle board video released this week is pretty neat stuff:

SA Great White Shark lands in Research Boat

Mossel Bay, 18 July, 2011: Mossel Bay — The Oceans Research team, a marine research organisation working in Mossel Bay, got the surprise of a lifetime today when a 3 meter great white shark breached into their research vessel, shocking a field specialist and her crew

Activity around the boat had ceased for about five minutes and all was pretty quiet at the stern. Schroder describes the incident; “Next thing I know I hear a splash, and see a white shark breach out of the water from side of the boat hovering, literally, over the crewmember who was chumming on the boats portside.” Schroder automatically sprang into action and pulled the crewmember quickly away towards the stern of the boat’s platform into safety.

The crewmembers all jumped towards the stern of the boat as the 3m, 500kg, shark landed on the top of the fuel and bait storage containers. The shark had landed with only half of its body onto the boat and Schroder and her team hoped that as it thrashed it would make its way back into the water. But instead the panicked shark worked itself into the boat getting stuck in between the 1.5x2m area behind the container and boats stern. The shark began thrashing around, destroying equipment and cutting the fuel lines as it twisted and turned on the boats deck.

Complete story.

White Shark Cage Diving Guadalupe 2011

With just a few weeks until our 2011 white shark season at Isla Guadalupe celebrating a decade of successful operations on site we're pulling some old and not so old trip reports written by our divers so you can start getting excited.

T-minus 15 days and counting:

For our divers 2010 has been the Trip of a Lifetime so far. Celebrated with email blasts to friends and Facebook posts to the world.

These lucky divers have met the most charismatic, studied, and filmed white sharks on the planet.

For newly minted Shark Diver Craig Reynolds, nothing but his own Great White Blog to recount his adventures this year would do:

Day 4 – TWO BLACK EYES- Knowing that sharks are active feeders at dawn – due to the favourable light conditions it provides for hunting – my cage team volunteers for early morning “shark lookout.” Really, it just sounds like an extra hour for keeners so we’ll take it, thanks. And one hour quickly turns into two.

The sharks are slow to venture up from the bottom for the first while. Their grey topside blends in almost perfectly with the abyss below our feet. The white tips of their flanks appear to be nothing more than small fish from far away. And as your mind starts to play tricks on you, the small fish start to look like White Sharks.

But by the second day, we’ve grown more accustomed to our steel confines.

Gradually, you start to find ways of hooking your feet around the ladder and pivoting your body like a climber, hanging on to a bar with a couple of fingers while the others hold the camera, and leaning with the current instead of against it. Your movements become more efficient as does your breathing that bordered on hyperventilation the previous day. I can only imagine how fast your heart would race if you were outside of the cage...

Complete series posts.

The Inglorious End of iDive Sharks?

One of the smartest communication platforms for the global shark diving community resides at iDive Sharks.

The creator, Mark Thorpe, has spent the last few years in development and launch phase of this unique community and now needs your help.

It would appear that only a few companies and individuals have "stepped up" with the paltry asking fees to keep iDive alive.

Yes, Shark Diver was one of those supporters.

Why you ask?

Folks, it just does not get any better than this, and we don't think there will ever be another broad based Internet platform for shark divers worldwide to rise again if this one goes dark.

iDive represents an evolution away from an industry of tribal affiliations and small time regional recognition to something bigger, grander, and more inclusive.

So what's the hold up? A dollar a month? To keep Internet servers alive?

Let's not see this unique and inspired industry development go to waste, out of 1200 members, we can do better than the 35 who have answered the call and who see the vision.

Join and support iDive today because our industry needs to grow up, and sometimes having your own clubhouse to share visions, images, experiences, and industry developments is where it starts to happen.