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!

Mortal Enemies!

That would be us Divers - and Sharks! On 2:55! It started out like this, on a small beach in the French Riviera. The year is 1942. And then came 1956 and the epic "Le monde du Silence" that won both the Palme d'Or in Cannes and an Academy Award, One unforgettable episode features an accident (was it?) with a whale calf and a subsequent encounter with Oceanic Whitetips. I found it on YouTube but unfortunately, the embedding has been disabled and you will have to watch it here. Chances are that you will not like what you see. "Avenge the Whale"??? That was rammed, speared and shot? And a research vessel with a harpoon on board? Indeed: French accent and all, it's the Calypso of Jacques-Yves Cousteau! But that was 1956 and things have thankfully changed. Or have they?

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

Jillian, Thank You!

Jillian and Duncan - lovely people!

Wow what can I say.

I'm quite frankly a little embarrassed.
Jillian has posted her impressions of the Fiji Shark Dive, and it's a great piece, written straight from the heart.

It's always a difficult one when one is being praised.
But where I totally agree is with her description of Rusi. He really does have some sort of magic connection to the animals - with the possible exception of Cristina who I have talked to but never dived with, probably uniquely so.
Other people in that category who don't regularly interact with Sharks but who have a connection and above all, understand: of course Valerie who will become personal friends with anybody down there, then the incomparable Mario Arroyo of Cocos fame, possibly Yves.
Period - at least when it comes to who I know.

Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you, I am quite touched.

Cousteau et la Dynamite!

Eh oui.
This, too, is Jacques-Yves Cousteau.

This is Le Monde du Silence, 1956.
Bizarre and sometimes shocking - different times indeed.



H/T: Mr. P!