Granma - ageing gracefully!

Timbo is in town for a quick stop-over on the way to Tonga.

He has just sent me a selection of today's crop, among which this lovely portrait of our unequaled Granma.

She is without a doubt my favorite Bull Shark.
She is absolutely huge, probably very old and carries a whole array of battle scars that make her look quite intimidating to anybody meeting her for the first time.

In fact, she's the sweetest Shark around.
Different Sharks have a bond to different feeders, and this is clearly one of Rusi's special friends.

Granma in 2005, enormous and assertive - EPIC pic by MPO!

She and I have first met in 2003, after which she has remained an infrequent but regular visitor and during those years, I've witnessed several pregnancies and the gradual aging process taking its toll on her vitality, to the point where nowadays, she has become quite slow and circumspect - but she remains very very friendly and really, quite endearing!
Over the years, she has gradually developed a growth around her right eye that has progressively restricted her vision. We believe that today, that eye is completely blind, and she is thus the only Bull that is allowed to approach the feeder from the right.

2011- probably blind. Please click for detail

Anyway, I just wanted to tell you about our Grand Old Lady.
May she be with us for many more years to come!

Sam and Granma!

Granma by Sam - source!

Love it!

Having witnessed it, this was the clash of the titans!

When two equally formidable, irreducible and feisty (and granted, provided one behaves = defers to their authority: mostly quite sweet!) ladies meet, it does get interesting! But when push comes to shove (literally!), 600 pounds of raw muscle sporting several rows of razor-sharp teeth end up asserting their right of way! :)

And I got the video to prove it - screen shot here!

Right now, it's mating season.

And Granma is very much at it - regardless of her protracted age, gravitas and being half blind! Equally covered in mating bites: Tip, Sickle, Naughtylus, Bum, Nani and a whole gaggle of no-names, meaning that that we can look forward to another bumper generation of youngsters! And with numbers already regularly above 50, and this at the start of the season, we can equally look forward to record numbers in mid year!

So, what are you waiting for!

Meet Granma!

Granma by Klaus!

More great Shark media from Oz!

Klaus our alte Schule gentleman has done it again!
Granma is indeed one of our oldest, biggest, fiercest looking and at the same time, sweetest Shark ladies.

Enjoy Klaus' article and stunning pictures here!

Cool photo of Granma!

Rusiate Balenagasau and one of the Bull Sharks, 'Granma', on The Shark Dive in Shark Reef Marine Reserve, a protected sanctuary in Beqa Passage, Fiji



(Michael O'Neill takes a good photo huh?)

Samantha - counting Sharks in Fiji!

Alot of BADness - the hands in the back belong to Lui and Chris.

Meet the indefatigable Samantha!

Talk about a personified whirlwind!

She came, saw and conquered, and is gone already!

In the process, she first counted Sharks  with the Scuba Diver Girls as part of the citizen science program  she heads, this in cooperation with the Great Fiji Shark Count with whom she will share all the data. 

And then, she popped by for a lightning-quick visit to the BAD boyz and girls. 

On the program: some serious Shark diving on the Best Shark Dive in the World and quite a bit of strategic planning. I count many personal friends within Shark Savers and ever since they have evicted the insane bimbette, our contacts have been particularly tight and cordial, culminating in the org's support for the GFSC where Sam has made a huge personal contribution - and with her having been here and understood what we're all about, watch this space for some new and exciting projects! 

And did we engage in some merciless debates? 

C'mon - do bears crap in the woods??

Talking of the dive.

It's fast becoming highly unpredictable as many Bulls are pregnant and the whole gang is getting ready to abscond in order to pup and mate, meaning that they are way less interested in popping by for a snack. But Sam was particularly lucky in witnessing decent numbers but above all, in making the very personal acquaintance of our unparalleled grand lady Granma. Here they are facing off - and I really can't wait for Sam to post that GoPro footage!

Badass meet badass - Granma & Sam - click for detail!

Anyway, it has been fun and inspiring.

Moce mada Sam - come back soon!

Martin: Granma!

This is our iconic Granma - Source.

Love this pic!

Martin is here and obviously having a ball.
He'll be here all month and offers this excellent deal - so, what are you waiting for! :)

The Submarine

She's just simply huge.

She turned up approximately ten days ago and quickly became the star of the current lineup of Bull Sharks. I've seen here side-by-side with our biggest matriarch Granma and she is undoubtedly more massive and more powerful - and quite possibly, even longer, which would translate into more than 11 feet! Lemme tell you, that's a whole lotta Bull!!!

