SDM Trip to Fiji!

Pic: Andrej Narchuk

Looks like Eli has been busy!

First, I discover a completely re-vamped website for SDM.

And whilst rummaging through the pages, I find a new trip report about his recent Fiji caper and then, the announcement for this special trip to come and dive with us next year!

In terms of timing, May/June is the best of the best.

It combines peak numbers of Bull Sharks with excellent diving conditions as in plenty of sunshine and good viz. - at least in theory, although thanks to the vagaries of ENSO and quite possibly also anthropogenic climate change, this year has been rather horrible throughout!

That said, it looks like we may be at the start of a weak El Niño that may well lead to slightly dryer conditions for the first months of 2013 - and after that, I'm rather confident that conditions will at least be "normal", meaning rather stellar!

Anyway, I'm digressing as usual.

Please do consider joining Eli's trip and if so, do book early as space will be limited! Thanks to Eli, you will enjoy true VIP service - but just to avoid any misunderstandings, do take the time to fist familiarize yourself with our Shark diving pages and specifically, with our protocols and the rules for image hunters that will apply regardless of the very special status of your group. 

I'm sure you understand! :)

See you in 2013!

An Isa Lei for Eli!

Eli & the Bad Boyz!

Isa Lei is the Fijian song of sad farewell.
Enjoy!

Eli - Video Blog from Fiji!

Eli and a whole lotta BADness!

Very nice, thank you buddy!
We all really enjoyed having you here, and the conversations have been nothing short of epic! :)



Having said that, check this out!
Need I say more - and it has been like this since Sunday!

Eli!

Shark people!

Did I just hear a collective gasp?

Yes, el hombre is right here, right now!
From what I can see, he's having a blast - and so are we!
This is part of a larger project which I'm not at liberty to divulge - but in due course, the following shall be revealed

• is Eli wearing his signature baseball cap when diving in the SRMR?
• is he feeding our Sharks?
• have the Sharks started to cork screw?

Questions questions!
Keep watching this space as the drama unfolds!

Epic Scoop!

From Eli's blog, March 9!

I am pretty excited about a last minute story I was able to include in this issue, which is a story about a longfin mako encounter!
Yes thats right, you heard me, the elusive and hard to find dream shark has finally been photographed. And the crazy thing is that this was a natural encounter, not a chummed experience, which makes the encounter ever sweeter. My excitement is being able to publish these images which are the first ever of a free swimming longfin in the world. It just does not get any better than that, except a free swimming megamouth shark coming in to say hello???

"Pretty" excited???
Hombre, u just got yer hands on the holy grail of all Sharky holy grails, the mysterious, never photographed and never filmed cousin of the Great White Shark - and totally unexpected and in totally un-baited conditions!
How cool is that!

I've seen one picture and it is just AMAZING!
So, if you are a Shark aficionado, you just MUST get yerself a copy of the new Shark Diver Magazine - seriously, politics or no politics!
Just do it, OK?

Eli: well said!

Back to the positive news.

I'm frankly stoked!
A post by Underwater Thrills leads me to a stunning post by Eli Martinez, publisher of Shark Diver Magazine, he of the baseball cap put on in reverse. It's titled April 27, 2010 and the way that blog is set up, you'll have to scroll down and search for it as time goes by.
Please go and read it.

As of late, I have not been kind to Eli.
In essence, I do not like his advocacy of what some call extreme Shark diving and the ensuing consequences, i.e. what I consider to be dangerous Shark diving procedures and hopelessly failed Shark media and messaging.
What I however, and maybe contrary to others never questioned was his passion and his love for the animals - I just thought that much of his actions were, for lack of a better term, pretty darn stupid!

As an aside - and granted, this may not really be the place to re-hash it all: as a conservationist and especially, as a Shark diving operator, I take equal exception with both the thrill seekers and the huggers within the Shark diving movement.
Funny how both extremes then end up doing the exact same thing: to pet, ride and otherwise harass the animals and to endanger themselves, the industry and the movement in the process!

Anyway, back to Eli and I must say that this time, I'm impressed.
In essence, his post touches on the following

• The need to curtail frivolous science, squandering of resources and duplication
• The need to work together and to share one's insights
• The need to set up MPAs
• The need to provide for adequate enforcement (read this)
  
• The need for sponsoring scientific research to provide the decision makers with the appropriate data
  
• The benefits of Eco-Tourism
  

Sound familiar?
Anyway, awesome!

Now of course words are cheap and need to be translated into action.
But from what I can see, the man usually follows up on his decisions, so chances look good.

Eli, best of luck in your endeavors!

Interactive

This is a difficult post for me to write, really!

Please believe me if I tell you that is in no way meant to be a personal attack.

Guys, I love you to death and have generally nothing but Admiration, Respect and Gratitude for what you're doing for the Cause.
Your Magazine is iconic. Your posts and initiatives are often the very best that Shark Conservation has to offer in terms of vision, outreach and efficiency.

I'm also certainly well aware of your profound love and fascination of Sharks. I realize that you mean no harm and just want to have some good old-fashioned fun with the animals you love. You may even think that you're dispelling the myth of the killer beast and in some regard, you indeed are. Iconic images like this one are certainly a wonderful vehicle for spreading the Message.

Alas, this has gone public.
There is a trip report and the following has been posted on YouTube.



I've said it before, big predatory Sharks are never, ever pets, ever!
You can also rest assured that they do not appreciate being manhandled, whatever the intention. That's mammalian stuff, good for stoking your own Ego but bearing no relation whatsoever to what they are. All you can possibly achieve is to trigger some unforeseen reaction, very possibly aggressive. What I see are fluttering nictating membranes and increased swimming speed, hardly an indication for a relaxed ambiance. What I unfortunately do not see is a controlled situation.

In the softest possible way: please, these are Apex Predators and need to be treated with Respect! Being who you are, you must lead by example!

Really, what's the upside?
If God forbid, anything happened, it would send Shark Conservation right back to the Stone Age, especially if something did happen to people as prominent as you! Remember Ritter and his stupid antics? Remember the reaction?
Don't you see how those guys out there would be positively gloating?

Is that really what you want?

Great Set!

Whilst busily munching on my fair share of humble pie for my repeated failure to mention Terry Goss as the author of, among many others, some of the most amazing images from Shark Reef, I've literally stumbled across a new set of his pictures that were used to illustrate a feature in Shark Diver Magazine's issue number 17.
This one was used to illustrate the Magazine's online description of our main attraction, the Bull Sharks.

I haven't seen the article and just hope Bill Fisher has been kind to us.

Anyway, great pix as always!

Enjoy!