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!

 

Grenzenlos - Video!

Toothy Bull by Ozzie Sam-  click for detail!

 

Behold!

 

This was filmed just before the pandemic hit.

I happened to be away, and it never made it to the blog - so there, as a memento of much happier times.

 

Enjoy!

 

 

 

Shark Reef - Video!

BRAT, way back then when life was easy.

 

Behold!

 

The virus is on the loose.

Government is doing a truly fabulous job in containment and contact tracing - but as we all must play our part, we've all decided to home isolate, meaning that I've had plenty of extra time on my hands. 

 

So there.

Filmed in 4K and down-sampled to ProRes 1080 due to my measly upload speed of 242 kbps  - and it still took me nearly five full days to post!

 

Oh and.

There's a reason why ours has been called The Best Shark Dive in the World - and this is why. 

The dive keeps on changing, and we keep on learning and adapting, too - but after literally thousands of dives I for one continue to find it as mesmerizing as on day one!

Watch in 1080 - enjoy!

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!

Playing with Sharks!

Source - and here - and here - click for detail!

 

Hah - watch this.

And here she is on Shark Reef in all her glorious pinkness, a couple of days later - watch in 1080 and full screen.

Of course she did stand out like a sore thumb. 

And of course she did catch the attention of our big, bold and very dominant Shark Icon Tip. Talk about being given a haircut - and then watch how her nephew Jono barely avoided smacking her with his heavy video housing on top of it! 

But of course Valerie would have it no other way!

Anyway, it has been loads of fun.

Valerie, and Ron have been our best friends literally forever, and every visit is always a great joy and an honor, too - and having been chosen to be featured in her movie, doubly so.

And now the whole big shebang has been completed - and apparently it is great, to the point that is has been selected to screen at the prestigious Sundance Festival. Considering the mess in the USA, I expect the event to be largely virtual, and that one will be able to watch the movie online, possibly even outside of the US - so there.

And if not, make sure you don't miss it.

Valerie is one of the true diving Legends, and then some - and what makes this movie so unique is that much of her adventurous, passionate and fascinating life has actually happened on camera. And now the public will be able to actually witness it, which could not have come soon enough - especially when compared to the exploits of today's forgettable self promoting Shark charlatans and media whores!

So thank you to Producer Bettina and Director Sally - this is really very much appreciated.

But I'm digressing as always.

Enjoy Valerie's movie!

Running of the Bulls!

Happier times.. - click for detail. Source. 

Behold!
 

This is just great

Last November and after a much too long hiatus, we had the great pleasure of hosting our deep diving, dear friends from Hawaii.
Year end is when the Bulls are terminally pregnant, and you can discern several such individuals like Gape and Tip. And there is also Hillary who still carried a tag from 2018 and will undoubtedly deliver a simply epic data set!
Everybody was toting a camera, and Brian has put together a masterful edit of their footage.
 

In loving memory of Josh Copus.

GTs vs Sharksuckers - Paper!

 

Remember this post?

 

That was not the only observation by far.

This never before described novel hunting technique probably started as an attempt by a single innovative Giant Trevally, only to be quickly adopted by the the whole gang of miscreants. At its apex in late 2011, the 15m Take-out had become a veritable gauntlet, with dozens of GTs targeting the Sharksuckers whenever a Bull would come in for a feed. The Trevallies would wait in front of the feeder and then follow the Shark throughout the feeding area, only to then return to the starting point in order to intercept the next approaching Bull.

Of interest, not all caught Sharksuckers would perish as some would manage to latch on to the attacker,  only to then jump back onto a passing Bull Shark - click on the the pic at the top.

 

It however all ended at year end.

When the Bulls get ready for pupping and mating and are less interested in our bait, we relocate the feed to 25m where the topography is completely different and the trajectory of the feeding Bulls is much less predictable. And then most of the Bulls leave for 4-5 weeks, and the few who remain feed way less, thus further greatly reducing the predation opportunities of the GTs.

Whether it was the above and the Trevallies lost interest, or whether the individual Sharksucker-hunting GTs moved away or were fished: the fact is that we've never witnessed that behavior again.

But we had plenty of footage.

Here's a quick-&-dirty little iMovie edit of some memorable moments. Yeah I know the slo-mo kinda sucks - but you get the gist and I promise that I'll post something better later on.

And now Juerg has also written the paper - finally!

On top of the above story, it also describes other really interesting observations of Sharksuckers at Shark Reef and other Shark provisioning sites in Fiji.

Press release here, additional clips here.

Enjoy Juerg's paper!  

Tashi Blue about Diving with Sharks!

Tashi and her babies - click for detail!

 

Great stuff!

 

This has happened today.