We've named her Naughtylus, in homage to the fabled sub - mobilis in mobili indeed!
And because her rather sinister smile (click on pic) is more than matched by an ample dose of assertive posturing. Suffice to say that Bum, currently in the final stages of pregnancy and accordingly ravenous, meekly defers to her approaches! She's already proceeded to square up to this scribe and I can assure you that she certainly managed to catch my attention!
Camera running!

Well, she will eventually mellow - like they all have once they realized that we got enough for everybody and that we demand a modicum of decorum from our dinner guests.

We're currently updating and completely re-vamping our Bull Shark page, but at latest count, she's our 69th named Bull! Talking of which (no, I'm not posting any links!), she nearly ended up with a completely different name!

Just kidding!

Shark Rescue - Video!

Silio: when he doesn't rescue Sharks or retrieve stolen cameras, he models for My Fiji Shark!

 

Behold!

 

 

So, was that Shark asking for help?

Who knows - but it sure looks that way, especially considering that she tried twice! And she definitely chose to come to the right person as Silio was personally trained by none other than our unforgotten Rusi, speaks Shark and knew exactly what to do!

 

Be it as it may, it was a really remarkable interaction.

This is a completely wild, large alpha predator choosing freely to peacefully interact with a human - which has incidentally also spared her weeks of pain, as the weighted line would have cut deeply into her mouth and left her permanently disfigured like Crook or Granma!

Seriously - how cool is that! 

And before you ask - yes that's a known individual.

Judging from her distinctive crooked smile, she appears to be a habitual raider of fishing lines, and we've accordingly named her Double Crook aka DC - because of the smile but also because of the petty thievery. 

Bold and friendly, she's prime adoption material, and I would not at all be astonished if Tashi Blue decided to add her to the lineup sooner rather than later - so keep watching this space!

Anyway, this is what we do!

Stay safe everybody - right now it's pretty grim, but we're all getting vaccinated and will definitely see you next year!

 

Scarface from Malaysia!

Stellar portrait by Lill - notice the spiracle?

Despite of my usual reservations: cute PSA from Malaysia!

And!
It features footage of Scarface along with the smaller Adi and our oldest (but not anymore biggest) Bull lady Granma, all from the Fiji Shark Dive on Shark Reef!

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The bad news: we haven't seen Scarface since November!
No I'm not hinting that something has happened. She was heavily pregnant and may have just gone walkabout to give birth - and judging from what we know from research in the Atlantic and Hawaii, that may have been a long long way away!

But there's also this.
There may just be too many Bulls!
The population of Bulls keeps increasing and we have certainly noticed a corresponding decrease in the number of the other deeper water species like the Nurses, Silvertips and Lemons. My personal explanation for it is that

• Bulls prey on Sharks and those impressive numbers may just be to high for comfort,
• as the Bull Shark numbers are ever increasing, I'm observing (and recording) clear signs of inter-specific aggression whereby the Bulls ram and sometimes bite other species of Shark (but not other Bulls!) that compete for the bait, and finally
• those other Sharks have a much decreased chance of ever approaching the feeder and that they are consequently not being adequately rewarded for the risks they incur
  

Yes I'm speculating and yes, Juerg is looking into it!

The same is apparently happening to our Tigers.
In the past, the dozen or so Bulls would slink away whenever one of them would turn up - but not anymore! Even Scarface with her impressive 4.5+ meters appears increasingly hesitant whereas the Bulls are becoming positively cocky, to the point where I've recorded them simply shouldering her away!
Yes size matters - but numbers apparently matter more!

And the good news?
There is no such thing as too many Bull Sharks!
After the usual slight dip at the beginning of April, we're back to 50+ individuals on each dive and well on track for my predicted one hundred in June! The last couple of Shark dives have been, hmmm, hectic and as a consequence, we are now strictly enforcing the pit ban, and this also for long term good friends! So if you are eager to take up the wallpaper challenge, make sure to read our protocols as right now, there will be no exceptions - seriously!

And on this happy note: what are you waiting for!

Howard Hall: Sharks of Fiji!

SRMR last week - still busy but many Bulls are pregnant and are going to leave soon.

I just stumbled across the following.
Most of it is footage from 2002 when Howard and Michele re-visited Shark Reef after filming Coral Reef Adventure. This is thus pre-BAD and pre-SRMR which both happened in 2004.
Howard was on rebreather, hence many scenes are featuring the drop-off past the Arena. From what I can discern, the nosy Tiger Shark is notorious wrecking ball Adi. The rather spooked lady is Michele - here is her recollection of the event.
Other than that, you can spot Whitetail on 00:25, Joker on 00:35, Crook on 00:53 and a much younger Granma on 00:43. Very interesting to find out that they were already there before I started naming and monitoring them in 2003!

