Australia+Crocs+Bungee Jumping=Video

What do you get when you add an Aussie, a video camera, a world class bungee outfit and a 15 foot Saltwater Croc on an otherwise uneventful day over the Murrybundi River?

The answer is some amazing You Tube Video:




Of course if you believe everything on You Tube we can't help you.

McSeals Go Missing-McKiller Whales Blamed

If there was any doubt after reading this latest news that the Great White shark is only the second most impressive oceanic predator...we're not sure how much convincing you need.

Seems off the coast of Scotland McKillers are gobbling up seals faster than $1.00 Fillet-o-Fish sandwiches.

Killer whales blamed for decline of Scottish seals

Attacks by killer whales may be helping to drive the sudden and mysterious decline of seals around the northern coasts of Scotland, new research suggests.

British populations of harbour seals (also known as common seals) are falling steeply, with numbers in Orkney and Shetland dropping by 40 per cent in the five years to 2006.

So far, the declines are unexplained, but a new theory is that killer whales, or orcas, the bulky, black-and-white predators which are in fact the largest members of the dolphin family, have increased their taking of seals to such an extent that it may be causing populations to shrink.

The harbour seal is one of Britain's two native seal species, the other being the bigger grey seal. But while grey seal populations remain buoyant, harbour seal numbers are tumbling, especially in the Northern Isles, where nearly half of them live. Surveys in Orkney and Shetland in 2001 found 12,635 animals, but when the counts were repeated in 2006, they showed that numbers had plunged to 7,277.

Tragedy in South Africa-Shark Boat Update

We got this comment from Lauren regarding our first post:

"Actually, the boat had just finished doing a shark dive, and were getting ready to go back to shore. There were plenty of sharks in the water, according to our daughter who was a volunteer on the boat."

Three tourists who died in a shark-diving boat accident were identified on Monday by Western Cape police.Two men from the United States and one from Norway died when their shark-diving boat capsized near Kleinbaai on Sunday,

The two Americans who died in the accident were named as Cassey Scott Lajeunesse, 35, from Maine and Christopher Tallman, 34 from California.

Kenneth Roque from Moss in Norway was the third victim.

"Nine crew members and nine other tourists survived the incident and were treated for injuries and shock" said police spokesperson Andre Traut.

Traut said three death inquest case dockets had been registered.Gansbaai police were investigating the exact circumstances surrounding the incident.

On Sunday, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon said the boat that capsized was a 36 foot White Shark Projects boat. Chairwoman of the Great White Shark Protection Foundation, Mariette Hoply, said the shark-cage diving boat had anchored just before a freak wave struck it around 10am on Sunday, causing it to capsize.

The boat's crew had not started shark-cage diving when the wave struck. - Sapa

"MythBusters Shark Week 2008"

Of course the crew here of Shark Diver knows more about this than we will let on:

On a March afternoon, Savage is busy with a 3-foot-long metal rod, a variable-speed drill and red string. He can't hide the "it's always Christmas Day" enthusiasm on his face as he works on his latest contraption: a device to simulate how an injured fish acts in the water. It is for a myth to be explored in an episode to air on the cable channel's "Shark Week" this summer.

The "Shark Week" episodes will be filmed in the Bahamas. A few weeks earlier, the team was in Alaska to examine myths associated with the far north. The last new episode, which aired Feb. 20, was the show's 100th. A new batch of original episodes will begin airing in July, and the crew is preparing those shows now.

S.Africa White Shark Boat Capsizes, 3 Killed

S.Africa Boat Capsizes, 3 Killed

37 minutes ago

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — Two Americans and one Norwegian tourist on a South African shark cage diving adventure drowned Sunday when their boat was hit by a freak wave, tourism and rescue officials said.

The 10 passengers and nine crew members onboard were flung into the water when the boat capsized under the wave. Nearby boats rescued 16 people who were taken to a hospital with minor injuries, officials said.

The two Americans and one Norwegian were pronounced dead at the scene, said the head of the Great White Shark Protection Foundation, Mariette Hopley.

The accident happened in Gansbaai, which calls itself the Great White capital of the world because its waters are teeming with sharks. The small town, about two hours from Cape Town, attracts thousands of tourists each year who are lowered into the water in metal cages to view the sharks.

Hopley said the boat had just anchored around 10 a.m. and was preparing to lower the first cage into the water when the freak wave hit. She said there were no sharks in the immediate vicinity at the time.

She said it was the first accident since the advent of shark cage diving in Gansbaai in 1991.

Blow Your Mind-Shark/Sea Horse Pics

A few weeks ago intrepid underwater explorer Karl Stanley took his submarine down the Cayman Trench with some Nat Geo guys for another deep water shark adventure.

Let's back up a bit...

What would you do with a dead racehorse in Roatan, Honduras?

If you're Karl, someone "donates it" to you and you quickly drop it down 1700' and then drop your home made submarine down 1700' to see what arrives to feed on it. Karl wrote:

"National Geographic came down to shoot Six Gill sharks for a special on them- I sank a horse and we saw 5 sharks- we were actually in the middle of a Six Gill feeding frenzy, and they bit the sub".

The next series of images are nothing short of amazing. Like we told you years ago-the animals at this site are simply huge. Last time we got to see these monster Six Gills all we had were a couple of pigs heads...and don't ask us how we got them!

Bill at Congress-Act To Save Sharks?

A new bill is sitting in Congress that might require the bodies of all sharks taken in US Waters to also have fins with them and vice versa.

Shark Diver is in full agreement with the actions taken on this bill but it needs your support.

Here's how you can help today:

US citizens wishing to express support for this important bill should also contact their Representatives in Congress click www.house.gov and type in your zip code.

Many conservationists believe the bill could be improved by adding a requirement that sharks be landed with their fins attached.  Those who agree with this should mention their support for a fins-attached requirement in their letters to Congress.

Thanks all, Sonja

 Sonja Fordham
 Policy Director, Shark Alliance and
 Shark Conservation Program Director, Ocean Conservancy
 c/o Pew Environmental Group
 Level 21, Bastion Tower
 5 Place du Champ de Mars
 1050 Brussels, Belgium
 T: +32 (0) 2 550 37 44/45
 M: +32 495 10 14 68

Salmon Futures $40/Lb? You Betcha!

Well, it has come to pass. The once magnificent salmon runs from San Francisco to Oregon are now officially gone. With a one year "temporary ban" in place...and who are we kidding here, fishermen and a 500 million dollar industry have been wiped out overnight.

The same old war horses who got us into this mess are now trying to fix it. The solution is 500 million for fish replanting and habitat reconstruction, 10 years of good will, and a few prayers of forgiveness to the almighty.

SEATTLE — Failure. Disaster. Devastation.

