Shark Cage Diving - Guadalupe Island Trip Report 2011

Photo Jack Mears 2011 Guadalupe Island

When Jack Mears called us in early 2011 his energy, excitement, and love of sharks came through the phone lines from the U.K as clear as the line itself.

This was a guy who just had to go shark diving with the Whites of Guadalupe.

Jack is now an Official Shark Diver and sent us this trip report from August. We'll have Jack come back and join us anytime because hard core sharks fans like him are why we exist:

Jack Mears Trip Report 25-29 August 2011.

I booked my trip with Shark Diver after having previously been on 2 unsuccessful White shark diving trips in Australia (we did have an angry young Mako which helped but still..). 

I have to admit this made me slightly skeptical of the guarantee offered to see sharks on every trip but after a lot of web research and speaking to Patric the CEO at Shark Diver it definitely looked like the best opportunity/trip.

I boarded the boat late in the evening before the date of the trip, met everybody, got paired up with a bunk mate and then after a quick beer went to bed ready to clear customs in Mexico the following morning (which was a complete breeze). We then sailed out to Guadalupe – the boat does move around quite a lot it is an ocean after all but after knocking back a few sea sickness tablets I didn’t have any problems the whole way there (or back).

The first day started with us all being matched into groups for the cage rotations, 4 divers at a time in groups of 8 for the 2 cages. I can’t remember the exact time frame but I’m pretty sure a shark turned up within about ten minutes of being in the water. They then (as promised) turned up during nearly every dive nearly for the rest of the trip. I believe there was only one dive where a shark didn’t turn up but out of about 12/13 dives it seemed quite reasonable to let them have one off.

All in all we had about 10 known sharks I think but the largest, Jacques was around for a good few hours and circled the cages slowly and came very close again and again enabling everybody to get some really good photos and videos. Every time I thought I wouldn’t get a better opportunity to get another one, there he was again right next to us. Bearing in mind that was only one shark on one day of the whole trip, we still had plenty of other sharks to look at and (try to) photograph over the 2 and a half days diving.

After the last dive of the day it was then time to grab a beer or two and sit in the sun waiting for dinnertime as the sun went down. Every meal from start to finish was phenomenal, Mark and Alyssa in the galley did not disappoint on any meal over the whole trip it really was good. Combine the food with the people, the weather, the beer and obviously, the sharks and it was a very good trip.

I haven’t even mentioned the rest of the crew - Martin the divemaster was always helpful and friendly as were the rest of the crew who helped with everything from the chumming to our weights and getting us in and out of the cages whilst also running the boat at the same time. The Captains, Spencer and Kyle, helped out with the work and were more than happy to talk to us at any point as well as the deckhands, Nick and Kyle who were always doing something around the boat. There’s a crew member awake all night as well which helps if you can’t sleep or you have a particularly loud ‘snorer’ in your cabin.

Overall the trip exceeded my expectations, the crew were very good and all of the other divers on the boat helped to make it better than I thought it was going to be. The sea sickness was the only concern I had but I took enough pills and was fine the whole time.

I would highly recommend it to anyone and if I wasn’t already planning their Bahamas trip next year I would definitely be planning on going again.

Cheers,

Jack.

Whale Shark Tagging Expedition - Huge Success!

The Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries in a collaborative effort with several fisheries-based agencies, successfully tagged 10 whale sharks during two recent trips in the Gulf of Mexico.  This represents the largest number of whale sharks tagged at one time in the northern Gulf of Mexico.


The tagging effort is a joint venture between the University of Southern Mississippi Gulf Coast Research Laboratory, National Marine Fisheries Service, Mississippi Laboratories, Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary, On the Wings of Care and LDWF.  The team is hoping the project will reveal precious information about the little-studied fish.

“Historical information on whale sharks in the northern Gulf of Mexico is lacking,” said LDWF Assistant Secretary Randy Pausina.  “We’ve had great success with many other fish tagging ventures and hope that this effort has similar results, providing a wealth of data to assist in the conservation of this species.”

Despite being the largest fish in the ocean, the whale shark is one of the most elusive animals to scientists due to their offshore, nomadic existence.  They are extremely difficult to find outside of a few known seasonal hotspots; therefore, obtaining data on this species is extremely challenging and expensive.