Enjoy!

Lumpy, by Ozzie Sam!

Click for detail! Source.

Great pic!

Lumpy is a rather new Shark.

She turned up three years ago and remains a more occasional visitor. You can recognize her by the large lump, quite possibly a tumor on the right hand side behind the gills and above the pec, and by the many wrinkles around the gills that are totally unique (not even Granma has those) and likely a sign of protracted age.

Sam's visit has been a pleasure as always.

And as always, he got skunked by the weather that turned sour the day he arrived and is only slowly improving now that he is leaving - go wonder! Thus and despite of solid numbers, the elusive Bull Shark wallpaper shot has remained just that - the good news being that he'll have to come back and try again!

Moce mada mate - safe travels!

Bimini - Ya like Sardines?

Granma and Rusi, by MPO.

Hah!

And they dare call those Bull Sharks?

Check on top - that's a Bull shark!

But granted, it's not their fault.

From everything I hear, the Caribbean Bulls just happen to be the smallest of the three genetic strains, with ours likely to be the biggest - and despite of their diminutive size, they're nice and chubby and in your face!

So, go check out the Bimini Bull Run.

And after that, you can always come and upgrade your experience here in Fiji - literally!

Enjoy!

In between Blog Posts!

Click for detail!

This is Naughtylus.

Like Granma, she's currently at it and covered in bites - and consequently, slightly irascible which translates into interesting encounters!

From today's dive.

60+ Bulls - and this is only the start of the season!

So, what are you waiting for!

Naughty File!

Sasha has posted the Naughty File, so there!

Thankfully, it has been posted in its correct aspect ratio, thus sparing me more comments about "fat Sharks" and the like - after all, they're big and healthy enough as it is!

When it comes to all that bumping and grinding, the jury is still out on what it could mean.
It may just be the signature of the camcorder scrambling the Sharks' sensory system. But it may also be an attempt to assert dominance. Most powerfully armed animals resolve their conflicts via highly ritualized fights and employ their weaponry only at the very last resort.

Have you ever "stared away" a Shark?
I've found that to be a highly effective tool and in most of the cases, the animals will veer away as soon as eye contact has been established. Sometimes, however, they will react by making a direct beeline for the camera, especially in the case of some specific, very large and thus likely dominant females as Granma, Crook and Bum.
With that in mind, in Bull Sharks (and other Sharks, too), the escalation in asserting dominance could be as follows: Size - Staring - "Beeline" and "Giving Way" - Bumping - Biting. Yes I know, it's once again only a Hypothesis - but we're working on it.....

Keep in mind that I'm generally out there in the very center of the fray and that I could be regarded as just another big something that is equally interested in the food and thus needs to be put in its place - just like in that take at 0.32 where Kinky bites away Whitetail the Lemon Shark, a rare case of documented interspecific aggression..

As to Scarface, our biggest Tiger (4.5 meters - and growing...) , that's another story altogether - yet maybe it is not.
Doug Perrine took this picture on the very day when Scarface and I met for the first time. What ensued is the final take on the file. The way I see it, she had just taken a fish head from a feeder and upon seeing another person "offering" something dark, she came in and had a nibble. Ever since, she regularly glides in and has a real good look and sniff at both yours truly and the housing, but she has never even opened her mouth again. What you perceive as "bumps" is actually me pushing her away whenever I get the feeling that she lingers for too long, just in case she makes up her mind and decides to do something more radical.
Is there "something going on"? I'm convinced there is, some sort of a "squaring off" which however is limited to both of us resorting to a lot of mutual staring. Very intense for sure, as Tiger Shark eyes sure are something completely different from the reptilian glances I get from most other Carcharhinid Sharks.
Very personally rewarding, too.

Anyway, I just wanted to put things into perspective. As the title implies, this is not our normal fare, nor is it by any stretch of the imagination what our much-supervised and -protected clients are bound to personally experience.

Enjoy!

Shark Reef - The Running of the Bulls!

Bull Shark love - not for the fainthearted. Click for detail!

Brilliant brilliant brilliant!

Gareth is absolutely correct.

Even by our standards, yesterday's dive was nothing short of epic - especially considering the time of the year! The weather sucks and the viz was not perfect - but we did count a minimum of 40 Bulls, and many of the big mamas are already back in fast and furious action!

