Stefanie and Tiger Sharks!

Click for detail!

This is really a marriage made in heaven.

No don't get me wrong, they are not a couple - but it doesn't get much better than having Stefanie Brendl and the unequaled Doug Perrine co-operate on a project!

The result: this epic spread in the Mail.
How awesome is that - huge Kudos!

Awesome!

And, there are videos!
Patric has already commented on the original cut, and here is the new edit. I have a visceral aversion against scenes depicting people abusing Sharks as underwater scooters, and those scenes have been thankfully cut out. And I do like the warning at the end: nothing could be more correct!
Enjoy!

Bait Ball: Pictures by the Master!

Masterful: feeding Bryde's Whale - click for detail.

Remember the bait ball video?
Now, there is a set of pictures that appear to be from the very same event - taken by the master of them all, Doug Perrine.

More pictures here.
Enjoy and be amazed!

Doug Perrine about eating Cownose Rays!

I've said it before, Doug Perrine is Royalty.
Not only is he one of the nicest guys around, not only is he one of the pre-eminent underwater photojournalists - he is also a staunch and at the same time, extremely well documented marine conservationist.

Case in point, his comment to this article in NGM.
Surprise surprise, when he posted it, he got the following reply Your comment has been saved. Comments are moderated and will not appear until approved by the author - and it very much appears like the author may still be pondering. I wonder why? :)
Doug is referencing this seminal paper (longer synopsis here), probably the first such study that documented how removing Sharks could trigger trophic cascades (another example here).

As a caveat, it must be said that this does NOT apply to all Sharks!
It only applies to determined species in determined habitats where they act as apex predators and keystone species - other, generally smaller species of Sharks like e.g. Spiny Dogfish are considered mesopredators and may in fact profit from the removal of apex predators!

But I'm digressing as always.
Here is Doug's comment, unabridged - let's see if Jeremy Berlin will eventually have the guts to approve its posting on NGM. Anybody taking bets?
Bravo Doug!

Jeremy Berlin’s short and intriguing article in the January issue of NGM, “Eat a Ray, Save the Bay,” left me hungry for more information.

What are these “shellfish” that the rays are “gobbling?”
Are they, by any chance commercially important species of mollusks and crustaceans that have been in severe decline for years due to over-harvesting and habitat destruction by humans?
Any chance that humans have also been “gobbling” these species?

And what about the grass beds that the rays are “roiling?”
Would these, by any chance, be the same grassbeds that have been in decline since humans first settled around Chesapeake Bay, as a result of pollution, poor watershed management, mechanical destruction by dredging (for some of those unnamed “shellfish”) and boat propellers, etc.?

Why is it that “predators like coastal sharks have declined?”
Does it have anything to do with the rapacious, cruel, and obscenely wasteful fishery for shark fins to supply a nutrition-free status-enhancing soup ingredient for Chinese celebrations?

Have the unidentified “area officials” considered the alternative of rebuilding healthy populations of predators in order to ensure a resilient and balanced ecosystem?
When the writer refers to “the observed spike in cownoses, though untallied,” may I presume that the meaning is that there are no reliable population estimates for this species either before or after the sharks and shellfish were both overfished, and certainly not before the entire ecology of the Bay was drastically altered at human hands?

Are the “area officials” aware of the life history characteristics of elasmobranchs (sharks and rays), such as extremely low fecundity, slow growth, and delayed maturity, which make them notoriously poor candidates for a commercial fishery?
Can they name a single truly sustainable fishery for any species of elasmobranch? May I suggest an alternative to the moniker “Chesapeake ray?”
How about “scapegoat ray?”

One final question: when did National Geographic Magazine start promoting resource exploitation schemes clearly developed by commercial fishermen and their allies in local government without consulting scientists with expertise in the field?

In China, bamboo forests have been destroyed for agriculture and development and pandas are gobbling the remaining bamboo.
Can we expect to see panda recipes in National Geographic soon?

As I said: Royalty!

The Boat

Nomen est Omen: Timbo rocks!

Bless the good people over at Gates!

As a proud owner of a venerable Hugyfot-F3 that never let me down in over 20 years of reckless abuse, and this on its first set of o-rings (!), my standards are high.

Once I decided to switch over to video -aka the dark side- and having seen more Amphibicos and L&Ms fail than I care to remember, my choice of a Gates was kind of inevitable.
Like Hugy, Elwyn Gates is one of the true pioneers of underwater imaging and his housings had a reputation for being extremely durable and reliable, the latter largely owing to the fact that they were fully mechanical and thus didn't feature any of the vulnerable electronic circuitry of their competitors.

Scarface, yours truly and the Gates PDX-10 in this epic picture by Doug Perrine.

Enter the new owner and CEO John Ellerbrock.
Although I was quite impressed by my "old" Gates for the PDX-10, I am now absolutely in awe of my housing for the EX1, quickly christened The Boat by one of our clients. This is just exquisite craftsmanship and a testimony to John's inventiveness and commitment to unsurpassed quality and reliability. Perfectly balanced and with crisp and yet sensitive controls, it's a real pleasure to work with. Add the terrific SWP44C by Fathom Imaging and Gates' legendary client service personified by always helpful, patient and friendly Pamela, and the result is absolute perfection!

Well done and thank you so much!

The closet Tiger Shark

In my book, Doug Perrine is Shark Royalty.

We met years ago in Fiji where we dived from the same boat but never really talked - until the day he took that epic photo of Scarface nibbling at my housing. Only then did he reveal that he was indeed "The" Doug whose pictures I had been admiring for years.
He's since been back and written what I still consider the best article about Shark Reef and over the years, my admiration of him has continued to grow. Always friendly, soft spoken, respectful and actually, totally self-effacing, he belongs to a small elite of image hunters who pair surprising modesty with unparalleled skills and amazing knowledge and experience. I put him in the same category as Ron Taylor who himself is such a refreshing contrast to all the wannabee yahoos with their big mouths and limited talent!
No wonder all dive operators rave about these guys!

Anyway, when i wrote the previous post, I noticed his amazing article about Greenland Sharks.
Remember my rant about Dirty Jobs? Turns out that Greenland Sharks are nothing like the sluggish stupid smelly monsters they were said to be - instead, at up to seven meters (yes, they are bigger than Great Whites!), they may well be the Tiger Sharks of the high Atlantic!
No, I'm not copy/pasting anything - you got to go read it all and enjoy Doug's talent and wealth of information!

Very very interesting, well researched, well written and garnished with killer images - as he always does!

Kudos Doug - you're the greatest!

PS he has just shot me a message that there is now an "updated version, with several corrections".