Those words can describe the utter loss of commercial and sport ocean Chinook seasons in 2008 in most of Oregon and California. But through all of the gloom, Oregon emerged from the historic closure with a small victory: a 9,000-fish coho quota for sport fishermen.

The historic closures due to low returns to much of the West Coast rivers, primarily the Sacramento, was marked only by a lot of angst, a few simple votes, a quiet audience and much regret as the Pacific Fishery Management Council met in Seattle to decide the fate of not just sport and commercial fishermen, but also several coastal ports and towns for years to come.

"Ocean Adventure: Immerse Yourself in Nature"

Sea Watch is doing their part to preserve the Sea of Cortez. Leading by example and working with Conapesca to introduce legislation banning fishing with compressors and hookah in the continental and ocean waters of Mexico. This can only be good news for a body of water almost stripped of wildlife over the past 15 years.

From the Blog Ocean Adventure: Immerse Yourself in Nature

The destructive fishing methods that utilize hookah divers with nets and harpoons, that has devastated the reefs of the Sea of Cortez over the last 10 years are being banned by a new regulation adopted in norma 064. This regulation if enforced will stop the killing of over a 1000's tons of reef fish yearly in the waters of BCS.

Here is a letter dated 2/07/08 from a CONAPESCA official.

I refer to your request for information on prohibiting fishing underwater in any of its forms, with scuba equipment and / or equipment hookah in the Regulation Mexican Official NOM-064-CFSP-2006, about systems, methods and techniques that are prohibited for catching fish in the waters under federal jurisdiction of the United Mexican States, which was published in the Diario Oficial de la Federación for public consultation on May 8, 2007.

In this regard I wish to inform you that based on the technical opinion of the National Fisheries Institute (INP), as well as the recommendations contained in the Carta Nacional Pesquera (Fisheries law), the application was deemed appropriate, so the Norma Oficial Mexicana referenced will be published in the (Diario Oficial de la Federación ) shortly and provides for the prohibition of fishing underwater with scuba equipment and / or hookah equipment in continental waters and in marine waters.

In conformity with the above, under the heading of NOM-064 grouping systems, methods, techniques and fishing gear that are prohibited for commercial fishing, sports and recreational fishing, didactic and household consumption, including the method of fishing with harpoons and fítoras from the shore or from boats using the technique of diving with a compressor (hookah) in marine waters and in continental bodies of water, except as authorized by the Secretariat based on the technical opinion of the INP.

In regards to the steps to its publication, once approved at the Third Meeting of the Consultative Committee for Standardization of Responsible Fisheries, on August 23, 2007, a document entitled "Response to the comments and changes made to the Draft Norma Oficial Mexicana PROY-NOM-064-CFSP-2006, about systems, methods and techniques prohibited for fishing in waters under federal jurisdiction of the United Mexican States, published on May 8, 2007, "as well as the corresponding regulation, were forwarded to the Coordinación General Jurídica de la SAGARPA (legal) for their opinion, under the procedure established by the same Coordination together with the Oficialía Mayor de la SAGARPA. Once they have issued their opinion, both documents will be sent the Comisión Federal de Mejora Regulatoria (COFEMER) for the purpose of obtaining an opinion referred to in section 69-L of the Federal Act on Administrative Procedure, and then be able to publish them in the Diario Oficial de la Federación.

Atte. Lic. Belinda Cedillo Tirado
Director of Legislative
General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture Management
CONAPESCA-SAGARPA

NBC Series-Shark Taggers Part 2

Ohhh Boy!

NBC's latest reality based show on primetime, not Discovery, called Shark Taggers. For those of you who missed the synopsis from earlier on in the week here it is again:

Lost in all the excitement over the mysterious The Office spinoff (which is, for now, titled The Office Spinoff) were two equally tantalizing additions to NBC’s 2008–2009 lineup, announced earlier this week: America’s Toughest Jobs and Shark Taggers, both from producer Thom Beers and his Original Productions.

You may know Beers as the man who’s building a mini-empire based on dangerous-job reality shows, such as Deadliest Catch (about the perils of deep-sea fishing) on Discovery and Ice Road Truckers (about the perils of driving trucks on icy roads) on the History Channel. Back in December, Beers signed an interesting deal with NBC during the writers' strike, which essentially guaranteed him two one-hour blocks of programming a week.

And now he’s delivered: America’s Toughest Jobs will be like Deadliest Catch: The Home Game, in which twelve regular Americans compete while performing the world’s most dangerous occupations, from oil-drilling to logging. Shark Taggers is about, well, people who tag sharks; specifically, marine biologists studying shark attacks (cool!) and migration patterns (okay!). We’re not sure this is actually a dangerous job, but tagging sharks certainly sounds dangerous. And Beers has an undeniable talent for wringing maximum drama from America’s occupations, as evidenced by Lobster Wars, a series in production for Discovery about lobster-fishing off the coast of New England, and Verminators (also for Discovery), which follows an “elite team of pest busters to the front lines of their never-ending battle against infestations of all kinds.”

Personally, we’ll be rooting for all these shows, especially because, if Shark Taggers is a hit, it should clear the way (Brushcutters! Coming in 2010 from NBC!) for future Beers-NBC collaborations, such as Hornet-Nest Jostlers (“nature’s deadliest buzz”); Lawn Jockeys (“tackling America’s unsightliest yards — while riding just inches above three spinning blades of death”); and Grizzly-Bear Barbers (Short, back and sides? Or death?). —Adam Sternbergh

O.K Adam, we'll invite you to Isla Guadalupe to spend a night with the local fishermen in the "Love Shack" then you can tell us how dangerous shark tagging really is!

Deep Sea News-Davidson Sea Mount

If you have not checked out our links section do so today. You'll find a great selection of weblinks with videos and images that will most likely blow your mind. Case in point the Davidson Sea Mount.

When possible, I like to keep close tabs on the world of octopuses, for two reasons: 1. Everybody has their hobbies, mine just involves cephalopod mollusks and don't you judge me, and 2. I often get the feeling that they're plotting something:

Savor The Moment-Live The Image

If you get a chance today click on this image to see it in full size. This is Isla Guadalupe. The shark is called "Shredder". He's a 14 foot bruiser who we came to know several years ago quite by chance when he decided to sever our brand new anchor line with a flying bite.

That was way back in 2002.

Since then "Shredder" has become famous the world over with several articles written about him and his exploits at this site. Along with "Bruce" and a few others, he's become one of the dominant males here and we look for his return every year. The image features Mauricio Hoyos CICIMAR shark researcher hoping to get a tag on him. Shredder eluded Mauricio that day.

