Captains Log - Clean up on Decks 12-40

Captains Log

"Arrived in port today. Bit of a mess on decks 12-40, actually, the engine rooms got a spot of water in it as well. Come to think of it, we're also missing a few windows, deck chairs, and what is that smell?"

Shark Diver Celebrating 10 years in 2011

In 2011 Shark Diver will be celebrating 10 years in the shark diving business. A milestone to be sure and time to take stock of the many years we have spent on shark adventures that have taken us around the world.

Time to take stock as well of the lasting relationships we have made with some of the brightest folks in the industry.

Folks who have brought moments to the life this business that would not have happened without them.

One of these people is Chris Bahnsen, a freelance writer who covered us and Isla Guadalupe back in 2004 for Advanced Diver Magazine.

It was, as it turned out, the beginning of a fine relationship with mainstream media and the beginning of many more articles to come on this pristine island, the research team from CICIMAR, and Shark Diver.

To date over 60 print articles, many mini documentaries, and the full length feature Island of the Great White Sharks have been generated with our company. Some, like the article featured hereare lighthearted looks at the thrill of diving with sharks.

Other media hits have been serious efforts with sharks, research and tourism in tight focus.

It has been an incredible decade, and it could not have happened without the interest, goodwill, and outright joy our divers, you, have shown us over the years.

More to come in the next few months as we look back at a decade of shark diving with Shark Diver.

Mote Marine Labs Spearheads Shark Effort

(Reuters) - A team of U.S. scientists and environmentalists met with Cuban officials this week to discuss a proposed alliance, including Mexico, to protect the Gulf of Mexico's declining shark population.

The meetings were a product of both improved U.S.-Cuba relations and concern that only a joint effort by the three nations that share the gulf can protect sharks, whose numbers are said to be down as much as 50 percent for some species.

"The Gulf of Mexico is one ecosystem, it's not just the U.S. gulf. The shark is a highly migratory fish that moves between the countries and it is troubled," said Pamela Baker, gulf policy advisor for the New York-based Environmental Defense Fund, which is spearheading the effort along with the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida.

Shark populations have fallen worldwide, primarily due to overfishing to satisfy China's demand for shark fin soup, which is rising as China becomes more prosperous, scientists say.

An estimated 73 million sharks are being killed annually mostly for their fins, the EDF said in a recent publication.

Still unknown, said shark expert Robert Hueter at the Mote Marine Laboratory, is the effect of the massive BP oil spill this summer in the Gulf of Mexico.

Complete Story.

HSI Supports Shark Finning Workshop

PUNTARENAS, Costa Rica (September 10, 2010) – A two-day international workshop on shark conservation, hosted by Costa Rica’s Fisheries Authority INCOPESCA and supported by the NGOs Pew and Humane Society International, took place in the Costa Rican port of Puntarenas. The workshop, which focused on the technical aspects of landing sharks with their fins naturally attached to their bodies, was attended by delegates from 13 North, Central and South American countries.

The “fins-attached” method has gradually been gaining international recognition because it is the best response to end the practice of shark finning and ensures fewer shark catches. The United Nations General Assembly, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and the review process of the UN Fish Stocks agreement have all recommended “fins-attached” policies.

Facts:
Sharks are apex predators whose survival affects all other marine species and entire ocean ecosystems.

"Finning" refers to the act of cutting off a shark's fins and throwing the rest of the shark back into the sea. It is estimated that tens of millions of sharks are killed to supply the wasteful demand for shark fin soup every year.

For hundreds of years, shark fin soup has been served as a symbol of social status and a traditional way for the elite to display their wealth in Eastern Asian. Countries such as China (including Taiwan and Hong Kong), Singapore, Malaysia, Japan and Thailand import thousands of
metric tonnes of shark fins each year.

The practice of shark finning is global and has led to severe declines in shark populations. Unlike other fish species, sharks produce very few young and mature slowly and consequently, overexploited populations can take years or even decades to recover.

Most fishing nations do not have finning bans in place, while others require that carcasses be retained, but allow the fins to be removed from the carcasses at sea provided that, when landed and weighed, the fins weigh no more than 5 percent of the weight of the shark. This has resulted in lengthy disagreements over the 'correct' weight ratio of the fins. Furthermore, doubts have been raised about the availability of sufficient resources to monitor compliance, which would require the weighing of every shark catch that arrives at dock.

Fins-attached policies require no weighing, therefore facilitating compliance. Shark conservation is greatly enhanced by fins-attached policies, as fishers have to store every shark that they catch, reducing the total catches and ensuring full usage of the carcasses and decreased wastage.

Goblin girl on.... diving with Herman!

A couple of weeks ago, I made something I've dreamed about for ten years now. It's not as cool as what most of the other people here get to do, but for me, in Sweden, this is about the best that you get!

Over the years, TV and newspapers that want to interview me have "dragged" me to our local aquarium here in Gothenburg. I always have to do the same thing: stand next to the tank or walk in the tunnel and stare at Herman - the resident sand tiger and KING of the tank. The aquarium is ten years old now and ever since they opened I've wanted to get into that tank!

We were filming a children's program that will be shown on Swedish telly in spring. Only, this time, instead of just gazing at Herman and the others, I was allowed to finally dive into the tank. I was in safe hands as I wasn't alone. My good friend Klas, who works at the aquarium, was with me. The last thing he said to me wasn't "Watch out for the sharks". No, it was "Remember they see EVERYTHING outside that window - LOOK GOOD!".

So down we went. Like ten times?! (Remember we were filming!) I'm such an inexperienced diver and those shallow depths... I was more like a yo-yo - trying to look GOOD! - than anything else.

Then he came, Herman. Out of the dark like a slow moving ghost. The other sharks: nurse, zebra and black tips kept their distance all the time. Even the often sulky sawfish was staying away. No, it would be impossible for anyone around to miss that Herman is the king of that tank.

I could of course understand that the guys filming me wanted me to be closer to the window, but that would mean no sharks close to the camera (we had no uw-cam) so I kept my distance. Maybe it's not the best time to practice your buoyancy when you are in a tank full of sharks, but since it's so seldom I get wet with a tank on my back, I took the opportunity (still trying to look GOOD). I think both me and Herman was kind of surprised when I suddenly were about to drop down on his head!