Our friends at Saving our Sharks are hosting a series of video talks with Shark diving operators, and BAD has somehow managed to be the first of the lineup. I am obviously biased, but I believe that Tashi Blue has done a fabulous job in representing us but above all, her epic My Fiji Shark project.

But you be the judge of that.

Without any further ado - enjoy!

And the gorditas?

They sure are cute and cuddly, but... :)

Fiji - The Road to Happiness!

Behold!

We are featured at 41:15ff.

I must say that despite of my initial skepticism, Augusto has ended up delivering. Yes purists will notice some cultural slips, and his depiction of the Fiji Shark Dive is a bit over the top - but he certainly means well and ultimately, that's all that really counts.

And we can officially attest that he's no chicken, either! :)

So there - enjoy!

 

COVID 19: We are Shark Diving!

Happier days - great pic by Allen. Click for detail!
 

We are being asked, so there.

Fiji has its first three confirmed coronavirus cases.

The first is a flight attendant and the others are his mother and nephew, and they are in isolation. The other members of the family have been tested and they've all come back negative but remain isolated. Lautoka where they reside is on lock-down, and the police and military are monitoring that nobody comes out or goes in. So far, there are also no news about any colleagues, passengers or other contacts having been infected which is great. But they too will need to get in contact and self quarantine as a minimum - c'mon people!

There has been a tiny bit of panic shopping and price gouging, and some total morons have posted misleading and inflammatory comments, but the police has quickly put an end to all those shenanigans. 

And all flights by Fiji Airways have been suspended - likely now including any flights to Singapore that is now closed as well.

But I must really say that considering, that's a small price to pay.

When I read stuff like this, and that the beaches in Florida and Australia have remained open = and now those retards will go home and kill their families and neighbors, I'm happy that none of those folks are being allowed to come here and infect us, too.

And I must really say that Fiji's government is doing an admirable job both in containment and disseminating timely information - and hopefully, this Thursday's emergency budget will also include some mitigation for the many, many people especially in the tourism industry that are being let go and are losing their livelihoods. Fiji can surely not do that alone (= that would be our Finance Minister speaking) - but I'm hopeful that the usual development partners from World Bank to ADB to EU, Australia and NZ etc will lend a helping hand.

Of course our business has dropped to zero.

Fortunately, Andrew is doing a fantastic job in managing the dive shop and consequently, we have some small reserves and are able to retain all our wonderful staff and even assure them a minimum income for the next months to come.

And we are continuing to dive!

Andrew will schedule a dedicated coral dive for two paying customers, and a Shark dive for four - so please, if you are in Fiji feel free to drop him a line or call 345 0911 as he may even extend a nice little discount to locals = citizens and residents! And just to be perfectly clear, no, right now there will be none of the usual freebies, sorry!

And should everything fail, we will run a weekly Shark dive even without clients, this in order to monitor and keep the Sharks happy and also safe - and also, to record any changes which will eventually result in a nice little scientific note! 

And Tashi Blue continues to curate My Fiji Shark.

This is not the time for complacency as I believe that as Government resources are being diverted elsewhere, compliance with Fish management measures will decrease, and our marine stocks will be under increased attack as a consequence. With that in mind, any assistance is highly welcome, the more as we will most definitely have to step up and invest scarce resources in running patrols to defend Fiji's first National Marine Park.

So, what are you waiting for - thank you!

Obviously this is all until further notice.

Over here, everything is being done communally and with that in mind, social distancing is simply not going to work, period. Yes I know that many are preaching the right things, and that local gatherings have been banned, and that the schools have been closed etc etc - but ultimately it is a deep-rooted cultural thing, and it will not fundamentally change.

But so far, it really looks like the excellent response of Government has managed to contain the spread of the virus - and there are other measures like local lock-downs, road blocks and curfews that may prevent the worst. 

So Bravo, a huge Vinaka Vakalevu and fingers crossed!

And if  things change?

It will be bloody tough - but we will adapt and prevail!

 

And finally

Please, STAHP believing and even worse, repeating what you read on those idiotic social media but instead, get your information here (FB here)! Seriously, this is not the time for politics, backstabbing and silly jokes: we will only survive if we all hold hands!
And that also applies to any comments to this post. Please!

Anyway.

Let's go Shark diving!

To be continued no doubt!

 

Bumphead!

Click for detail!

Once again I'm mighty relieved.
As always, this is for you El Diego!

Heinous Robbery - Video!

Watch - story here!
And would that scene at 2:15 qualify as a true Shark selfie?

The perpetrator is a pesky and so far unnamed little guy.
Suggestions welcome - or better yet, officially name him yourself once we identify good permanent markers and Tashi puts him up for naming!

