The VIP

Timbo all dressed up in Fijian regalia on his 60th birthday celebration.

Timbo was born 60 years ago in Minnesota - and the rest is legend.

He's currently in Fiji working on a new project of ours (keep watching this space - this is really cool!) and for days before his birthday, I had been teasing him about Scarface, our BADdest Tiger Shark lady.
Thing is, she has an uncanny knack for always turning up for our most important guests and I kept threatening that we would soon discover whether he was the real deal or just one of those countless posers.

We're in the middle of our sharkiest season and the Bull Shark action is simply breathtaking - but at the same time, this is the time of the year where historically, chances for Tiger sightings have been lowest, as they are widely believed to be moving to the river mouths in order to profit from the frequent floods during the wet season. This being an El Niño year, rainfall has however been dismal so chances were not completely nil.

And guess what: against all odds, Timbo is now confirmed Shark Reef royalty!
She only turned up for a brief visit during the second dive, took a single tuna head and got the hell outta there - but what a sight and what a spectacular confirmation of Timbo's status!

This is a lo-res quick edit of one of Timbo's pics of Scarface.

As to why she's so uncharacteristically shy, opinions vary.
It may be the assertive presence of dozens of hungry Bull Sharks - but I fear that this may well be the direct result of the shenanigans by other people who continue to try and grab, ride and poke her, be it out of misguided love, bravado or outright fear.
A great shame - and at least to us, a clear confirmation of our policy that prohibits any such contacts, well meaning as they may be.

But I'm digressing as usual.
Happy birthday Timbo my friend!