I've learned one very important thing from Manny Puig (we went snorkeling with great hammerheads once. Did I tell you about that?): always keep someone else in between you and the sharks! At least someone more experienced. So, I was very happy that Klas was with me when Herman decided to show us that we were invading his private space with our presence.

Like before, he came slowly towards us. Klas was little bit closer to him, when he suddenly turned 180 degrees, making a sound like a gun went off! It looked very much like when you see them testing the shark pod - only Klas hadn't done anything. Afterwards he told me that this is Herman's way to show that he is not too happy with us being there.

Anyway, we continued our dive for quite a while and nothing more happened. Then I had to break the surface a few times (for the show), but by then my ears were making so much unpleasant noise that it's only now that I start to hear ok again.

So, IF Herman had wanted to eat me he could easily have done that! And no, I wasn't really behaving "like you should around sharks", as I - as a very lousy diver - must have been making signals and noise like those of a whole shoal of wounded fish! Maybe he is just lazy and doesn't want to peel his food, but I think he knows me... After all, we've been seeing each other for ten years now ;-)


(The photo is an old one, showing me and Herman on one of our first dates.)

Brain Cells and Bull Sharks - Wowza!

When we posted our challenge/half baked Internet observations to the science blog Southern Fried Science last week about Juicing Tweaked Bulls we never dreamed anyone would pick it up and run with it.

Yet run with it someone did, and the end result was quite remarkable.

Kudos to Giant Brain Christie Wilcox who's blog Observations of a Nerd took our rather pathetic post and made sense of the whole Bull shark testosterone mythos/phenomenon.

Who is Christie?

Christie Wilcox is a science writer/ blogger who moonlights as a graduate student. She blogs about whatever she feels like, usually relating to scientific news, interesting biological phenomena, and adorable creatures.

Christies post delves deeply into the zeitgeist of testosterone loaded Bulls. A commonly held belief that was cemented into the public's mind after this episode on Shark Week in 2002 "Bull Shark: World's Deadliest Shark."

Thank you very much Mr.Nigel Marvin and your millions of water cooler minions who went on to regurgitate this off the cuff shark factoids like some sort of never ending shark gospel.

For her shark smart, well researched post, Christie is now featured on this hallowed blog as a "blog to follow." Mainly due to the fact blogs like hers make ours look all science-y and stuff, and second off, hers is far more eloquent.

Nicely done Christie.

Bahamas National Trust - Shark Sanctuary?

If the folks from Pew and the Bahamas National Trust have their way the Bahamas might be declared a shark sanctuary sometime soon.

That would be a good thing.

What is the current value of shark tourism to the Bahamas?

An industry study done in 2008 revealed the value of shark tourism to the Bahamas was roughly $78 million per year with over 44 thousand safe human/shark interactions per year by dive industry members.

That's where this recent article by the Tribune and associated quotes that went with it had us concerned. Not one shark diving industry member was mentioned in it, and no statistics concerning our industry either regionally or internationally were mentioned.

The shark diving industry has a lot to do with the perception of sharks and to tourism in the Bahamas. In short, regional industry players must be front and center with this push to protect sharks.

Perhaps it is time for Bahamas operators to get quoted and get out in front of this issue?

No Your Limits - Project Great White 2010

No Your Limits was created with one simple goal: to inspire people everywhere through stories of wounded warriors using adventure to overcome adversity. Evey day, the men and women of our armed forces face down the dangerous job of ensuring our freedoms, and fighting for the freedom of others, in places around the world. Some return with a variety of injuries and disabilities physical and emotional.

Many of these wounded warriors have found adventure and adrenaline to be a very powerful part of their ongoing recovery. Our mission is to create opportunities for these warriors to find further healing through some of the biggest adventures out there.

The first "mission" of No Your Limits is an adventure unlike any other: the wounded warriors of NYL will travel to Isla Guadalupe in the Pacific Ocean, and swim with the most fearsome predator in the water, the Great White Shark.

Leading the expedition will be the experienced professionals of Shark Diver, who bring decades of experience to the adventure. For five days, the NYL crew will explore the waters that have become known as a "gathering place" for great white sharks. Filming the expedition will be a documentary film crew, which includes one of the most talented underwater photographers working today.

Future missions will follow the NYL warriors and crew from the jungles of Central America to the roof of Africa. The soldiers profiled in No Your Limits refuse to let their lives be defined by adversity. Instead, they choose to surf, to cast, to climb, and to leave any preconceived idea of what’s possible far behind. We hope you will support NYL and our ongoing mission to provide and share these inspirational stories of adventure.


Project location: San Diego, CA

RTSea Blog - Basker Warning Flags

From the RTSea Blog today, Baskers off the California coast have now been declared by NOAA.

So what does this mean?

NOAA, the U.S. National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, took a slightly unusual step by declaring the eastern North Pacific's basking shark a "species of concern." While it sounds a bit like a suspect in an unsolved homicide, what the designation actually does is recognize that the basking sharks that migrate along the coast from Canada to the central coast of California are not recovering in numbers as expected since the taking of basking sharks commercially was curtailed in the 1970s.

The importance of a government scientific agency taking a step like this is that it essentially greases the wheels for marine scientists to consider the basking shark as a study subject. With NOAA's acknowledged concern, the designation can assist scientists in seeking funding for research projects.

Complete Post.

Ron and Val Taylor - Shark History CNN

Two passionate divers and filmmakers who have seen first hand the public's perception shift towards sharks based on the media's portrayal of them. Today, 30 years after JAWS, both are committed conservationists and back in the media sharing their experiences:

"The Asian market just can't get enough of sharks fin; the price has gone way up. Even Australian fishermen are taking shark fins now in the Great Barrier Reef.Some species of sharks are protected, like the Great White Shark... but with other species of sharks there are no restrictions."

Shark Free Marinas - Endorsed by Slash

The Shark Free Marinas Initiative is gaining momentum with a new series of celebrity endorsements and additions to the growing advisory board.

This month Slash, legendary guitarists from Guns'n'Roses, had some green words and is now joined by Nigel Barker and Bill Maher in support.