Shredder has got one thing going for him. That once proud dorsal fin of his is a mess, in today's oceans that's a definite plus when shark finners are lurking around every nautical corner.

Guadalupe Conservation Fund-New Home

Back in 2006 Shark Diver created the Isla Guadalupe Conservation Fund website.

The goal was to direct funds from concerned divers and members of the general public into ongoing shark tagging and research studies being conducted by the team from CICIMAR.

We're happy to announce that this goal has been met, and that the CICIMAR team-lead by grad student Mauricio Hoyos has completed their work at the island and will be publishing their data soon. What the team discovered at this pristine site has answered three of the main questions that have puzzled us since we began operations here 6 years ago.

While we would love to tell you what they discovered, we'll let them tell you in their own words. Suffice to say, knowing what the sharks are doing at Isla Guadalupe on a day-to-day basis has made the entire 4 year effort worth it.

Additionally the IGC Fund now has a new home.

The Isla Guadalupe Conservation Fund is now managed as an advised fund at the International Community Foundation, a registered 501c3 not-for profit-organization which is dedicated to expanding charitable giving internationally with an emphasis in environment and conservation grant making in Northwest Mexico.

The ICF has raised over $30,000 with the extreme help and support of Mike Lever owner and operator of the Nautilus Explorer. Mike remains committed to all aspects of marine conservation and when he gets a chance he'll always step in and protect the critters he makes a living from.

Underwater Shark Park-Bahamas 2013

The proposal is simple. The details enormous.

What would it take for the Bahamian Government to enact laws that not only protected all species of sharks in their water, but simultaneously created a series of Shark Parks or protected areas where sharks would be guaranteed safe sanctuary?

The idea is not so new and with global shark populations shrinking at rates never before seen- unique sites like Tiger Beach become prime sites for big ideas like these.

Recently, this blog covered several sites worldwide that are loosing their sharks to short term fishing pressure and turning, perhaps too late, to tourism to save these animals.

Tiger Beach, Bahamas is one site that has everything going for it, a stable government, a thriving eco tourism client base, researchers who have expressed interest in studying these animals, and the good will of many members of the dive community.

The question remains, what would it take? Who would step up and make it happen?

One thing is for sure, looking into the Crystal Ball 15 years from now, we will look back at this blog post and say one of two things.

Hopefully it will be-"Let's go see some of the only remaining Tigers at the Shark Park this week".

Tiger Beach Bahamas 2008 - Fly Fishermen Kill Shark

Sometimes the news we get here is news you never want to hear.

Last week a fly fishermen from the USA seeking a trophy catch deliberately hooked and killed a 15 foot Tiger Shark and brought it back to a marina for a weigh in.

Those on site who witnessed the event say the animal weighed in at 1200 pounds, and when cut open, revealed a few full term pups, one of which was put into the marina and as of last week was still seen "swimming around".

This report was confirmed by speaking with the marina manger "Peter" this morning who also added that "the same vessel was at the marina last year and caught another shark of similar size".

The crew of Shark Diver are distressed to hear of any gravid animals harvested for sport, especially coming from Tiger Beach where fishing for Tigers is like shooting fish in a barrel. We would like to propose legislation for this site to protect these animals in Bahamian waters.

Perhaps it's time for those within our community who have spent the past few months attacking Bahamian dive operations over the recent Shear Water Affair to re-focus on more pressing issues like this one.

It's a big step in leadership, let's see if anyone is up for it?

Aussie Gold Coast Madness-Kill Sharks

With the recent fatal attack off the coast of Australia last week, age old "voices of vengeance" are calling for a return to 70's style shark hunts or "culling" of sharks.

This quite naturally is madness on a scale that would devastate the shark populations off the coast.

The image featured in this article is from a Tiger shark said to have been caught recently by the fishermen in the picture. One more magnificent shark reduced to a set of jaws.

A LEADING fishing expert believes northern NSW needs to introduce a shark control program similar to the Gold Coast to reduce the number of the deadly predators in the area's waters.

Gold Coast Bulletin and Channel 9 fishing expert Paul Burt last night said without a shark control program, 'the sharks were free to come and go as they like.' "Our guy catches quiet a few sharks when they are running which is eradicating the problem, which is why we don't get as many attacks," he said.

The call for northern NSW to introduce a shark control program, like the Coast's nets and drum lines, comes after 16-year-old Peter Edmonds was fatally attacked by what experts believe was a bull shark while body boarding at Lighthouse Beach at Ballina yesterday.

Slaughter-Threshers Decline In The Philippines

One of the most elusive sharks (for shark divers) is rapidly declining in the Philippines-according to recent reports.

The whole story is sadly familiar, poor fishermen who have run out of traditional fish stocks now targeting this rare and beautiful animal for it's fins.

Surprisingly a recent illegal fishing bust at the Socorros, Mexico revealed a healthy population of Threshers at this site as well...caught in the nets.

BATANGAS CITY – The Philippines may soon lose its thresher sharks – listed as “vulnerable” species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature – if their slaughter for meat and fins continues unchecked.

“The extent of the fishery situation with regard to the thresher sharks in the Batangas Bay area is absolutely – in my honest, scientific opinion – not sustainable,” Dr. Simon Oliver, shark specialist and chair of the Thresher Shark Research and Conservation Group based in the United Kingdom, said.

Antarctica Scary Critterfest

Antarctica-we brought you the video of what life is like on the surface a few weeks back. Chilling stuff.

Now researchers have begun sending small probes beneath the ice in search of life. Part science fiction, part exploration, what this team has discovered has trumped any theories put forth over the past 10 years.

It was once thought that the floor of Antarctica would be a vast wasteland, the opposite is true.

With new critters being identified faster than the US Gov wastes money in Iraq (that's a lot by the way) the future of scientific study beneath the ice is bright indeed.
This predatory fish, called a stareater, uses its luminous red chin appendage to lure prey into striking distance.

The fish in this image was one of more than 30,000 marine creatures hauled up by a team of 26 scientists and 18 crew during a census of Antarctic life in early 2008.

The team endured icy weather as cold as 8.6 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 13 degrees Celsius)—which caused equipment to freeze up and samples to ice over as soon as they landed on deck. Think we'll stick to shark diving.

Damn Catfish At Risk...From Dam

There are some bodies of water in the world that you just do not want to know what's patrolling around in the murky depths.

Case in point Vietnam and Cambodia. Great countries to visit, but if you have small children keep them out of the waters here.

Actually that's good advice in any country outside of the USA. Anyone reading this actually smelled the Ganges lately?

We digress.

The story here is about this catfish. One of the largest on the planet and now in peril due to a massive damn project that will essentially cut it's home range down to a few square miles of filthy, muddy water. That's not to say that we do not care.

The problem is...it's just hard to love a giant pink catfish living in Vietnam.