Having checked my video, I can discern Granma (our oldest) and Tiny Stumpy (still a juvenile) that look great and are obviously not partaking in the general partouze. Nick, Pointer, Colombiana, Chica, Tip, Ms Jaws, Funnygirl, Moana, Brenda, Bum and Tail on the other hand are busy partying, frankly look like shit and are ravenous - much like Nica that contrary to Blunt who left early, came back first and has been bulking up nicely, is still looking gaunt after having given birth. And check out poor old skinny Monica who has obviously managed to pick up some skin infection whilst in the river!

And the males?

They are busy trying to knock up anybody they can get their teeth, and obviously, other parts in - and  as long as the ocean is carrying those irresistible female pheromones, it is quite obvious that they are totally impervious to the attraction of bait, juicy as it may be! In fact, many years of experience teaches us that the mating season won't be over til we get to see Whitenose, the biggest Casanova of them all!

All in all, simply fascinating stuff.

So, what are you waiting for!

The Sharks of Shark Reef!

Our forever unforgotten Rusi with probably Bum or possibly Crook.

 

Behold!

 

 

Obviously the quality is what it is.

But that was in 2007 when most of us were still filming in DV, and when the editing suites didn't quite have all of today's bells and whistles. Plus this is from a DVD we used to sell that had chapters and sub-chapters one could click on, hence the video's disruptive architecture.

 

And before you comment.

The generic Grey Reefie images are obviously not from here but from Tetamanu, much like the generic Blacktip Reefie footage. But then, you can witness Rusi's very first hand feed of a Blacktip, this after 4 years (!) of daily attempts - and once the first one took the bait, all others followed suit and have been hand feeding ever since!

Incidentally, Tootsie who back then was a total asshole continues to visit (!!!) but is now very much a polite elder statesman! 

Same-same for Whitenose who's the first-ever Shark I named back then in 2003 and who still pops by to say hello - much more politely and last time last week! And of the featured Bulls, we still see Long John, Stumpy, Bum, Crush, Crook and Granma, too - and there's even early footage of Valerie and Hook!

 

Or for you in the know.

Check out how much Whitetail has bulked up, and how even back then, she already mysteriously managed to always attract and surround herself with ever new cohorts of juvenile Golden Trevallies - something the other Lemons don't do, the more as having them constantly swim in front of your face must be a total pain! 

And yet, Whitetail continues to do it - maybe because she alone continues to visit some unknown aggregation of juvenile Golden Trevallies, maybe when she goes to give birth, maybe always in her own birthplace like her Atlantic cousins?

So many questions!

 

Or check out Adi who now is a giant but back then was merely a baby!

Anyway, enjoy.

We really cherish and are also really proud of what we've achieved over these many years - and now that the vaccine is looming and there's finally light at the end of the tunnel, we can't wait to see what the future will bring - and yes we got big plans! :)

So Sota tale - hopefully soon!

They're at it!

Click for detail!

It's that time of the year again.

The Bulls are running, and the action is hot hot hot!

The males are mostly staying away, probably staying deeper in the Beqa Passage where they are likely performing the dirty deed - but we've got plenty of really large females, many of which sport the characteristic fresh mating scars, see above.

Sighted so far: Granma, Tip, Monica, Naughtylus, Pecker, Hook, Lefty, Nick, Curly, Blunt, Nani, Fold, Crush, Valerie, Saddle plus Sharkbite who's obviously still too young - plus very emaciated, and thus revenous Topsail and Gape that have obviously just returned from the nursery and will thus only mate next year!

And for once, the weather is great!

So, what are you waiting for!

A Miracle, Culture Shock, Sex, Mayo, Midwest, Sailing and DEMA. And Jam!

First the Good News:

Manasa is making a miraculous comeback after a near-fatal Heart Seizure!

Expect Papa to be back on board shortly, where he will continue to entertain, frighten, amuse and intrigue you. As for being allowed to go back to his beloved Sharks, fingers crossed! Because that's where he belongs!

Our heartfelt thanks go to the Suva Private Hospital, Dr. Pawar and especially, Dr. Ian Linton who flew over from Oz to zap him back to life. And to all of you who were kind enough to send him your support and best wishes.
Vinaka Vakalevu, from the bottom of our hearts!

With Andrew over in Orlando for DEMA (Booth 2049 - and don't miss our brand-new spectacular edit at Gary Adkison's presentation!), the Staff are bravely manning the fort. The current Indians hail from frigid Moskow - talk about culture shock, both ways!
Будем!

When I rushed over at the beginning of October, I couldn't resist hopping in to check out who was still around.
The bulls were still plentiful but kind of standoffish and immagine my surprise to discover the first tell-tale cuts on Crook (click on image) and Granma who both turned up with male escorts!
According to our database, that would be at least one month early. After last year's mild El Nino, Fiji is experiencing a mild La Nina phenomenon and the water was warmer than expected. Are we maybe witnessing an early mating season? Does that mean that they'll be back early, too?
A Xmas running of the bulls?