"I would like to encourage the fishing community to adopt the Shark Free Marina Initiative to help reduce worldwide shark mortality, one marina at a time. It is important to me as a father and concerned human being, that we do all we can to address the wasteful destruction of these amazing and important animals. We must ensure that sharks are around for future generations. Simply put, a healthy ocean needs sharks. Please join our impressive array of marinas that are prohibiting the landing of any shark at their docks. Together, we can save millions of sharks per year and set a new global standard for how we treat our allies in the sea."

- Slash, August 2010

Shark Pseudoscience - Juicing Tweaked Bulls

A challenge over at Southern Fried Science has us talking Bull this week.

Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) and testosterone to be exact.

A leisurely swim through the Internets murky back canals of sharky science reveals a plethora of quotes about testosterone and Bull sharks:

"Their aggression is fueled by testosterone. The bull shark has one of the highest testosterone levels of all animals."

"Bull sharks have the highest levels of testosterone measured in any creature, land or sea."

"No animal on earth has the testosterone levels of a bull shark, and that includes animals like the big cats of Africa, elephants, and grizzly bears."

Which has lead to a flood of online question from body builders, based on a video game (we could not make this up) about "juicing" Bull sharks for a cheap, fast, and legal(?) source of testosterone.

Read about it here, and here and here.

In fact a Google search for "Bull shark testosterone sale" returns over 3000 results.

Is it science? Or like many shark related pseudo-cures is it just plain Bull?

As the brainchild for this online discussion seems to have been generated by a video game we're calling this one pseudo-Bull, and passing it on to the good folks over at Southern Fried Science in a pathetic attempt to get in on their latest science challenge.

Kind of like those paper-mâché volcano's you see at science fairs. Yes they look cool and all, but everyone knows you made it up at 4.30am the night before, when your bigger science fair project got eaten by your pet Bull shark...all juiced up and raging on testosterone no doubt.

SHARKS — Do We Really Need Them?

Dr Mahmood Shivji with the Guy Harvey Foundation penned an outstanding Op Ed this week:

For the longest time after the 1975 blockbuster “JAWS” gave us a spine-tingling ride, there was an often used saying that “the only good shark is a dead shark”. This man- against-beast thriller and its many progeny shark horror flicks still pervade the public’s psyche, anointing all sharks as human-eaters and keeping many beach-goers out of the ocean.

The public and media’s morbid fascination with sharks as killing “machines” continues today. There is a steady stream of media coverage when fishers catch and drag back a large shark for photo-ops. In some minds, catching and killing a large shark is almost heroic and fashionable, and a testament to man’s superiority in the “battle” against the beast.

Meanwhile, the enormous toll taken on shark numbers worldwide due to indiscriminate fisheries continues unabated. All this shark killing causes some to wring their hands in anguish about longer-term ecological impacts. Others say “what’s the big deal if sharks are killed?”

Who’s right? Should we care if many of the oceans large sharks are exterminated? Is there really enough of an impact on the marine environment to worry about?

Complete Post.

2010 Shark Diving Report - Cage Diving at Guadalupe

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

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

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

Day 5 – SAFETY SIGNALS – Yesterday was a total spoiler with each dive topping the one before it. Twice, one of the smaller younger sharks – which generally seem more adventurous than the larger and presumably more experienced adults – came head-on right up to the open-view area of the cage, only turning away when there was no where else to go, or perhaps when it realized that there was no food in our hands, only cameras.

In one instance I was holding the camera in one hand and holding on to the corner bar with the other but was forced to let myself fall backwards when the shark quickly pulled an abrupt u-turn and swung his tail toward the cage. Unsure of what kind of force that might generate against my fingers, my instinct was to not find out...

Complete Series Posts.

Bahamas Shark Fin - Tracking the Players

The stunning news that a commercial Sea Cucumber operation in the Bahamas is considering moving into shark fin harvesting should have pretty much every single commercial diving operation in the regional and beyond in an uproar.

This is the worst news to hit the region for sharks in a decade.

Once shark finning begins it will be nearly impossible to stop and with the lack of fisheries enforcement in the region it will spread.

Currently shark fin retails for anywhere from $150-$1400 a kilo making this a top priority. Sea Cucumber also retails for anywhere from $40-$300 a kilo.

The company in question is SUNCO Wholesale Seafood LTD and has existing trade contacts in China with Shenzhen Fengyuhua Trade Co., Ltd via a shell company in New Jersey Yafee Inc.

A call to Yafee Inc this morning confirmed they are a dried seafood wholesale outfit.

Good News?

In May of 2010 a new seafood trade association The Bahamas Marine Exporters Association (BMEA) was formed in the Bahamas to manage sustainable lobster fisheries in tandem with outside help and guidance from NGO's.

The BMEA has an existing relationship with WWF in the region making WWF an additional point source to leverage fisheries contacts to begin the process of rolling back SUNCO's regional shark fin ambitions in tandem with The Bahamas National Trust.

Update: The Bahamas Commercial Fisheries Alliance is taking point on this issue.

2010 Shark Diving Report - Cage Diving at Guadalupe

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Complete Series Posts.

RTSea Productions - The Slippery Case of Jellies

Trying to get the attention of filmmaker Richard Theiss these days is like trying to nail jelly to a wall. When he's not moderating Blue Ocean Panel discussions on shark conservation at Monetery Bay he's off filming...jellies.

Sea nettles to be exact and a recent storm of them in Monetery Bay that has been garnering all sorts of attention. Which answers the question many had at the recent BLUE Oceans event as to why Richard was the only one in attendance with salty wet hair.

The man is always on the move either underwater or above it:

Another Tiger taken in Bahamas - Media Field Day

The sad news of another Tiger shark sport caught in Bahamian waters has turned up a grim discovery and mystery as human remains are found inside:

Coral Harbour Base, 04 September 2010 (RBDF) :

Crew members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Enduring Friendship vessel EF-28 boarded and searched a 30 foot Bahamian registered fishing vessel shortly after 11:00 a.m. this morning, some 35 miles south of New Providence.

The search revealed the badly decomposed parts of what is believed to be human remains. The 3 Bahamian fishermen aboard reported that the 12 foot tiger shark they had captured had regurgitated the parts.