Rare Fatal Shark Attack-Australia

Australians woke up this morning to a media frenzy around a rare fatal shark attack in NSW. Here's some of the latest reporting filled with the standard shark attack catch phrases designed to keep you out of the water for at least a month.

By Drew Cratchley April 08, 2008

THE fatal shark attack on a teenage surfer in northern New South Wales is the first in Australian waters in over two years, and the first in NSW since 1993.

However, the boy's death follows a number of non-fatal attacks and shark sightings in the region over the past year.

The 16-year-old surfer was fatally mauled near the North Wall at Lighthouse Beach at Ballina this morning while bodyboarding in murky water with a friend.Experts say the shark - possibly a bull shark - may have been attracted by the heavy flow of fresh water from the nearby Richmond River, which in turn draws schools of fish.

It is the first fatal shark attack in Australia since January 7, 2006.

Sarah Kate Whiley, 21, from Brisbane's north, was attacked at Amity Point at North Stradbroke Island east of Brisbane that afternoon as she swam in waist-high water.In an horrific attack, Ms Whiley was mauled by up to three bull sharks, which ripped both her arms from her body and bit into her torso and legs.

Two fishermen dragged Ms Whiley out of the water onto the beach, before she was airlifted to a Brisbane hospital where she died of shock and massive blood loss. The next prior shark attack death occurred in South Australia in August 2005, when marine biologist Jarrod Stehbens, 23, was taken by a shark while diving for cuttlefish eggs off Glenelg in Adelaide's west.

However, it was just over four months ago that two schoolgirls were stranded on a shipwreck as a shark circled below them at Byron Bay, about 20 kilometres north of where today's attack occurred. The girls, both 14, were diving off the wreck on November 21 last year when one of them spotted the "large, dark shark".

Lifeguards were able to rescue the girls, but the popular tourist spot's main beach was temporarily closed as a precaution.Six weeks earlier, and also in Byron Bay, a woman was knocked from her surf ski by a white pointer.

Linda Whitehurst, 52, and her husband Glen were paddling about 150m off shore at The Pass on October 15 last year when the 2.5m shark bit into her surf ski, toppling her into the water.The experienced paddler was able to fend off the shark by belting it with her paddle, and she escaped with a small wound on her arm.

On the morning of February 3 last year a 26-year-old man escaped an attack with several similarities to today's attack, just a few hundred metres north of Ballina's Lighthouse Beach. Matthew McIntosh was riding a wave on his body board at Shelly Beach when he was bitten on the lower leg by a shark.

According to figures from the International Shark Attack File, compiled by the Florida Museum of Natural History in the US, there were 12 shark attacks in Australia in 2007, up from seven in 2006, 10 in 2005, and 13 attacks in 2004.

But Taronga Zoo's John West, who established the Australian Shark Attack File in 1984, said Australians are more likely to be killed on their way to the beach than killed by a shark."If you take the average fatalities over the last 10, 20, 50 and 100 years, the average is 1.2 deaths per year," Mr West said.

Today's attack puts NSW at the top of the list of shark attack fatalities since records began over 200 years ago, with 73 of the nation's 192 shark attack deaths recorded in the state.Queensland is second on the list with 72, followed by South Australia with 19 and Western Australia with 13.

However, Mr West said NSW has actually been one of the safest states in the last 50 years.

"The last fatality in NSW prior to this was in 1993, and prior to that was 1983, so it's been 15 years since we've had a fatality in NSW," Mr West said.

Jimmy Hall And His White Shark

Does anyone remember this video?

We do, and we also remember the guy who shot it as well. Jimmy Hall was the best of everything that the dive industry has to offer. An original, a genuinely nice guy, and an adventure seeker.

Sadly, he passed away last year, but this video stands as a testament to someone who loved animals and loved the ocean. The dive industry has few replacements for Jimmy:

White Shark Researchers Have All The Fun

The shark guys over at TOPP's seem to have the all the fun when it comes to white shark encounters at San Francisco's Farallone Islands.

This unique site is home to some truly giant white sharks. The problem is since new rules and regs curbing everything from towed decoys to how close you can actually get to a fresh seal kill, the site is just not as fun as it used to be.

Still, if this latest video is any indication, the science guys out there are not limited to the same rules the commercial guys are. Wonder how much they charge for a full day of serious sharking on their boat?

Cheesy music aside, this was what it used to be like years ago:

Monster Bluefin Tuna? New Zealand's The Place

The crew from TOPP's have been toiling away for the past few years in New Zealand, tagging monster bluefin tuna.

Turns out they are not the only ones interested in some of the last stocks of these magnificent animals left on the planet.

Bluefin are some of the rarest and most valuable tuna on the market with some animals fetching upwards of $80,000...for one fish!

Tuna is also the favorite food of great whites at Isla Guadalupe where the mighty bluefin were once as plentiful as sardines at this dive site.

Here's the local story. The picture features a guy who's been eating nothing but bluefin for his entire life and now has the strength of 12 men.

O.K, that part was an onion, but the rest of the story is pretty amazing, now where did we put that fishing gear?

Video Game Crysis-Oh Yeah, It's Sharky!

Someone has been playing with the Crysis video game mods. Whoever it is we salute you. This game has become 1000% more sharky than the original, and that's saying something.

Gives a whole new meaning to Land Shark:

Television-Giant Squids? Yeah!

You just have to love any programming that involves the Humboldt Squid (sneak peak video).

With a sharp beak that can open up even the toughest armor like a hot knife through butter anyone who dives with these critters is rewarded with an adventure of a lifetime.

Here's the scoop for all you "couch divers" out there video below:

QUEST SEASON PREMIERE. A mysterious sea creature up to 7 feet long, with 10 arms, a sharp beak and a ravenous appetite, has invaded ocean waters off Northern California. Packs of fierce Humboldt Squid attack nearly everything they see, from fish to scuba divers. Marine biologists are working to discover why they've headed north from their traditional homes off South America.



Will giant Humboldt squid take over Northern California's fisheries? Jane Stevens of the Tagging of Ocean Predators (TOPP) Blog posits that changes in the Oxygen Minimum Layer (OML) may be partly to blame for the invasion of these giant cephalopods.

NBC New Television Series-"Shark Taggers"

Now we're talkin' real shark television.

After suffering through almost 10 years of shark programming that has devolved into shark show concepts called "Bite Me"-someone has come up with a show that has all the fun, half the science and of course our favorite subject sharks!

"SHARK TAGGERS -- From creator/executive producer Thom Beers “Deadliest Catch,” “Ice Road Truckers” and executive producers Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun, “Shark Taggers” is a one-hour reality series that follows daring marine biologists as they track down the ocean’s top predators and hand-tag them with cutting-edge satellite transmitters or investigate bull sharks’ sudden attacks on surfers. The series is produced by Original Productions and BermanBraun."