“If the tags stay on for a significant amount of time, we will learn a great deal about how these sharks use the waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico, as well as where they go in the winter time, which is still a mystery to us,” said Dr. Eric Hoffmayer, a Research Fishery Biologist with NOAA Fisheries Service, who has been studying whale sharks in the northern Gulf for 10 years.  “It is still unclear whether whale sharks are residents in northern Gulf waters or simply seasonal migrants from the Caribbean Sea or beyond.  Hopefully the data acquired from these tags will shed some light onto this research question.”

One of the most accurate and useful tools for studying whale shark movements is telemetry, which involves attaching satellite transmitters to the sharks.  Other behavioral information beyond the shark’s movements can be inferred by assessing oceanic and physical conditions around the shark.
The satellite tags provide temperature and depth data every 10 to 15 minutes as well as an estimated position each day for the duration of the tag.  The deployment periods for these tags ranged between four to 12 months.  In addition to the standard satellite tags, three position tags were also deployed, which send real-time location estimates to the satellite when the shark surfaces and the satellites are overhead.  These tags should report for up to six months.

Funding for the satellite tags was provided by the International Foundation for Animal Welfare and World Wildlife Fund.

“Another important factor contributing to the success of this project and our whale shark research over the years has been the participation by the public in our Whale Shark Sighting Survey,” said Jennifer McKinney, Research Technician with the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory.  “After receiving several reports from the offshore community about whale sharks in region, we mobilized a trip to conduct the tagging.  Due to public participation, we knew exactly where to focus our efforts and therefore had great success.”

The Whale Shark Sighting Survey can be found at www.usm.edu/gcrl/whaleshark.  The survey has been an increasing success over the years, in which the general public has been actively involved in the whale shark research program through their participation.

Bonny Schumaker with On the Wings of Care, a non-profit agency, has provided aerial support for whale shark tagging trips since 2010.

For press inquiries, contact Ashley Wethey at awethey@wlf.la.gov (225) 765-5113 or Kim Amendola at kim.amendola@noaa.gov (727) 551-5707.

Tiger Shark Chomp - Denny Takes Some Hits

Last week in the middle of another commercial film and television shoot on Tiger Beach we celebrated the arrival of Denny, a little Tiger shark we had come to know and love this spring in the Bahamas.

The celebration lasted until we saw the close up images that Greg "Moondog" Mooney surfaced with.

Sadly it looks like little Denny (all three feet of him) had been chomped on by another resident Tiger, crushing his dorsal fin and leaving behind several healing puncture wounds. Additionally he survived a fisherman's hooking event recently.

If you click on this image you see the hook and line in the corner of his mouth.

The good news is that sharks are very resilient critters and if he can stay out of any more trouble little Denny might just get big enough one day to hold his own at Tiger Beach.

Life can be tough for sharks in the wild and we'll continue to follow Denny's progress and update you as he grows up, right now he's a cute little guy who's always showing up in the thick of things not quite sure where he belongs.

Thanks to Greg Mooney for the shot and Fraizer Nivens for the image highlighting.

Let's go shark diving!

BBC 2 on Tuna Fisheries - Great Stuff

For those of us who lament the downward spiral of underwater programming, along comes the BBC and a stunning expose on Pacific tuna fisheries.

This is the new bar, it's been reset, the imagery is stunning, the underwater work flawless and the story telling out of this world.

Take a moment today to watch this clip, and if you happen to be in the business, pay attention:

Leaders to launch new shark conservation effort PEW

The president of Palau and the president of Honduras tomorrow are to announce the launch of a global shark conservation coalition.

Johnson Toribiong, president of Palau, and Porfirio Lobo Sosa, president of Honduras, are to be joined by leaders from other countries to sign a new declaration committing to the development of sanctuaries, which end commercial shark fishing in their national waters, the release states.

The signing is to take place at the Millennium UN Plaza Hotel in New York City, the release states. Matt Rand, director of global shark conservation of the Pew Environment Group, is also to be at the signing.

The Pew Environment Group is the conservation arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts, which is a non-governmental organization that works globally to establish pragmatic, science-based policies that protect the world’s oceans, preserve wildlands and promote clean energy, the release states.

Two years ago, no country had declared all of its waters as a sanctuary for these creatures. Today, more than 2.7 million square kilometers have been set aside, more than the area of Mexico and Texas combined, according to the release.

Sustainable Shark Fisheries? Yup!

Sustainable Shark Fisheries?

Kudos to Canada and The Marine Stewardship Council for exploring sustainable shark fisheries. It's an anathema to many within the shark conservation movement to even consider sustainable shark fishing.

In reality this weeks announcement is an arrow in the quiver of a total global approach to shark fisheries.

