Seaspiracy?

So sorry!

I hate to interrupt Tashi Blue's lovely positive messaging - but this just has to be.

 

Yes I've finally watched that smug garbage.

Fatally reminds me of similar Sea-Shepherd-fueled production by yet another spoiled, entitled and uninformed white dude a while ago - and I can certainly leave it at that. 

It's nothing but a vegan propaganda con job for and quite possibly, by Sea Shepherd, too - and like a Trump campaign speech, it's so full of bullshit and outright lies that I really cannot be bothered to properly fact check it.

 

But others are trying.

So if you want to be more than a credulous sucker and get some, gasp, actual facts, I strongly recommend that you inform yourself here, here and here - and don't forget to click on the links!

 

Yes the above is obviously all very Hilborn.

I've now been a marine conservationist for many years and have started out as a utopian and very vociferous activist, albeit maybe a bit less extremely so than some others - but this is the real world and not a utopia, and as I've taken the time to learn about those tedious actual facts, I've come to realize that matters are actually complicated, and that the solutions need to be much more nuanced, much more species and location-specific and sometimes, much more innovative, too.

For you in the know, nowadays, my choice between the two ideological extremes of Hilborn and Pauly clearly gravitates towards the former - and this very much including my thoughts about Sharks! 

 

And when pondering where we want our food to come from, I for one will always advocate extracting food from a natural and largely undisturbed habitat over destroying whole ecosystems in favor of agriculture.

But that extraction will obviously need to be sustainable - and therein lays the crux!

 

Not convinced?

Just look at this shocking image - and the same applies to food crops, too!

 

Source.

So, is everything in fishing OK?

Obviously NOT, or there would be no need for people like me! 

But it is by far not as bad as depicted, at least not globally - and the big bad industrial fishing complex is most certainly not the only culprit  either! 

So by all means, if you feel the need to become active, first inform yourself and then, don't reinvent the wheel but go and support those many organizations that are actually tackling the issues that rile you the most - and trust me, contrary to what is being suggested, they do exist, and many do an excellent job! 

Sea Shepherd, too - but not always and not everywhere = hint: the louder and more strident the propaganda, the weaker the actual performance - so don't be a sucker and do your due diligence before parting with your precious conservation dollars or engaging in extremist vegan volunteering!

And never, ever forget  this = as a minimum, VOTE!!!!!!

 

Wanna stop eating fish?

Because you're white, entitled, live in the Northern hemisphere and can amply afford to do so? By all means, knock yourself out - and enjoy enjoy enjoy the organic kale! 

But, please, stahp lecturing the others who are not and can not - OK?

Anyway.

I'm already giving it way too much attention.

Like they say over there, à la poubelle! - and the same applies to all those insufferable idiots, charlatans and pleurnicheurs who praise that shit from their perches atop Mount Stupid, or who promote it because they are ultimately trying to sucker you into giving them your money.

BTW it's always the same folks - so stop listening, let alone admiring them!

Let's go Shark diving - sustainably!

 

Comments policy: please leave your comments here and not on FB. 

Please be aware that this is  not a public chatroom, and that comments we don't like will  be deleted.

Our blog our rules! :)

 

PS - well, this is embarrassing.

I must confess that I was pretty proud of my comparison at the top - and now I discover this.

I could regale you with some smart bonmot about great minds and the like - but I won't. Guess that after 5 years of that daily verbal diarrhea, the comparison must have been all-but-inevitable.

Anyway, enjoy enjoy enjoy the organic kale - Thumper and Bambi, and millions upon millions hectares of irrevocably obliterated terrestrial habitats included! :) .

 

PPS - more of those irritating and tedious actual facts here!

So, don't be a sucker!

 

PPPS - WOW WOW WOW!!!

Pauly here, Hilborn here - never would I have thought that those two guys would agree on anything, ever!

Fuvahmulah - Barbarians at the Gate!

Plenty of Tigers guaranteed!

 

Check this out.

Great huh.

I've been there a couple of years ago and can assure you that it is really like that, and even better, to the point that I've been trying to go back there ever since.

Many ages ago I landed myself a nifty little job as leader of exploratory dive expeditions and check-out diver for new dive destinations that led me to explore some of the remotest, most memorable and sometimes scariest dive sites long before the advent of organized mass tourism - and Fuvahmulah still conveys that rare feeling of exploring new frontiers where every dive is still an adventure harboring the possibility of unique and unexpected encounters - see e.g the other videos on this page.

And at a time where diving has been largely commodified that's just simply awesome.

 

Even Fuvahmulah itself is totally unique.