Sign us up we'll be there with the popcorn and Shark Trust Wines in 2009.

Latest White Shark Sightings Report-California

RECENT SHARK SIGHTINGS

March 26
Location: South Pier, Huntington Beach
Surfer Jeff Duncan reports seeing a shark while surfing on the south side of the pier. “I was sitting watching the horizon, for the next set wave, when I noticed something surface just to my right of view and approximately 20 to 30 feet away,” said Duncan in his report. “It took only a moment to realize that it was not a dolphin, whale or other animal…it was a shark. It slowly surfaced only enough to see its side and dorsal fin. I only saw a large triangular dorsal fin and about 4 to 5 feet of the shark’s dorsal/side, which was a very light gray. The large dorsal fin had a somewhat irregular edge which almost looked damaged in someway, though not seriously. It seemed to be swimming north toward the pier and not toward me, but I was the only surfer near the animal at the moment.”

March 22
Location: Bolsa Chica, Huntington Beach
Beachgoer Matt Moore reports seeing what appeared to be a shark or sharks circling a small whale 50 to 75 yards offshore. Having seen great whites before in person while surfing, he reported that he was quite certain the dorsal fin was that of a great white. Two surfers nearby concurred with Moore that they’d seen a shark.

March 14
Location: South of Bay Street, Santa Monica
Surfer Dan Burks reports seeing what appeared to be an 8- or 9-foot shark some 70 yards away from him. Burks says that another surfer nearby also saw the shark.

March 7
Location: Dog Beach, Huntington Beach
Surfer Tom Larkin reports having been attacked by a shark, which bit his surfboard. “I was waiting for a set for about five minutes when I felt a jolt down on the tail of my board, immediately followed by a violent bubble cascade, which sunk the board down about another 8 inches,” said Larkin in his report on www.sharkresearchcommittee.com. Larkin then caught a wave to the beach where he “emptied the board [of water] through the apparent bite mark.”

March 5
Location: Trail 1, San Onofre State Beach
Kelly Lewis was walking her dog along the beach at 1:45 p.m. when she came upon what appeared to be a 6-foot-long great white shark “thrashing violently [on the beach] until a set of waves came in to float it,” said Lewis on the Web site. “It then spent another two to three minutes in very shallow water sometimes on its back, eventually swimming into deeper water and disappearing.”

Source: www.sharkresearchcommittee.com

Aquarium's Get Into The Action $$$ For Sharks

Since when did big aquariums decide that they would open their tanks to every Joe Diver in the world for instant shark thrills?

It started a few years ago with one or two smaller aquariums offering shark dives. Then as we reported last month the Grand Daddy of them all the Georgia Aquarium decided to offer interactive Whale Shark encounters.

Here's the rub, for years, aquariums have fought for legitimacy, saying that animals in captivity were ambassadors for the species. In 99% of these cases they were right.

Now the party line has shifted as aquariums look for new ways to generate revenue and to attract media attention. In the case of Florida they have been at this since 2001, about the same time that all commercial shark diving in the ocean was banned.

May we suggest a middle ground here?

Perhaps, if someone with say, $500,000,000 would be interested in building the ultimate dive attraction, it could be created for divers from around the world, indoors, with plenty of sharks for all.

Total commercial, total experience, instant sharks for all. Shark Diver is standing by with site plans and a logo.

33 Of The Best Diving Sites In The World

Sent into our News Tip line this morning. The good folks over at the Pro Traveller blog spent many hours compiling a list of top dive sites worldwide that you probably have heard of and some that you might not have.

Here's a quick run down of some of our favorites from this list, all sharky of course:

The Blue Corner Wall, Palau

The Blue Corner Wall: Many divers who have experienced the amazing seascapes at Blue Corner Wall claim that this was their best diving holiday ever. The underwater life here consists of barracudas, sharks, turtles, orcas (killer whales), tuna, and much more. The reef wall consists of 'hooks' which divers can hold onto, and sit-back and gaze in amazement at the schools of fish swimming in the nearby sea current as if it were a super highway.

The Bahamas, Caribbean

The Bahamas: With over 700 islands in The Bahamas, there are plenty of opportunities to dive here. The Travel Channel calls The Bahamas 'one of the best scuba diving sites in North America'. There are a variety of blue holes, 120 miles of barrier reef, lots of shipwrecks, and plenty of wall-diving opportunities for more experienced divers. In The Bahamas, you can expect to come across large sea turtles, rays, dolphins, and a plethora of sharks. Shark dives are very popular here.

Heron Island, Australia

Heron Island: This small coral cay is located just east of Australia at the southern edge of the Great Barrier Reef. This dive site is home to over 1,000 species of fish and 72% of all coral species found on the Great Barrier Reef. The Great Barrier Reef is protected by the government, so it's in good condition. Diving here is like no other place on earth, and you can see whales, sea turtles, sharks, and so much more, definitely one of the best places in the world to explore the deep sea. Many claim that it's a life-changing experience to dive here.

Delta Airlines-Shark Fin Consumers For Beijing

In an effort to please Chinese business Americans are serving up Sharks Fin in heroic portions.

This time the offending American company is none other than Delta Airlines. You might think after Disney's disaster with Sharks Fin in China that someone at Delta might say "you know, this might not be the best of ideas".

Shanghai, China — They served Coca-Cola along with the "braised shark's fin soup with cucumber and fish maw" Monday night at the welcoming celebration for Delta Air Lines' inaugural non-stop flight from Atlanta.

A blues band belted out "Georgia on My Mind" at a 10-course banquet to celebrate Delta Flight 19, which touched down at 2:09 p.m. local time -- the middle of the night back in Atlanta.

"This flight fills a critical void for the 65 million people in the Southeast," Kenneth Garrett, U.S. consul general for Shanghai, told a crowd of about 200 people at the 88-story Grand Hyatt of Shanghai.

White Shark Discovered in Hotel Pool

Sydney Morning Herald, Australia- A strong storm system that lashed the Northwest coast of Australia this week provided a moment of "sheer terror" for a local pair from Germany staying at the Four Seasons hotel in Cowaramup Bay, near Gracetown this morning.

The recently completed mega hotel in Oceanside, known for it's 3.7 million litre interactive salt water swimming pool, had an unexpected and unwelcome guest that arrived sometime during last evenings tempest.

When Dieter Franz and his wife got up early for a swim they saw something that chilled their bones, a 5 meter great white shark in the pool. "At first we did not know what it was, but then it turned and swam towards us at high speed, we thought this was not mentioned on the holiday brochure".