We cannot rely on bans, set aside areas, and tourism to complete the shark management story. Somewhere shark fisheries will have to be part of the equation.

In Canada the first step to shark management has begun.

Complete story in the Vancouver Sun.

Michael Aw - Some Kind of Awesome

Photo by Michael Aw

It's 2011 and the more cynical among us might imagine a world that has been picked over, where true adventures and underwater discoveries are relics of the past.

Not so if you happen to be Michael Aw and we happen to be big fans of his work.

Michael's expose in this months National Geographic tells the tale of regional fishermen in New Guinea who interact with Whale Sharks in surprising ways.

Run, don't walk, to the nearest Barns and Noble if you are not fortunate enough to get Nat Geo delivered to your doorstep and pick up this months magazine.

This is about as good as it gets and kudos to Michael for the great work.

White Shark Cage Diving Guadalupe - 2011 Reviews

Morley Armstrong is one lucky Canadian. His wife called us in 2010 wanting to send her husband on an "Adventure of a Lifetime".

The trick was we had to keep this a secret from Morley until the last minute!

We happen to loves wives like Morley's.

They know their husbands, choose their shark diving companies wisely and deliver the goods.

Here's the email we got back from our newly minted Shark Diver Morley this week, and if we say so ourselves, she chose very wisely indeed:

Patric,

Having just returned from Guadalupe, I wanted to share my impressions of the expedition with you. In all aspects the trip was superb!

Most importantly, my cage buddies and I saw several different sharks each day. In accordance with SharkDiver.com and Horizon philosophy, it was incredible to see these amazing sharks demonstrating their natural behavior.

However, the highlight was when Shredder, arguably the most famous of the Guadalupe sharks, appeared on the second day; he did not disappoint!

For approximately an hour he exhilarated us all by getting close up and personal with the boat and cages. He provided some fantastic photos and video footage, both from within the cages and aboard the boat.

The crew of the Horizon was professional, safety conscious, accommodating, very knowledgeable about the sharks, and downright fun. It was reassuring to see the excellent relationship they have with the local research scientist, and the overall love and concern they have for all sharks.

Patric, the trip lived up to all my expectations; thanks!

Morley Armstrong
Ontario, Canada

White Shark Cage Diving Guadalupe - 2011 Reviews

When we tell our divers to prepare for weather on the long crossing over to Isla Guadalupe many are not sure what to expect.

This fall has been a challenge with tougher than normal crossings for the normally calm August month.

For DeGrey & Patty Phillips two newly certified Shark Divers, taking weather in stride meant the payoff of great white sharks and lots of them at Guadalupe, here's their report.

Trip report from DeGrey & Patty Phillips on their Aug. 25th. trip with Shark Diver:

We left Late the night of the 25th in heavy seas, stopping early the next morning in Encenada, Mexico to clear withe that country. After a very rough sea days jouney to Guadalupe we arrived safely. (although about half of our fellow guests were seasick).

Martin, our divemaster instructed us on all the safety and logistical aspects of our shark dive and we got in the cages and quickly saw our first white shark!

It was awesome and overall I believe we saw about 10 different sharks in the 3 days of diving.

My adrenaline would shoot up every time one of the crew yelled White Shark! Everyone not in the diving cage would dash to the rail to see and then pace waiting for their turn in the cage. The 1st day the water was quite clear with visibility of about 100" The next 2 days it was a bit murky, but we were still able to see the sharks well and get decent images.

The crew & captains were great, catering to any needs and the food was exceptional as Mark is an excellent chef. We particularly liked breakfast as Mark would make anything you could want to order!

The personal quarters were small, but you never spend much time in there so it's all one needs too sleep in relative comfort. The trip back was exceptionally calm and we saw sea turtles, whales and dolphins.

Getting through customs etc. was also a breeze. Hats off to Shark Diver for giving us a trip to remember for a lifetime. We are already looking at booking their Tiger shark adventure for next year!

Out of 5 stars we give it a 6!

The Shark Photo Seen Around The World

Recently an image of what appeared to be a Great white shark stalking a surf lineup in California made headlines news.

What's not up for discussion is the shots providence. This is not a photoshopped image and we suspect the photographer, Gary Eliot, is earnest in his work.

But while the rest of the world plays eco chamber with the storyline of a Great white mixed in with surfers at least one marine biologist and California surfer is saying "wait a second."

This week Luke Tipple offers up a plausible explanation of what this image may or may not be.