In any event, we're ready.
Juerg is coming for a full three months in December to conduct an array of experiments and lectures; John Earle will do a new fish count; Gary and Brenda will host several film productions and generally be their usual combination of Wisdom, Chaos, Love, Testosterone and Midwestern Heritage - as in toasted Peanut Butter- Bacon- Lettuce- Mayo- Camembert sandwich with plenty of Ketchup! And Jam!

All-in-all, plenty of opportunities for everyone to learn heaps whilst having loads of fun! And for you image hunters out there: January and February are hot, I mean HOT, with heaps of action, warm water, often calm seas, sunshine and good viz. This is when the pros flock in to get the killer shots (and inevitably succeed).
Need I say more? Drop us a line and book your dive!

And last but not least: there's a feisty newcomer!
She hasn't hand fed yet but judging from the way she's been courting Rusi, it's only a matter of time until she joins the ranks of the regulars. We've named her Topsail, for obvious reasons.


Welcome to the Club young Lady!

Old news from Sept 2005

Bula from the folks at BAD!

September has been and gone and what a month it was. BAD was privileged to play host to Juerg Brunschweiller and his research team, Gary & Brenda Adkison and Ron & Valerie Taylor. Last month also saw the return of some familiar faces, Mike & Jo and the arrival of some new faces, Matt & Klaus.

In 2004, Juerg used state of the art pop-up satellite tags on 11 mature female bull sharks to learn more about their annual migration routes. This year was all about localised movements; with the use of listening stations and radio transmitters, Juerg is hoping to uncover the secrets to the bulls? daily movement patterns within the waters of Beqa Lagoon. Mother nature did not make it easy for us.

Torrential rain caused the Qaraniqio River to burst it?s banks, canceling a couple of day?s diving and ultimately creating some sub-optimal visibility. However, after the 2 weeks all the listening stations were positioned and ?Granma?, one of the larger female bulls, is now the proud host to a radio transmitter.

Hopefully we shall get some interesting data from her movements during the time before she headed off on her annual mating/birthing migration.The bull sharks have now departed from Shark Reef Marine Reserve; this now means that we are having more sightings of Silvertips. With all 3 of our named individuals, Madonna, Lady & Joker, already regulars at the site and 3 unnamed individuals already witnessed, it looks to be a good summer in SRMR. Ratu Rua, the resident Queensland Grouper is a common fixture as is Hamilton the Napolean Wrasse.Prior to the freak rains, we were experiencing 20-30m viz out on our soft coral sites in Beqa Lagoon. Some interesting finds this month were Frogfish and Stonefish on Rusi?s Pinnacle and Hawksbill Turtles at Carpet Cove.

A big congratulations goes out to Seema, Claire and Alan on completing their PADI Open Water Diver Course, may you have many years of happy diving ahead of you.

Finally to all those who came diving with us, the team at BAD say Vinaka Vakalevu and we hope to see again soon.

Andrew and the crew

The Sanctuary (that wasn't)!

Rusi and Granma - click for detail!

So here it is.

A short film commissioned to celebrate the incredible efforts of the Fijian people and their Government in creating the first ever Melanesian Shark Sanctuary which would have provided the most stringent and detailed protection for every Shark and Manta Ray in Fijian waters.
Unfortunately the decree did not pass and was rejected in July this year (2012)

"The Sanctuary" features interviews with leading shark experts, conservationists and the people who have dedicated their lives to understanding and protecting these magnificent animals every day.

We offer sincere thanks and the utmost respect to:

• Rick MacPherson
• Ron & Valerie Taylor
• Douglas Seifert
• Arthur Sokimi
• Cristina Zenato
• Manasa Bulivou
• Angelo O'Connor Villagomez
• Rusiate Balenagasau
• and let's not forget that tattooed dude whose name escapes me!

This film also features stunning underwater footage filmed on Shark Reef on the island of Viti Levu from the upcoming film "Of Shark and Man" which will be released in 2013.

• Underwater Footage: Mike Neumann, David Diley, Hugh Fairs
• Music: "Laserdisc" - Chris Zabriskie
• Edited by David Diley
• Produced by David Diley (Scarlet View Media) and the The Fiji Shark Conservation & Awareness Project

Story here.
Again, there is nothing to celebrate - but David has invested an inordinate amount of time into completing it, and some wonderful people have agreed to participate. Now, this has become a tribute to their passion and generosity, and a testament to David's dogged perseverance and remarkable talent.
Thank you so much!

Enjoy!