The shark was reported to police and sea rescue about 7:00am AWDT by hotel management who arrived on site and promptly shot the massive shark. "If we get a confirmed sighting of a large shark in the area then we just get on the water, patrol around, sometimes with boats moving around and that sort of thing," said police Superintendent Robbie Taylor. "This was something we never expected".

A local fisherman told police the a shark of similar size had followed his boat as he was leaving the bay the week prior. Police think the massive predator was somehow washed into the pool during the height of the storm and that the animal survived only to be discovered by the German tourists.

The shark was donated to a local research lab who took samples from the animal. The jaws were donated to the holiday makers by the hotel management. "We have one of the best holiday stories ever when we get home!"

The Following Underwater Onion was brought to you by Shark Diver yes, it is the 1st of April what did you expect?

Global Warming-Sea Critters Pissed

It has happened again. Sea critters that are "not going to take it anymore" and have decided to jump into boats full of people!

This whole thing started almost two years ago with the now infamous news story of a Marlin impaling a fisherman.

At that time people called us crazy for suggesting that this was some kind of global warming protest on behalf of the pissed sea critters. A quick look at the past few months in the news...and who's crazy now?

1. Great White leaps aboard boat full of Germans (video)

2. Shark jumps into boat full of kids (story)

3. Eagle Ray jumps into boat killing woman (story)

4. Another Marlin jumps into boat almost kills fisherman (video)

It's a jumping critter epidemic, people. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Drunks, 9mm Pistols, and Saltwater Crocs!

We love Australia. Where else can to get a story about drunken swimmers, cops with big guns, add in a 13 foot Saltwater Croc and call that the local news?

Australia-that's where!

Home to more critters that bite, sting, tear, infect, rip and maim, this country has it all. While cops in the good old USA have guns to shoot bad guys, Australians have them to keep all those critters we mentioned at bay:

First Class Constable Sean Stanley, from Alyangula Police station on Groote Eylandt, has been labelled a hero in his community -- and worldwide -- after he drew his Glock automatic pistol and shot at a 4m saltie about to attack a drunk.

But in an interview with the Northern Territory News last night he remained modest, saying "any NT Police officer would have done the same''.

And that's despite the fact Const Stanley called the man, who was trying to swim out to a baited croc trap about 70m offshore, an "idiot''.

He said the dramatic ordeal, which left him shouting out in panic at the man to "get out of the f...... water'', brought back memories of croc attack victim Russell Harris, who was taken when snorkelling at Picnic Beach on the islandin 2005.

Southern California White Shark Sightings

If it's April that can only mean two things here in California:

1. Spring
2. Great white sharks

Every year (just about now) the local media in Southern California runs with several stories about great whites on beach and near surfers with the Grunion Run and San Onofre beach being the prime site.

This week was par for the course:

"Tom Larkin is convinced that a shark jolted his surfboard and left what looks like a bite mark on the back end while he waited for a wave in the waters near Bolsa Chica State Beach earlier this month. After paddling in as his damaged surfboard took on water, the 26-year-old stock analyst from Manhattan Beach said he proceeded to freak out in the parking lot. I don't know what else it could have been."

But Huntington Beach lifeguards dismiss the reports as hogwash -- even though great whites have been spotted in the area in years past..looks like some Huntington Beach lifeguards will be looking for another job when the first video surfaces.

Panama Manta Expedition 2009

The Manta Network is conducting its first exploratory expedition to Panama. There are several reports and sightings of manta and mobula rays in the area. This will be our first opportunity to conduct detailed research in Panama.

On board the 100-foot Lost Coast Explorer we will investigate the area surrounding the Coiba National Park. The park is a new World Heritage site and is one of the largest marine parks in the world. Coiba is at the center of the park and is Panama's largest island. It is also home to the second-largest coral reef in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The waters are filled with very large fish and mammals including humpbacks whales, dolphins, orcas, whale sharks, manta rays, rooster fish, amber jack, big snappers, three kinds of marlin, moray eels, and white-tip, hammerhead, and tiger sharks. Sharks and mantas are especially common, and sea turtles are seen regularly.

You are invited to participate as a research assistant and aid our scientists in the collection of important data that will lead to effective manta protection. We plan to deploy our underwater video camera on manta cleaning stations as well as conduct photo identification field work.

We are offering a 6 day/7 night expedition to Coiba on the Lost Coast Explorer. The departure date is April 5 from Panama City returning April 11, 2008. The expedition cost is $3,295 plus airfare. The trip will be led by Robert Aston and Lynn Jaye.

The Manta Network is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization and therefore the cost of the trip is IRS tax-deductible.

Only a limited number of research assistant spaces are being offered and these will sell out quickly. To book your space contact Robert Aston via email at: robert@mantas.org

Balancing Media-Bahamas Shark Attack

The media grabbed last months unfortunate shark attack in the Bahamas and chewed on it with a ferocity reserved only for Michael Viks vast Pit Bull Empire. It was, for a time, the shark story that would not go away.

Additionally, anyone during that month with a shark film to flog, pictures to sell, and anti-shark diving websites to promote did the same. The word "Circus" came to mind.

Once again the media is running with this story just in time for the spring dive charter season from the Red Sea to the Caribbean. What makes this story interesting is the reporting balance that is attempted here. This is the first time we have seen a story that even tries to take a look at the nuances involved in this highly charged issue.

The headline's a grabber, but the body has some interesting points both pro and con. It would be nice to see more of this kind of reporting and less of the rest.

In the end it will be up to the Bahamian Government and not the dive operations or even paying divers to decide how much liability they will be willing to accept in the name of cage-less big predator encounters.

Swimming with sharks: is it ever safe?

The death of an Austrian tourist bitten during an organised shark-safari dive off the Bahamas has reignited arguments about the safety of such pursuits.

Markus Groh, a 49-year-old lawyer from Vienna, was one of 10 scuba divers aboard the MV Shear Water, a charter boat operating from West Palm Beach, Florida, which embarked on a shark-safari expedition on February 24.

He was bitten on the left leg by a bull shark and taken by a US Coastguard helicopter to a hospital in Florida, 60 miles away. The Miami-Dade County medical examiner found that he had died from loss of blood.

According to an eyewitness, Groh was diving north of Great Isaac Cay, an uninhabited islet in the Bahamas, where sharks had been lured by plastic crates filled with fish heads and scraps placed near the reef by the Shear Water crew. On these dives large sharks and divers are in close proximity, and the divers do not use a safety cage. The attraction is that photographers get action shots of rarely seen predatory species including tiger sharks, bull sharks and great hammerheads.

Immediately after being bitten, Groh was taken to the surface by a dive guide and given first aid on the dive boat. Air evacuation was carried out within the hour but, in spite of clotting agents being applied to the wound, Groh bled to death.

