Rangiroa: Grey Reefs mating!

Check this out, fantastic!

I’ve done quite a few dives in Tiputa Pass on Rangiroa but never witnessed this, the more as I usually dive there in January when the Great Hammerheads stalk the mating Eagle Rays. Very deep diving, but extremely exciting and rewarding, too – check out the end of the video, those are real submarines!
If I remember correctly, this usually happens in March/April – but Tiputa is a very serious dive in up to 4 knots of current and in order to capture those spectacular images of mating Grey Reefs, one really needs to sit down with a rebreather and have lots of time at one’s disposal. If you are a tech guy, talk to veteran and still gung-ho (and you’ve been warned!) pioneer Yves Lefèvre of Raie Manta Club and possibly, if he buys it, to Denis of Blue Dolphins who has been using rebreathers there forever, and they may be able to help you out.

Tourist SCUBA divers are advised to rather try their luck in Tetamanu, or Fakarava South at the same time of the year.
Tetamanu is, by far, my favorite pass in the Tuamotus as the current is always manageable and there is a profusion of coral and fishes as a consequence – plus, there’s a resident group of Grey Reefs that are easy to approach and can number in the hundreds. And if you stay with Sané and the formidable Annabelle you can get out right out in front of the restaurant and play games with Calin Calin, the giant and very tame Napoleon Wrasse!
And talking of pets: take along heaps of DEET!

As to the subsequent natural predation by the Great Hammerhead, hmmm.
Anyway, great footage!

Hat Tip: Pete Thomas Outdoors

Grey Reefies - Gang Bang!

These are Blacktip Reefies in Thailand - source.

From the days when Discovery was legit.

This is the holy grail of Shark imaging.

Being able to capture images of mating Sharks, in natural conditions (likely a pass in French Polynesia like Tiputa) and this for several minutes is absolutely spectacular, a less than once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

So this is how they do it - brutal stuff.

Stunning images and also, brilliant commentary!

Enjoy!

Snorkeling with Sharks?

Somebody just sent me this video.
It is by Jim Barley of the Shark Lab and like many of his productions, it depicts Shark biologists having fun - including plenty of grabbing, petting and riding, of which I'm really not a fan. But that's not the topic.
Check it out.



Didya see it?
If not, watch what unfolds after 1:20 between the Hammerhead and the free diver!
Now, in my book, Great Hammerheads count among the more harmless species: yes older individuals are true submarines - and yet, as anybody who has tried in Tiputa knows all too well, they are normally excruciatingly timid and extremely hard to approach. Also, the attack statistics for this species are both unspectacular and ambiguous. With that in mind, this was just stuff that happens, nothing to get too excited about.

And still, I am very much reminded about what Jeremy wrote here when talking about GWS.

Divers swimming with white sharks do not know what the whites' triggers are since they haven't yet triggered them and if they do they are unlikely to live to tell the tale.
They could be as subtle as a current that the diver is struggling to swim against - I bet (though I'm of course guessing) that white sharks are sophisticated enough to pick up on that and instantly suspect an easy meal.
By the time these divers find out what triggers a gws attack it's going to be too late.

Indeed!
In brief, I just think that snorkeling with large predatory Sharks is essentially stupid.
And despite of what I've said here, this probably applies to free diving as well - and yes I've changed my mind! I fully understand that proficient free diving is an art in itself and not really comparable - but in the end, both snorkelers and free divers will have to get back to the surface where chances are that in the eyes of those large predatory Sharks, they become one thing: potential food.
Especially in baited conditions!

Did I just sense some violent gnashing of teeth from Bolivia? :)
Before anybody gets too excited - as always, this is merely a reflection about commercial vs private Shark diving!
The more I dive with those large Sharks, the more I'm actually impressed by their gentle disposition and tolerance of us intruders - but at the same time, having witnessed their raw power and instinctual reaction to stimuli, the more I'm becoming cautious! Mind you: that doesn't equate frightened! At least on our dive, I've never even remotely experienced any situation where I had the impression that a Shark was sizing me up as potential prey - but still, stuff does happen and ever so often, a Shark will behave in ways requiring great presence of mind, experience and also luck - see the reaction of that free diver in the video.
But that's certainly not what we can generally expect from our customers and certainly not what we want them to personally experience!

Anyway, just a reflection.
Please take it with the usual grain of salt.

Raies Léopard!

Vol de raies léopard deep down in Tiputa Pass - source.

Bingo!

The ORP keeps cranking out the goodies!