When it comes to sharks and images of the Great white, only UFO imagery and video captures the imagination of so many and often the associated story lines are as imaginative as the grainy footage that accompanies them.

Read That's not a Great White Shark.

Industry Consolidation in South Africa or Carpetbagging?

When a cage diving industry becomes too successful the possibility of major political players coming in to own a "piece of the pie" becomes almost too good to pass up.

This is the scene in South Africa as long time operators reel from an outside onslaught of shark cage diving permit carpetbaggers.

For the folks who built a South African cage diving industry with blood sweat and tears this news is not good:

Link to article.

Craig Ferreira has no fear of monsters from the deep. But the TV star, world famous for swimming with great white sharks, is worried about land predators as he and a winemaker wrangle over a lucrative shark-cage diving permit.

Ferreira's cage-diving operation in Mossel Bay hangs in the balance pending the outcome of an investigation into alleged permit irregularities.

The probe follows complaints by rival Mossel Bay shark-cage diving firm Evening Star Trading, led by politically connected Cape Town entrepreneur Sheila Hlanjwa, and her business partner, Robert Pace.

At stake is a share of the R70-million-a-year shark-cage diving industry in the Cape, which has attracted celebrities such as Brad Pitt, Michael Schumacher and Prince William.

The industry is still reeling from a controversial two-and-a-half-year permit allocation process that has involved some new players, including a car rental businesswoman, a real estate executive, and operators allegedly linked to the Department of Environmental Affairs.

Thirteen permits have now been finalised. The 14th, and final, one is in Mossel Bay.

Ferreira is the current permit-holder and is known in the industry, having also featured in several TV documentaries screened by the Discovery channel, National Geographic and the BBC.

One of the shoots featured the entire Ferreira family, including Craig's father Theo Ferreira, a shark conservationist.

Heated disagreement between the family members was a central theme of the film, shot in Shark Alley, off Dyer Island. But the friction was nothing compared with that between Ferreira and Evening Star Trading.

Evening Star was unsuccessful in its initial permit application last year, but lodged an appeal. It also launched an offensive against Ferreira, accusing him of failing to transform in line with BEE regulations.

Hlanjwa, an ANC member, this week said she had raised the issue with the ANC chief whip in parliament and the Presidency. "I am prepared to go to the public protector with this.That permit belongs to us. I am a new entrant (to the industry). We followed the protocol to the T," said Hlanjwa, one of two black shareholders in Evening Star who collectively own 50% of the company.

In a letter sent to the Presidency in March, Hlanjwa claimed that Ferreira's company, Shark Africa, had not transformed. "Continuous postponement of the allocation announcement date is also not fair, as it only favours Shark Africa, a company that operates in Mossel Bay, but refuses to transform," the letter said.

Ferreira, however, is furious and said he invested millions in building the industry over the past decade and employed over 30 people. "For me, it seems very strange and uncomfortable now that an outsider is trying to use politics to rob us of our business and push us out of an industry we had a big part in developing and building," he said.

" We completed an application and worked on a scorecard through a proper BEE consultant. Our turnover at the time also excluded us from much of the BEE criteria, however. We put a good application together ."

Department of Environmental Affairs spokesman Zolile Nqayi said the Mossel Bay appeal decision was postponed owing to allegations of corruption that would be investigated.

The stand-off is part of a broader row over shark-cage diving. Permit disputes are brewing in other areas, including Gansbaai and False Bay.

The sole new entrant in Gansbaai, ANC member Yvonne Lungcuzo, is a former domestic worker.

"I am not just somebody from nowhere. Life has had challenges, but my suffering has made me who I am. The whole of Gansbaai was racist about me coming," she said.

Added Hlanjwa: "White sharks are not only for whites, you know."

Guadalupe Shark Alert - Shredder Back for Season Nine!

With his distinctive dorsal fin and well known cage diver curiosity Shredder has thrilled divers from around the world for the past nine years.

We named this iconic shark Shredder back in 2003 in an incident that defined this remarkably animal in more ways than one.

See How Shredder Got His Name.

The good news is that our beloved shark is back this week once again thrilling divers after his 2000 mile migration into the deep Pacific and back to Isla Guadalupe.

We are always on the look out for this special and endearing animal and each season when we do not see him in the first pulse of sharks with characters like Bruce we wait with growing concern.

For our divers who have been asking about Shredder this year, he's back and bigger than ever, great news!

Let's go shark diving!

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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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.

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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

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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.