The fishing vessel accompanied the EF 28 back to Coral Harbour Base where the predator was dissected and other body parts were discovered. Police were on hand to conduct interviews and collect samples for further processing.

Editors Note: Nothing good for Tigers in the region can come of this grim discovery.

Japan International Seafood and Technology Exhibition - Mexico

One of the keys to ending shark finning is to be vigilant and aware of the global shark fin trade including new and emerging markets.

Conservationists who focus on fishermen and not key market trading partners are at a disadvantage when it comes to curbing trade:

Mexican companies who participated in the Japan International Seafood and Technology Exhibition (JIST) this year, managed to market their seafood products for around MXN 11 million (USD 865,300), as reported by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA).

The news was announced in a report prepared by the general coordination of Trade and Export Promotion, through MexBest who were present at the show.

For the first time, customers and visitors at JIST had access to marine products from Mexico.

Among the resources exhibited were octopus, sea cucumber, shark fin, different varieties of frozen fish, canned abalone and conch and fresh bluefin tuna.

According to the general coordinator of Trade Promotion, Gabriel Padilla Maya, the reported short-term sales amounted to MXN 3.2 million (USD 251,700) and medium term, MXN 7.5 million (USD 590,000).

Maya stressed that the Japanese fair is important not only for the specific sales but also as it will increase the presence of Mexican products in the Asian market.

During the presence of the Mexican delegation, between 21 and 23 July, business meetings were held with more than 15 Japanese importers. These contacts are expected to help boost the marketing of annual production of nearly 200 tonnes of abalone, 1,300 tonnes of lobster and 200 tonnes of shrimp.

SAGARPA indicated that Mexican exports of seafood to Japan account for between 10 and 12 per cent of their total sales in the Asian market.

The main marine products exported to Japan are: tuna, shrimp, sardine, sea urchin and octopus.

According to the Mexican Agricultural Ministry, in 2009 total agri-food exports amounted to around USD 661 million.

JIST 2010 brought together 600 exhibitors and received around 35,000 visitors, El Universal reported.

Tiger Shark Fin Soup - Australia

Apparently the following video is of hundreds of Tigers off the Queensland coast in what we would like to see more of - Tiger Shark Fin Soup, natures best.

Note:Da Shark was the first to call the suspect Tigers in this clip.

2010 Shark Diving Report - Cage Diving at Guadalupe

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

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

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


Day 3 – FISH OUT OF WATER – When I wake up before sunrise, we are anchored just off the volcanic Isle of Guadalupe. With only it’s shape revealed by the first suggestion of light, it kind of feels like you’ve arrived at Skull Island. Which probably has a lot more to do with what I know is waiting for us. But in this case, I will be playing the part of the monkey.

As the crew runs a hose through the sardine buckets, the fish blood spills overboard and into what looks like just any other blue sea. Two steel cages are lowered off the stern of the boat and into the water. We are then divided into groups: 2 groups of 4 will occupy the cages for an hour; then a second group of 8 will rotate with them from the deck, giving the first group a chance to warm up. There will be 8 rotations a day.

We haven’t even got our gear on yet and a crewmember signals, “White Shark!”

I’m not sure what I expected a Great White to look like in real life or more accurately, what my reaction to it would be having seen so many on TV before. I once thought about doing a cage dive in Australia a number of years ago, but seeing as I was doing so much diving on the Great Barrier Reef that trip, I didn’t really want the thought of White Pointer floating around in the back of my mind every time I entered the water. So I never pursued it.

But today, I’m ready. I’ve been waiting for this a long time now. So there is no fear in seeing it. And I’m not just referring to the trademark dorsal fin poking through the surface. The water is clear enough that you can see the whole fish: the grey topside, the white belly and black eye. It’s what, maybe 12 feet long? And eaten its fair share of seals, I’d say. Scratch torpedo. It looks more like a small submarine...

Complete Series Posts.

Whale Animation from Asia?

Not sure what to make of this, suffice to say some folks really hate whales:






Editors Note: Actually it's part of a news story from Australia this week.

Brian Skerry Does Makos in 3...2...1

From the Global Explorers Blog this week:

"I was contacted by an underwater videographer named Joe Romeiro from Rhode Island. I had seen Joe's shark films and they were beautiful. He had a true artist's eye and his films were respectful of animals and brought viewers into their world for an intimate view. Joe was doing a fair bit of shark diving locally and invited me to join him, but as usual, my schedule simply never permitted me to do so. But finally last week, the day after I made my last blog post ("Thinking About Sharks"), I went diving again for sharks in New England."

2010 Shark Diving Report - Cage Diving at Guadalupe

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

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

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

Day 2 – NEW CHUMS – After loading the Horizon at 9pm, we are introduced to the Shark Diver crew and drown some seasickness pills with a Budweiser for the overnight voyage. “May cause drowsiness,” the label says. Then, just a quick stop-off to pick up some crates of fresh sardines.

There at the dock, a midnight circus ensues as the Pelicans, seagulls and seals all try to get in on the live action. After turning in for the night, we are rocked back and forth in our bunk beds below deck. For a while, it’s as if somebody is walking all over my waterbed. (If I still had a waterbed, I mean). The last thing I remember thinking is: this could be a very long night.

Morning arrives, and just like a kid on Christmas...

Complete Series Posts.

Ecuador sharks commitment to coastal and marine biodiversity

The national government of Ecuador during the next four years will launch a project to alleviate the pressures on marine and coastal biodiversity. The aim is to create an ecological network of marine protected areas and implement a Plan of Action for Shark Conservation in Ecuador (PAT-EC).

The Global Environment Facility (GEF) will provide USD 4 million to implement this initiative, an amount that will be administered through the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The Ministries of Environment and Agriculture, Livestock, Aquaculture and Fisheries have also funded USD 4.3 million.

The program consists of three components:

• Establishing a functional network of marine protected areas including intangible zones for multiple use, in order to preserve habitats and representative samples of marine and coastal ecosystems. The network elements are functionally connected and act synergistically to generate social, economic and environmental benefits to the country
• Implementation of PAT-EC, which will help consolidate the national government's efforts to protect shark populations. It will strengthen inter-agency cooperation and compliance with established standards, and promote decision making based on scientific data
• Awareness, support and participation of stakeholders in the management of marine and coastal protected areas and for the conservation of sharks.
  