Anyway, it was epic.
Bravo, and a huge Vinaka Vakalevu to Silio for having retrieved the rig - and a big tip o' the hat to  Tovatec for their venerable but utterly phenomenal Galaxy 2500s that survived the ordeal completely unscathed! 

Enjoy!
 

Fiji Airways Trailer!

Hunter and Predator at he SRMR - click for amazing detail!

Watch.

Yup that would be our boats.

More details to follow as this hopefully develops into a finished product.
 

Or not - as always, we shall see!

Anyway, enjoy!

Per i nostri Amici Italiani!

Ciao!

C'è Sergio ed è proprio bravissimo!
Complimenti!
 

Fiji Shark Dive with B.A.D!

Amazing weather - click for detail!

Well well.

No we are definitely not on Beqa (?) nor in the Lagoon.

But this is typical for what our clients can experience - and this very much inclusive of the friendliness and outright exuberance of our unequaled staff!

Enjoy!

Haitourismus und Wissenschaft!

Für undere deutschsprachigen Freunde!

Danke Tom!

Dieses ist mal wieder saubere Arbeit: interessant, informativ, schön bebildert und vor allem wissenschaflich korrekt! 

Viel Spass beim lesen!

 

What Shark is this??

Notice the caudal peduncle - click for detail!

Behold!

This is from the second 15m dive at Shark Reef a few days ago. 

For once I was not diving, and the footage is courtesy of Martin who is here for his yearly Bull Shark fix. I'm being told that the Shark was curious and circled above - but with a gaggle of Bulls dominating the feed, she remained wary and never tried to join the mêlée. 

At a reported 3 meters in length, this is a big Shark.

When they first told me, they stated that she was an emaciated, sickly Bull Shark - but from the video I can instead discern that despite of the tumor and the buckled first dorsal, she is in rather good shape. I also notice the elegant sinuous way she moves, and the keel-like bulge on her caudal peduncle, both of which are not at all diagnostic of Bull Sharks, sickly or otherwise.

So what is this?

Years ago there was another mystery Shark with a similar shape of the caudal peduncle. Back then, somebody stated that it was a Dusky - but that's a Shark living off continental shelves and we are obviously on an island, so today I'm rather skeptical.

I got my thoughts but would love to hear yours.

Opinions welcome - here on the blog and not on Facebook please!

Thank you!

PS! - May, 2022: having now sadly witnessed several moribund bull sharks, I can state with absolute certainty that this is one of those - likely Lumpy who had a large tumor and was getting ever more emaciated last time I saw her. Those Bulls are real badasses and will fight, and even compete for food til the very end.

15 Years of BAD Videos - Coming of Age!

And here we are!

Needless to say that we're mighty proud - and after much trial-and error, it also looks like we might be finally doing something right! :)

Anyway, notable more recent clips include:

Howard and Michele!



Fiji's first National Marine Park!

Happy, and very funny clients - and the FOOTAGE IS 100% REAL! :)

Philippe!



Jason!



Juerg and Kerstin!





16:55ff: Tashi Blue and My Fiji Shark!

Lemme tell'ya, it has been quite the adventure!

And although the job is by no means done, we're certainly getting there, baby step by baby step, with BIG NEWS looming in the not-too-distant future!

To be continued!

And THAT's a promise!

15 Years of BAD Videos - Getting There!

Happy days.

And the saga continues.

Among many, many short and long film productions:

Behold the Fiji Shark Sanctuary that wasn't.

And lest anyone forgets: thank you Julie Andersen and her disastrous Operation Requiem for sabotaging years of hard work!

 

Shark Free Marinas in Fiji!



My favorite trailer for David's Of Shark and Man, filmed in 2011.




Hello Projects Abroad!



Jero and Ana of Pelagic Life in Fiji!



Shark Reef video!



Goodbye my friend and hero, Ron Taylor.



RIP my friend and buddy, Rusi.



To be continued!

15 Years of BAD Videos - Growing up!

Our Viking BAD girl Lill dove with us for most of 2009 and provided us with a steady stream of great pictures - this is Chopper.

Welcome back! :)

So here are some videos from our middle years.

I had just come back from a rather traumatic multi-year hiatus in Tonga, things were challenging with first a coup d'état and then a constitutional crisis in Fiji, and a recession globally; and then to top it off our land lord went bust and we were temporarily shut down - and thank you Frank for personally saving our ass with a strategically placed phone call!

And yet we did progress in leaps and bounds, did really crank up the scientific work and also greatly refined our protocols.

And then there was the International Year of the Shark!

We coordinated the only nation-wide roll-out of this initiative and produced Fiji's first Shark PSA, to wit.

This is a nice little program we did with local Mai TV.









The following two productions are incidentally both by Basque visitors.





And finally, more goodies by Mai TV, this time about our early work in the river nurseries.





To be continued!