Jim Abernethy’s Scuba Adventures, which operates the Shear Water vessel, is well known for its shark safaris to the Bahamas from Florida, where shark-feeding was banned in 2001. The Scuba Adventures’ website warns that “shark diving is a potentially dangerous activity”, and that the sharks will be attracted by “chumming the water with fish and fish parts to ensure the best results. Consequently, there will be food in the water at the same time as divers.”

Following the fatality, the Bahamas Diving Association said it had issued a letter discouraging dive operators from open-water diving without a cage with 10 species of potentially dangerous sharks - including tiger sharks, bull sharks and hammerhead sharks. This seems disingenuous given that most of these species have rarely been proven to prey on humans. Cage diving is not the same experience, and is usually only carried out with great white sharks whose behaviour is less predictable.

Shark-feeding is not illegal in the Bahamas and several local dive operators have, for many years, been safely conducting what are commonly known as “shark rodeos”, where dive guides feed sharks. I have taken part in numerous such dives, which are extremely exciting and a valuable opportunity for divers to study sharks at close range with experienced dive leaders.

However, most organised shark dives do not allow ''free chumming’’ where fish parts are scattered from a boat in advance to attract sharks. Some operators use a “chumsickle” a frozen block of fish scraps that thaws slowly underwater allowing very limited amounts of food to be released in front of the sharks. Others distribute bait, which is handled only by a shark wrangler in a protective suit who distributes it intermittently among the sharks a safe distance from the watching divers.

Chumming for sharks has attracted controversy in several parts of the world, including South Africa, where some experts argue that great white sharks are learning to associate the sound of boat engines and shark cages with the presence of food. However, with sharks increasingly endangered, and large specimens of most species becoming rarer, scuba divers are prepared to pay a lot to see them. The British company Divequest charges about £3,000 for a week-long shark expedition on Shear Water. The company aims to “maximise time spent in the water and in front of big sharks, as close as you want...”

American media reports of the attack have questioned the wisdom of divers getting into the water with large sharks, especially bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), which are widely regarded as among the most aggressive species. It was a bull shark that bit Erich Ritter, the shark expert, in the Bahamas in 2002, when he was making a documentary about how unlikely sharks were to bite a human.

Nevertheless, most divers would argue that the death of one diver, however sad, is statistically insignificant when set against the number of safe encounters between divers and sharks. The International Shark Attack File at the University of Florida records, on average, fewer than 200 attacks a year worldwide, of which less than five per cent involve divers. By comparison, pet dogs account for almost 1,000 admissions a day to hospitals in the United States alone.

“People should be free to engage in activities that have a perceived risk,” said Simon Rogerson, editor of the British Sub Aqua Club magazine Dive. “If we restrict shark diving, then we would have to argue that deep diving or cave diving should also be forbidden. There are many things that divers do that are more dangerous than diving with big sharks.”

John Bantin, chief correspondent for Diver magazine, is equally reluctant to warn divers off shark encounters. “It’s easy to be wise after an accident,” he said. “Sharks are wild creatures with a degree of unpredictability, just like lions or buffalo. People get killed on safari but we don’t try to ban bushwalking following accidents that occur where professionals are leading tours.”

We continue to find sharks the most fascinating of sea creatures. I, for one, am in awe of them, and will always try to see them underwater. No creature has their grace or pure power and there is an undeniable thrill in meeting one. In their element, they are our superiors - and that is precisely why we are excited to see them.

Thanks to recreational divers, we understand that most sharks choose to avoid humans most of the time. Occasionally, there is a misunderstanding and someone gets bitten - but very rarely preyed upon. Markus Groh was not foolish to be in the water near sharks. With the evidence available, it seems he was just unlucky.

Solicitations-Better Than Credit Card Offers

Like you the crew here at Shark Diver probably gets about 50 offers a week from a wide range of companies.

The credit card companies are the worst, when you think that a deforested area the size of Rhode Island gets harvested every year just to present glossy credit offers to you...makes you wonder.

This offer came in today via email (at least they save a tree on the front end) for a fee, this company will feature your companies adventures in book form and mail it to you.

Naturally we hit "delete" but saved the cool image, looks like one of Rodney Foxes images from back in the late 80's-vintage stuff.

Shark Diving Media-791,575 And Counting

Almost 6 months ago the good folks at 689 Design, one of the coolest L.A Branding outfits out there, added this piece of video eye candy to You Tube. The idea was to see how niche video candy would work to a broader audience if you wrapped it up professionally.

The results for us here at Shark Diver have been simply amazing. Video eye candy works.

Here's the video once again. By the end of this week we'll be at 800,000 viewers and by the end of this year sitting at 1.2 million:

Aussie Croc Troubles-Crikey!

If you have travel around the world like we have you get to see some interesting places like Cairns, Australia. What makes this lush, green, tropical eden unique is that almost every single plant, animal, insect, and marine life will kill you-if given half a chance.

We're not kidding. In the ocean you have Stinger Jellies along with several varieties of sea snakes, on land you have red ants, black ants, mamba snakes, fruit bats, and of course the salt water crocs-which are absolutely everywhere and will even come out of the sink if you leave the water running long enough.

Do not take our word for it, here's a video of a saltie that made it into an anti stinger jelly net and freaked a local swimmer out last week. You have vacation choices people, we suggest going to Cairns with a baseball bat, a 7mm wet suit for day and night wear, and some anti stinger sauce, you'll know the stuff when you smell it.

Aside from that Cairns is a wonderful place:

California Salmon-Going, Going...

If you have followed the somewhat stunning news over the past few weeks, no, not that Hillary Clinton lied about coming under sniper fire in Bosnia, the California Salmon disaster.

Now we have so called experts all vying for a chance to determine why 89% of all salmon stocks have vanished this year.

No one knows the real reasons for the rapid decline but we do know the following:

1. Salmon fishing (both commercial and non commercial) in California is a multi million dollar industry.

2. Salmon populations tell of the overall health of the Pacific Ocean as salmon consume the same feed stock as seals, whales, and dolphins.

2. This eco disaster has long term consequences for the entire California region.

Here's the latest salmon return data from NOAA as you can see it's bad news, compounded by more bad news. What you are looking at is at least a ten year problem if the salmon ever return.

MSNBC-End of the World Adventures?

MSNBC came up with a travel article today. It's always nice to see great journalism at work. Of course we are kidding, this is your classic "End of the World" reportage that gets eyeballs (got ours) and needs to be addressed.

"No one knows why random things like ray attacks and zip-line snaps happen. You would need a mathematician — or a theologian — to wager a guess. Why are more people taking their chances on vacation, even when you take chance out of the equation? The answer, say experts, is we don’t know danger when we see it anymore. We can’t tell the difference being brave and being stupid."