2010 Shark Diving Report - Cage Diving at Guadalupe

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

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

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

Day 1 – CRAZY PEOPLE – When you tell people you’re going on a shark dive, you can almost guarantee that you’ll get a fairly similar reaction from most people.

“You’re crazy,” they’ll say. Well, yeah. I work in advertising, don’t I? Why do you think they have a show called Mad Men??

I mean, when you tell people you’re willing to parachute out of a perfectly good plane, they still look at you somewhat admirably, cushioning their judgment by saying something like, “oh, I could never do that.” But cage diving falls into a different category. When it comes to sharks, people have been conditioned to fear them for a long time.

I think we can all thank Stephen Spielberg for that.

Complete Series Posts.

Salmon Shark Washes Ashore - Pacifica California

Often mistaken for baby white sharks, salmon sharks (Lamna ditropis) occasionally wash ashore along the coast of California. This one was just a pup, if you want to see the adult version you need to find yourself in Alaska in August during the prime time feeding event for these 10 foot long cousins of the great white:

Monday Aug 23, 2010. 1st hot day of the summer in Pacifica, CA. It's around 7pm and it's too nice to go straight home after weeks and weeks of fog. We go walking along the waterfront in the West Sharp Park neighborhood, near the Pacifica Pier. All of sudden, everybody notices something that looks like a seal coming in with the tide. But it's not a seal.

Mangroves for Fiji - Industry Leadership

Over the past three years we have said a lot about Da Shark and his operation in Fiji.

Industry leadership comes in many forms. Getting out ahead of the pack with smart ideas and front running initiatives are the hallmarks of leadership.

Beqa Adventure Divers are one of those companies where leadership comes naturally and today revealed their latest project in Fiji.

Carbon sequestering is a major issue facing the planet right now, and while multi national companies like GE are looking at high tech solutions, millions of years ago the planet came up with a few of her own. In the process provided shark nurseries, habitat, and a natural buffer against hurricanes.

The lowly Mangrove.

Easy to propagate, simple to plant, and the planets ultimate natural Carbon sequestering device.

This effort has our full support because it makes sense on many different levels. Mangrove habitat has been reduced worldwide to coastal development and aquaculture.

This initiative just might help stem the tide when the realization that Mangroves will provide a reduction in carbon footprints to commercial interests along with many other benefits ranging from fish stocks to coastal stabilization.

Starting with Fiji and a commercial shark diving company.

Kudos.

Shark Diving Trip Report - Guadalupe Island 2010 "White Shark City"

When we got the phone call from Jan Millhauser this year, we knew we had a special mom on the phone.

She was interested in taking her 19 year old daughter shark diving.

What a mom!

Even rough seas could not keep this NY mother daughter pair down for too long when it came to meeting the "Man in the Grey Suit."

This is Jan's 2010 Shark Trip Report:

Ariel wanted to go dive with great white sharks for her graduation from high school. We researched for many of hours till we found “Shark Diver” and they were rated 5 out of five. I have to say the rating was accurate.

We flew on Jet Blue from JFK on an 8:30 am flight that got us to San Diego around 11:30am, after wrestling with local hotels and a mean front desk clerk and a quick trip to the Gaslamp district we got our ride to the dock where we were greeted by a friendly and kind “Horizon Charters” crew who were totally in control and knowledgeable. My fear of claustrophobia and not being able to get to the head (bathroom) in time in case the sea sick patches were not sea worthy was on my mind.

As we were walking to the “MV Horizon” (boat’s name) the crew Mark and Kyle were joking with Ariel and I making me feel like all was going to be just fine. I took my valium on top of the anxiety pill (which did not seem to be working) to get calm, did I mention I was a bit nervous?

This was the first time either of us had been diving, let alone 210 miles off the coast with white sharks!

The 80 foot Horizon had two very large cages on the deck. Upon boarding we met some of the other crew and passengers. Everyone was friendly and supportive. There were a few others with the same fears as I had.

There was Alec (whom I kept calling Eric, he took it in stride) and Lisa his wife from England, Marcus from Ireland, Mark from Canada, Jeff from Tennessee, Steve from Maryland, William from San Diego (who was originally from Panama until he moved to CA at 16; army brat), John from NY with his father Bob from Chicago and Ka-Hay from Hong Kong (best line “I was like what the f@!% is this shit?) That broke the ice for all.

Customs came on the boat went through all the official stuff and then took off for the 16 hour journey to the Guadalupe Islands. Mark and Beth the kitchen crew made us delicious pancakes for breakfast. On the way there we saw whales sprouting but we couldn’t find them so we continued on after a few minute detour whale watching. Spinner dolphins joined us for a while playing in the wake of the Horizon. Two more meals, diving lecture, getting fitted for our wet suits, a few laughs with the rest of our dive partners and of to bed.

We woke up with cages being put into the water and Mark and Beth were taking breakfast orders we had arrived after months of preparation to Isla Guadalupe.

All of a sudden we hear “White Shaaaark”(Ariel was the first person to spot the shark) everyone darted out onto the deck to watch a beautiful great white shark swimming around the boat. It took all the energy of the boat crew to keep all 12 of us from jumping in the water to swim with the shark. His movement in the water was so graceful it was like watching a ballerina dance at Lincoln center. We ate breakfast, lectured on safety rules of appropriate cage entry, exit, picture taking and NO hanging out of the cage for pictures which I must say only a few of the divers actually followed that rule (not Steve, Ariel or myself; we were a naughty shark cage team.)

Martin the Dive Master made a scheduled one hour in the cages one hour out with a half hour for lunch so we got in the cage several times on the first day.

We saw 14 different great white sharks over the 3 days of cage diving.

On my second dive a large great white was coming head in to me and I was just about to do the most “not allowed move” by kissing his snout when my regulator hose broke off my mouth piece and I had to get out of the cage till it was fixed. After I got out Kyle and I were on the side of the boat talking when two sharks had a fight and both breached right in front of us. Of course neither of us had a camera to get it on digital but it will be in our minds eye forever.

I had a few more really close encounters with a few white sharks but none close enough to actually kiss. Most of the sharks came within 1 – 2 inches from the cages.