Case in point, this article about the research by Cécile Berthe who confirms that the Eagle Ray of French Polynesia is not the Spotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus narinari but the Whitespotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus ocellatus. And with the Marquesas being so far east and featuring a scenery and fauna that are reminiscent of the Western coast of the Americas, it is quite possible that they may be also harboring one more cryptic species, i.e. the Pacific Whitespotted Eagle Ray Aetobatus laticeps that is found in Baja! 

Those Eagle Rays can be reliably seen in Rangiroa in Dec/Jan.

That's when they form large mating aggregations, see at top, that are in turn stalked by ginormous but very shy Great Hammers. And, it's bloody deep, at least (!) 40m but in crystal clear viz on the incoming currents - and then you'll have to negotiate the ripping current in the pass, quite possibly whilst managing multiple decompression stops! 

Challenging but fun fun fun!

H/T: merci Johann!

Shark Diving in the Med?

Whilst researching the previous post, I came across the above picture on, of all sites, Wikipedia's trusted Tiger Shark page, where it has replaced our very own Scarface.
A Tiger Shark in Antalya, Kaş - Turkey, as the caption implies? Maybe feeding on the rare Mediterranean Monk Seals, the World's rarest Pinniped, that frequent the area? But then, what about the small blue-and-yellow fish: Yellowtail Snappers? In the Med?
Yeah, right.......

That reminds me of this spectacular picture (click to enlarge), taken by my friends Pascal and Denis deep down in Tiputa Pass in Rangiroa. Remember the very similar cover shot on Michael Aw's Australasia Scuba Diver? Now, it hangs in a Fijian dive shop and clients are being assured that is was taken on a local dive. Not so.


But despite the obvious hoax above, Turkey is still well worth considering.
Every June, Boncuk Bay becomes a nursing area for Sandbar Sharks. No, Fatma, they don't "lay eggs" (they are viviparous), but they can be easily observed even on snorkel. And if you're really lucky, you may even stumble upon Eleonora de Sabata, Italy's own Shark Lady, and contribute to her ongoing research project, like you contribute to Shark Conservation when visiting our Shark Reef Marine Reserve.

And then, there's ........... Lebanon!
Lebanon, I hear you ask? Why on Earth would anybody want to go diving in THAT place???

Because of Odontaspis ferox.
Remember Malpelo's infamous Inzan Tiger and its "Tiger Ragged Tooth Shark", a "cross between a Raggie and a Great White"?
Well, it appears that you now have a choice: strap on your tech gear (or be outright stupid), brave Malpelo's treacherous currents and multiple thermoclines and dash down to 200 feet, only to spot nada de nada on El Bajo del Monstruo - or, strap on your bulletproof vest and head straight to equally infamous Beirut, where you may be able to spot some Smalltooth Sand Tigers at a place called Shark Point between July and September.
Decisions, Decisions...........

Anyway, plenty of links to check out!
Enjoy!

Shooting Tiputa Pass - Video!

Did I tell you that I love that place?
I do! :)

Story here.
Enjoy!

Masterful!

I'm simply in awe of the above picture - click on it!
Brilliant - and so very Alte Schule!

So far, my favorite pic of a Great Hammerhead was this capture by legendary Yves Lefèvre. Yves and his Raie Manta Club are the pioneers of Shark diving in Rangiroa and his book Rangiroa, sous le signe du poisson is a must-have for every true Shark aficionado.

Go there in December/January and provided that you are at least a PADI Divemaster, they will allow you to go deep to observe gigantic (I'm talking 20+ feet - really!) and surprisingly shy Great Hammerheads stalking the schools of mating Eagle Rays at the entrance to Tiputa Pass. This is very challenging diving as you will have to learn to subsequently manage your decompression whilst negotiating up to 4 knots in the passage - but it's a truly awesome spectacle and I invite everybody to go and give it a try!

Well, Wolfgang is now my number one - and not only when it comes to GH!
Felix has just posted a loving laudatio of his father and I can only agree that nobody deserves it more! Should you be unfamiliar with Wolfgang's work, you can check out some of his terrific pics on his iconic (that word again!) Oceanic Dreams or on his iDiveSharks page.
Masterful stuff!

Talking of Great Hammerheads.
What strikes me most about them, apart from that unreal dorsal fin, is their unbelievable snakelike agility. If you dunno what I'm talking about, check out 2:03 of this memorable footage from baited monitoring stations on the GBR. Talk about being an underwater contortionist!
The title of the story is of course baloney: that Tiger was never stalking the Snake (nor the Bristle Worm!), it was merely attracted by the bait whilst the snake was there - but apart from that, it's a great collection of the weird and wonderful like the elusive Bowmouth Guitarfish (1:37), along with a great final scene illustrating the awesome power of the Tiger Shark's Turtle-cracking dentition.

Enjoy!