Which leads us in the dive community to the timely discussion about assumed risk and what is a "safe" wild animal encounter or not. That discussion is being had right now in the Bahamas and we'll know soon where it leads. In the meantime this latest event has provided media fodder for the likes of MSNBC as they chew out more doomsday articles that in turn provide great copy for sites like the Cyber Diver Network.

"Mambo" Creator Dead at 89

While this has absolutely nothing to to with sharks or shark diving
it is with some sadness that the world lost Israel "Cachao" Lopez this week due to complications from kidney failure.

Who was "Cachao" Lopez?

In the world of latin music this man was a titan, creating the mambo sound and launching a generation of latin music that survives to this day. If you are a fan of Cuban music this week was a tough one. Play on Cachao, play on!

Cuban-born jazz musician Israel "Cachao" Lopez, credited with inventing the mambo, has died in Miami at the age of 89.

The bassist and composer left Cuba for the US in the early 1960s and continued to perform until his final months. The mambo emerged from his improvisational work with his late brother, multi-instrumentalist Orestes Lopez, in the late 1930s.

A family spokesman said Lopez died with his relatives around him.

He had fallen ill in the past week and died at Coral Gable Hospital, the spokesman added.

White Sharks Vacation Desination? Mexico!

It would seem that vacation planning to Mexico is not just limited to Canadians, Europeans and Americans...white sharks love the sun too. Image hat tip DBtechno

Recently released white shark pup from the Monterey Bay Aquarium has made it all the way down the coast to Baja in record time, just six weeks. A similar track was made by a previously released white shark-with the tracking tag coming off the animals side prior to entering the Sea of Cortez.

(03-22) Chronicle -- One of California's best wildlife stories of the year, tracking the coastal adventures of a young great white shark, took a stunning twist in the past week.

The shark was released in February from the Monterey Bay Aquarium and in six weeks has already swum past the southern tip of Baja at Cabo San Lucas and is heading south to the Mexican mainland. That is a distance of roughly 1,200 miles covered in 44 days, according to electronic reports, an average of nearly 27 miles per day - and that's if the shark is swimming in a straight line, an unlikely event. That is the fastest a shark has been documented migrating south from Monterey to Baja, according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

This past winter, more than 650,000 people saw the young great white shark during its 162-day stay at the aquarium.

Another twist is that the public can track the shark's position online, where its movements are updated and mapped. Check it out at: las.pfeg.noaa.gov/TOPP_recent/index.html.

Saga of Goldilox: A great white shark tagged by scientists and named "Goldilox" has swum 5,441 miles and is now roaming off, yep, San Francisco, likely looking for something to take a bite out of. They get hungry, you know. Check it out at topp.or

South African Chew Toys

Here at the Shark Diver office we have a Rotweiller called Sierra who just loves her chew toys.

In South Africa they have taken the chew toy to a higher art form. Sent in via Andrea R who's buddies caught chew toy mania off the coast of Gansbaii last week. As always, the shark diving is good. One question-what do they put on those things, crazy glue?

Shark Diver in the News

One of our divers from 2007 got published in the local news. As a shark diving company we never really understand how profound our adventures are to people until we read about from their first hand accounts. Any way you slice it Isla Guadalupe delivers time and time again.

By Steve Hutchings

I saw Jaws when I was 11 years old, after which I was so petrified of the water I wouldn’t go in the bathtub for a year.

This is one of many thoughts swimming through my head as I step off the stern of the MV Islander and onto the top of a cage suspended three metres below the surface of shark-infested waters.

Our dive master, Luke Tipple, hands me my mouthpiece, from which I’ll be breathing surface-supplied air. I insert the mouthpiece and grab my underwater camera. Then, with a deep breath, I slide into the cage below.

There are four of us in the cage, off the coast of Baja, California.

Although I swam with reef sharks in Thailand three years ago, we’re all rookie shark divers in these waters, having endured several months of comments like “shark bait!” from our peers, united by our desire – and each of us having plopped down $3,000 US with San Diego-based Shark Diver – to experience the oft-vilified, yet enigmatic great white shark.

We move around the cage for the first five minutes, searching for any signs of a great white shark. Scores of mackerel cloud our view, attracted to the two tunas that the crew set out to attract the sharks.

Then, amidst the fish below our cage, I see a shark. He’s smaller than I anticipated. About two metres long, he propels himself with slow, side-to-side movements of his tail. I crouch down to watch, mesmerized as he disappears from sight.

Several more sharks appear sporadically over the next 10 minutes, before disappearing for half an hour. We’re beginning to think we’ve seen our last shark on this dive.

Tipple taps the other cage with a metal bar, indicating the end of the hour-long dive. I watch as the divers in the other cage ascend and wait for a new set of four divers to replace them. Nothing.

I climb out of our cage, and when I reach the surface, Tipple, in his Australian accent, says “Steve, mate, do me a favour and go back under. There are sharks all around you and it’s too dangerous to come up.”

I panic, thinking there are too many sharks around the boat for our crew to handle and that the situation has deteriorated to dangerous.

I let go of the ladder and fall back into the cage, dragged down by the 40-pound diving belt, and land on my rear end. I’m still struggling to get off my backside, when a large female shark swims past our cage, two metres in front of us.

The other three divers clamour to get their cameras in position. I’m still trying to get on my feet. That’s when I see another shark, swimming directly toward me. My heart races as his snout gets bigger, and closer.

Just as I’m convinced he’s going to attack our cage, at less than a metre away, he veers to his right and swims past me, and I notice something about him that I’ve never seen in any pictures of a Great white shark before – there is a purple ring around his pupil. We stare at each other, eye to eye, until he’s past our cage and disappears into the background.

I just made eye contact with a Great white shark.

Such was our first dive at Guadalupe Island, off Baja California, about 300 kilometres south of San Diego, on a five-day, live-aboard diving expedition arranged by Shark Diver.

Great Whites congregate off Guadalupe between August and December each year. The sharks seen here are resident sharks.

Much like the resident orcas off Vancouver Island, marine biologists have named about 60 of the estimated 200 sharks that come here.

Chica, Bruce and the ever-popular Shredder are some of the well-known sharks at Guadalupe, the latter being a favourite of many divers for his consistency and his aggressive attitude.

On a subsequent dive he veered towards a male diver in the cage, who retreated backward.

A female diver later recounted that she watched Shredder’s pupil following the male diver as he swam past the cage, seemingly pleased that he intimidated the man.

I guess boys will be boys, no matter what the species.

Steve Hutchings is a Victoria-based Communications professional with a hefty dose of adventure travel in his blood.