We were allowed to get in the shark cages before our rotation if we got up early enough. There were a few seagulls swimming in front of our boat when a great white shark came up from underneath it and lifted the bird and its nose right out of the water that someone got video of!

Very cool.

We saw a few sharks 10 – 20 feet below our cages swimming around. We spent one dive where all we saw were mackerel while we prayed for a shark but none came. Steve our dive mate fixed our hoses when they got tangled; we took pictures of each other and played hand games while we waited in the cold water -down time after a hot shark first day. We ate dinner exchanged memory cards to see each other’s video and pictures. The camaraderie was at an all time high and no one refused to share their amazing shark pics.

I got up early to get into the into the cages early and got a wonderful show. A sea lion came up under the boat and to visit our cages. Then he got a visit from a young great white about 9 feet and the seal and shark where playing tag with the seal doing most of the chasing it was amazing. After my allotted time and the first rotation came in a second great white shark came to join the game and we saw a little bit of the play looking down into the water from the boat deck. On our rotations first dive we saw a few great whites not close up but not far either. The second dive we saw nothing and the third dive Ariel and I decided to shower and just watch from the deck, read and relax. It was a very smart move because some rough current was coming in and the cages plus boat started to rock.

Before we left Captain Spencer said we were going to be heading into rough waters. A few of us loaded up on the bonnine and other sea sick pills plus vied for position on the rear deck for a view of the horizon. When we left Captain Spencer drove by the shore so we could see the sea lions and elephant seals then headed back to Ensenada Mexico to go through customs.

As soon as the boat left the cove where we were anchored we ran into huge swells and the boat was getting tossed around. I did not know that a boat could move in so many directions at one time and stay erect. The preventative motion sick patch did not help so we added a 5 mg valium that helped for a little bit but we could not get off the back deck being afraid of losing my cookies.

Ariel suggested we go to our bunk and try to sleep, after being in our bunks for about 10 minutes Ariel grabbed the garbage pail off my bed and put it to good use. Ariel lost it 3 times over a few hours and wound up doing the most puking for the trip. I got sick in between Ariel’s illness and Alec stood by me offering verbal support while his wife Lisa was loosing it down below. However 9 of the 11 of us got seasick and one of the crew did too.

It took us 17+ hours in rough-ocean to make it back to Ensenada, Mexico and boy were we all grateful. Only one person stayed ill the entire trip back but for the most part the ride from Ensenada to San Diego the waves were mild but then again so was our entire food intake for fear of a repeat performance.

Overall we had an indescribable experience that words cannot do justice to. Great white shark diving is an experience that must be done first hand to understand the feeling of euphoria.

Jan and Ariel 2010 Official Shark Divers!

Caught on Tape - Thresher Sharks Hunting

On a scale of cool shark videos this one ranks up there. Purported to have been shot off Pescador Island, it features a Thresher shark hunting with its tail, a unique adaptation and one rarely seen by divers.

Explains why fishermen on the west coast of the U.S, especially off La Jolla shores, often report tail hooking these animals:

Daniel Botelho - Hunting Blues

Da Shark had some fine praise for underwater photog Daniel Botelho last week via Marty Wolff.

When I read his post I had to agree. I met Daniel a few years back at Isla Guadalupe when he came to shoot our whites.

What struck me about Daniel was his quiet grace. Here is an underwater photog that takes his time, chooses his moment, and get's the shot. He's also a first class guy to hang around with and our crew came to respect and love the guy during the week we spent with him at 'Lupe.

Yesterday another series of Daniels was revealed on Facebook, this time Daniel tackled Blue whales.

Hard to find, even harder to capture on film and yet, Daniel, swimming in a cloud of Krill, manged to capture these magnificent animals.

Well some of them. In a way part of the majesty of these critters is their elusiveness and their wraith like ability to hide their impressive bulk in the mysterious deep blue of the oceans.

Bada Boom - Greatest Show on Earth Right Now

The greatest show on the planet right now is in Indonesia and Mt. Sinabung which is spewing forth white hot lava and massive plumes of hot volcanic debris.

For volcano watchers worldwide (Frank and Jenny) Indonesia is known for especially "primeval" volcanic events.

RT Flights from San Francisco will set you back about $1200 USD. The last time this old gal went Pleistocene was back in the late 1600's. Should be an interesting couple of weeks.

Corkscrew Killers Wine Challenge - Gauntlet Picked Up in U.K

Our Transoceanic Wine Challenge to U.K researchers working on the Corkscrew Killer Mystery has been picked up this week.

With a twist.

From an undisclosed and secret research lab location in the U.K this morning:

Hi Shark Divers,

Well, you have thrown the gauntlet and we have picked it up! Good idea!

We will keep you informed of any progress we make. One issue you might consider is whether there are two different causes in the two areas. We have always agreed that some of the Canadian animals were definitely taken by sharks, without any doubt.

We do not believe any of the UK seals were and we very strongly suspect that some of the Canadian seals were not, either. Just want to make absolutely clear where we are right now, with nothing hiding behind curtains to be revealed in the future!

All the best and thanks for the continued interest, it really helps us!

With a bottle of fine wine at stake we're pretty sure The Corkscrew Killer is in fact largely a shark based phenomenon based on the two images presented in this post. The first image is Sable Island, Canada and a fresh kill from 2002/3.

The second image here is purported to be from a recent 2010 Corkscrew Killer death in the U.K.

The similarities are striking with only the fat layer being removed from both animals and a head to mid thorax spin as the Corkscrew Killer removes the fat leaving behind exposed rib and lean muscle tissue.

But what of the U.K teams admission that some but not all of Sable Islands Corkscrewed seals are taken by sharks?

Curious indeed, making the Corkscrew Killer Mystery an enduring one and begging the question, what mechanical variables exist on both the shores of the U.K and the extremely remote Sable Island?

Time for the reveal. Apparently the U.K team is close to providing the proof of the Corkscrew Killers origins in the U.K.

A signed bottle of 2005 Floodplain Proprietors Red wine from Napa Valley in California awaits their findings....or perhaps not.

Further reading Corkscrew Killer Blog.

Corkscrew Killers - U.K Ducts vs Greenland Sharks

There's an ongoing Battle Royal between U.K and Canadian researchers with completing theories over corkscrew deaths of seals.

Canadian researcher Zoe Lucas who works on Sable Island has conducted an eight-year study of "corkscrew" seal injuries.

She maintains Greenland Sharks are capable of inflicting such wounds.

However, scientists at the Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) at the University of St Andrews, U.K have ruled out the possibility of the deaths being caused by sharks. They claim mechanical ducts are causing these wounds.

Having a shark blog that goes back over three years allows us to cover the stranger side of sharks and this enduring predatory mystery.

Underwater Thrills Corkscrew Killer Timeline

April 26 2008 The Mystery

August 8 2008 More from Sable

August 17 2010 UK Corkscrew Killer

August 20 2010 Sharks Ruled Out

August 25 2010 Canadian Researchers Say Shark

As we posted last week, "unless the same set of mechanical variables is present on the remote Sable Island in Canada, their efforts (U.K) leave much to be desired as does the removal of a biological answer to the mystery of the Corkscrew Killer in the U.K"

The Challenge

Underwater Thrills is officially offering a fine bottle (signed) of 2005 Floodplain Proprietor Red from Napa Valley, California to any U.K researcher who can prove without a doubt that the Corkscrew Killer is in fact a man made object or machine.


Further reading Corkscrew Killer Blog.

Karl Stanley Shark Video - Honduras

When you own your own submarine, life at depth can be pretty sweet:

A 10 foot long Smalltooth sandtiger shark charges the Idabel submarine at 900' depth off Roatan, Honduras on Aug 15, 2010. Passengers are Peter Etnoyer and Fred Boltz.

Pilot is Karl Stanley of Roatan Institute for Deep-sea Exploration.

Hunting Poachers Mission rECOn - Aug 2010

Image by Christy Fisher.

One of the more interesting members of the conservation/film and television community is, without a doubt, Scott Cassell.

Recently he's been involved with a front running conservation project called rECOn.

rECOn changes the way the public views conservation initiatives by documenting and then putting in jail poachers in regions where enforcement is non existent.

This is boots on the ground enforcement to effect conservation change.

Scott just got back from Baja with this after action report from his team.

What they discovered in Baja shocked them and will shock you as well.

Warning: Contains language and heartfelt emotion:

Dale and I have just returned from our latest rECOn mission hunting poachers which ran from August 15th to the 20th. This time we were joined by cameraman XXX whom was filming our operation for consideration to produce a series for XXX.

XXX had expectations but he expressed they were exceeded by what he saw and now is a firm believer in what Dale and I do as we hunt and film some of the the worst of humans.

Weeks ago Dale had a tip that somewhere near the city dump was a pile of shark heads. Intrigued we searched around and in short order we found what we were looking for. Frankly, none of us were ready for what we would find.

The first few shark heads we found were tiny. Barely 2.5 inches across indicating the (Silky) sharks were only 10 inches to one foot long. These were just babies! We found 27 heads (20 silky, three hammerhead and four dogfish) and were disgusted with the cowardly act of slaughtering baby sharks for the export of their tiny fins to the Asian markets and the tiny fillets being sold at the local markets.

We decided to lay them all out in neat rows to film them and as I maneuvered to make the line straight my foot slipped into a burn pile opening up the charred surface exposing underneath. Dozens of tiny shark heads showed through... and as Dale, xxx and I looked around with our eyes calibrated to what to look for we began to realize what was all around us. We found an old plastic box-crate and began loading it up with all of the tiny shark heads and the deeper we dug the more we found... then I found the worst of it. A huge pile of of horse shit covered hundreds of baby shark heads.

I love sharks. I love sharks like many folks love dogs and cats. For years I have hand fed and admired sharks. I have tagged them, saved them for net entanglement, and reached out and touched ‘one ton’ white sharks and tigers as they swim by in their full majesty... and my life is greatly enriched because of these unique encounters.

To discover over one thousand disembodied heads of babies in a dump covered in horse shit was almost too much to endure. All of this suffering for sushi and shark-fin soup.

XXX found the heart to keep filming and despite his own emotions... he kept asking me to talk to the camera in order to record my reactions to this display of ‘humanity’. I found myself on the verge of tears as I dug out tiny lifeless heads of shark pups with their vacant eyes staring into man’s world of trash. The anger welling up inside of me had to be focused as I inhaled the dust composed of murdered babies, horse shit and human filth. This illustration of man’s complete lack of respect for the sea and indeed for life itself lowered my faith in Mexican fishermen and mankind overall.

Dale called out to us with another sickening discovery... but at least this one offered a recourse I very much wanted. “Dude! Here are about 25 to 30 poached Totuaba!” XXX and I came over to see for ourselves and confirmed his discovery. Dale had carefully laid out about ten of the dozens of filleted fish carcasses for positive identification. The tell-tale rounded Caudal fin and skull shape offered the positive ID we needed to present as evidence and we carefully video recorded it.

This has special significance to us because the Totuaba were fished to near extinction and are now protected by Mexican law. Having a Totuaba in your possession regardless of how you obtained it is a mandatory 8 year prison sentence. So, if we can find out where the poachers fish the Totuaba we can find WHO they are and bust them.

XXX, Dale and I gathered at the tail gate of the truck and reflected for a moment on what we just found and I glanced across the dump at a strange shape propped-up on a rock. At first I thought it was just a piece of junk like a trash can lid... then I saw a familiar shape along the edge of it. “No Way!” I jumped up and set to look at it with a quick walk. What I thought was junk was a Green Sea Turtle shell with the center kicked in by a poachers boot-covered foot. What I did not know is that I had just found the best way to catch these sick bastards. Dale had a network of friends in the area and they know everything that goes on nearby. They know Sea Turtles are easy to poach.

The next morning we set out on Dale’s panga to the islands we selected to explore for Poaching activity. Upon arrival to Lobos Island we noticed the Sea Lions were afraid of human approach and scrambled off rocks at the sight of us. This behavior is learned, not instinctual. Here humans kill Sea Lions. As most Sea Lions scrambled into the water I noticed on was hesitant to leave her rock perch. We slowly worked our way closer to her and noticed she had a dark ring around her neck. I trained binoculars at her as XXX focused his camera’s long lens on her and we both saw she was gravely injured from a Poachers net fragment cutting through her skin, blubber and muscle into her throat. I took out my knife and asked Dale to close it so I might try to jump-tackle her and cut the net off... but she dove in at the last second closing the window of opportunity on her survival.

Under permit, we landed and began our survey for poaching activity and didn't have to look long. XXX, Dale and I found several dead Sea Lions with either nets on entangled on them, or stab wounds on their head and necks. But the real heart breaker was when Dale discovered a baby Sea Lion corpse with a suspicious head wound and called me over. Upon inspection I discovered it was blunt trauma induced skull fracture. The baby was killed by a rock strike at the base of the occipital of the skull.

Poachers murder the innocent.

We left the island with heavy hearts.

As we arrived back to the storage location for the Dale’s panga we unloaded the gear but Dale quietly disappeared with an old friend of his to chat with him. XXX and I finished unloading the boat and waited in the truck. Upon Dale’s return he looked visibly upset. “GUYS!” He demanded, “You cannot even F___KING believe what just happened! I just got a tip on the Sea Turtle Poachers!” “Some guys want to sell me Sea Turtle meat!”

We unloaded our gear and prepared for what was about to happen. XXX assembled his long-lens with a Night Vision intensifier and I set up a small camcorder to give to Dale. The mission was simple although potentially very dangerous. Dale was going to go into the poacher’s campo and film the Sea Turtle while pretending to want to buy it.

With XXX set up on an observation point to film Dale at long range and Dale’s tiny HDV camcorder ready, Dale jumped into the truck and drove to the Poacher’s campo. XXX was able to film Dale’s entire drive into the campo and even captured outstanding images of him walking to the Sea Turtle’s remains (on a table). At that point it was all up to Dale to film the Sea Turtle’s body and what the Poachers were saying. Much to Dale’s credit he filmed the Sea Turtle, the poacher’s faces and even recorded them saying how they kill up to two Sea Turtles per day, how to cook the meat and even the methods of how and where they set nets to catch them!

Dale politely declined purchasing the dead Sea Turtle and chatted with them about weather, fishing, a cut on a fisherman’s hand and eventually left safely.

So: How much is a Sea Turtle worth? The Sea Turtle was offered to Dale for $100. We decided it would have sold for much less to a Mexican.

Upon his return we watched the film Dale captured and it was incredible! Now we needed to film them in the act of fishing for turtles and (thanks to Dale’s film) we knew exactly where and when to set up the surveillance. Almost on cue, a Poacher carries a huge net on his shoulder to the shoreline in complete darkness... all the while being filmed by XXX’s watchful eye (complete with night vision camera). Once the Poacher dropped the net Dale and I set out on the beach to get close up images of the net to be certain it is the kind used to kill Sea Turtles. Dale set up an over-watch position with an Electrophysics Thermal Camera and radio to keep me informed of Poacher movements, especially if he decided to return to the net while I was there filming it. I used my Sony Z-1 with an Electrophysics Night Vision 9350BRAC Module to film in the darkness like it was daytime. I worked my way out on the beach to the net in a low a profile to avoid detection while Dale looked out for me. XXX was filming us both from a higher more distant vantage point using his night vision module and long lens.

After some sneaking around I found the Poacher’s net and confirmed it was the kind used to kill Sea Turtles. A surge of anger rushed through me and I wanted to destroy the net and wrap it around the Poacher’s neck like the condemned female Sea Lion we saw earlier... but I stayed on the mission profile and departed the area. As soon as I found Dale’s over-watch position and joined him the Poacher was half-way to the net. I luckily missed the Poacher’s return by less than a minute! In my heart I felt it was more lucky for the Poacher than me we did not meet alone in the dark.

We silently filmed the Poacher deploy the net over the course of 45 minutes in the darkness. I felt good about the footage we caught but was seething inside about the innocent creatures this drug-hooked-miserable-excuse of a human was responsible for killing for a few pesos. He was not a man. He was a coward.

The next morning we all loaded Dale’s panga and we went around the point to where the Poacher’s net was set. Dale passed by the cove a few times in order to give me amble opportunity to get a compass course set with my TAC board. I finished putting the Ghuille cover on my O2 rebreather and I donned my new Riffe Cryptic Camo Wetsuit and combat dive gear and slipped into the water. On my TAC board was a HERO HD Camcorder facing me to record my actions during the dive and another was mounted on my helmet facing forward to record what I saw. I descended to 20 fsw and noticed how my body blended perfectly into the water thanks to the Riffe suit. I made a communications call to Dale and then followed my pre-determined course and counted kick strokes right up to the net (which was in full view of the Poacher’s campo... hence the need for stealth). The net was already indiscriminately killing fish while it waited for the illegal targets (Sea Turtle) to wander to close. I filmed the full length of the coward’s technology and called Dale to let him know I was safe and departing the net back to the boat. Once back onboard we left the site to set up another surveillance site to wait for the poachers to recover the net. They never came. Did they get tipped off to our operation? Were they just too high to care about getting their illegal catch out before it spoils? We may never know... but we did collect several nets and placed them into our little bonfire ring. It feels really good to destroy these nets and I hope it financially cripples these bastards so they find it harder to Poach.

Dale, XXX and I were lucky enough to meet with our ‘client’ in Baja as we headed back to the US. We showed him some of our evidence and explained in detail what we found. He was quiet at first... then he offered us some insight to his vast wisdom and experience. He told us he would be able to take our evidence and show an exclusive audience what we have discovered. These powerful people will influence other leaders to design change and encourage new directions of protection. But... before that he will take our evidence and show it to the Mexican District Attorney so he can open an investigation, make arrests and remove these people from the equation.

As of today, four Poachers face 8 years in prison each. A Mexican prison.

Although this is a good result... I am haunted by the vacant eyes of a thousand baby sharks, the dead baby Sea Lions and the complete lack of respect for life and the ocean these Poachers demonstrated.

As my friend Dale put it:

“The poacher is an international fugitive, not just a mexican one. The mind of a poacher transcends borders and morality, they are of the same mind no matter where you go. Out for fast easy money with no regard for the law, or the world for that matter”.

I will never stop Hunting Poachers. The rECOn Mission has just begun.

Scott Cassell