Dubbed The Galapagos of the Maldives, it sits all by itself, completely exposed to wind and offshore currents in deep oceanic water and thus acts as a beacon and pit stop for large ocean wanderers. It is also not your archetypical Maldivian tourism island that only sports a single sprawling hotel installation on a atoll motu, but is instead fully inhabited and merely features a few charming small family-owned guest houses along with a few modest eateries - but that too only adds to its charm.

The people to go with are these folks, hands down.

I had heard about the place from clients who mentioned a crazy Russian and her partner - but Tatiana and Panda are everything but. And this is me saying it so you better believe it!

Instead, these are smart, extremely knowledgeable, responsible and highly experienced people running a highly professional dive operation together with a great team of super motivated locals, and diving with them is both great fun but also super safe.

And lemme tell 'ya: the latter could not be more important.

The simply fabulous Thresher Shark dives are (drift) diving for grown ups in oceanic conditions and often substantial depth and challenging surge and currents, followed by open water decompression and live pickup - so you better have guides who know exactly what they are doing. And they most certainly do!

And when it comes to the world famous baited Tiger Zoo dives that often feature dozens of large Tigers, following the correct protocols is everything - and these guys sure have it down pat. And yes this would again be me saying it, the more as they've shown me the protocols that are spot on and exhaustive, including the all-important evacuation procedures and first aid training!

Which brings me straight to the title of this post.

It's much like what happened in Playa where Chino did all the pioneering work, only to have a hoard of moochers fly in and piss on his parade, or Bimini where everybody rushed in and as a minimum spoiled years of research by the Sharklab. 

Now that Tatiana and Panda have done all the heavy lifting and pretty much single-handedly put it on the tourism map, Fuvahmulah is being overrun by dozens of local copycats and wannabee Shark whisperers with little more to their credit than a GoPro, an Instagram account, an opinion and a mouth.

 

And like last year in Playa, this can only end up in tears - especially at the Tiger Zoo which in the high season is already operating at the very limit of sustainability. When I see those arrogant idiots and their clients wanting to change those excellent procedures and even institute free diving, in baited conditions and at the entrance of the island's only harbor with scores of vessels zipping around overhead I can only shake my head in disbelief - but then again, this is so pathetically same old same old isn't it.

Rule number one: never, ever let the inmates run the asylum!

So folks, don't be fooled by the images and the hype.

Especially in Shark diving, there really is no substitute for experience, professionalism and quality - and being a local, and giving stupid discounts, and showing you nice pictures and video, and spinning some nice eco-BS are all no substitutes for that. Not in Fuvahmulah, not in Playa and also not here in Fiji where we too continue to hate on each other but at least have our own dive sites.

Incidentally, Playa has improved dramatically.

The pandemic has weeded out the worst assholes, and most others have finally discovered the virtues of cooperation, leading to a solid season with acceptable Bull Shark numbers (thanks Chino for the baiting!) and somewhat reasonable revenues for everybody.  

And yes, Bimini has become much more orderly too.

When it comes to Fuvahmulah, it'll take a while.

Assuming the safari boats come rushing in as usual, the high season will likely be a bloody clusterfuck, after which business volumes will dry up and many of those folks will thankfully go bust and hopefully wander off in search of greener pastures.

But it aint gonna be pretty.

So, again, be smart and go with the best - seriously!

And should you be on a safari boat, do insist that they do, too, instead of trying to do it on the cheap with some local pal, the more as the victim of that fiasco would be you!

Just sayin'!

Enjoy - because you most certainly will!

PS - Oh FFS.

 

I've barely posted this, and here they come - and it's even worse than I feared.

The inmates have already taken over and are free diving at the Tiger Zoo, and developing some inane pelagic Tiger Shark dive, obviously baited like their illegal dive in Hawaii. And they are obviously empowering women and helping the poor locals and fighting marine pollution - something that has already been done by others for years, and this without it being used for self-aggrandizement! 

And of course it's all about Shark conservation - in a Shark sanctuary! 

 

And talking about eco clap trap

for generations we have recycled the fish scraps into the sea to fertilize the fisheries 

Seriously? 

Literally all fishermen who clean their catch throw the scraps into the ocean, and this everywhere!

Recycle and fertilize my ass!

Lord have mercy...

 

And we're back to square one. 

Like a wise man said years ago - incidentally about the very same folks

It stopped actually being "about sharks" a long time ago. 
It's about the individual and what the sharks as a vehicle to notoriety can do for them

And I can most certainly leave it at that.

 

Comments policy: please leave your comments here and not on FB. 

Please be aware that this is  not a public chatroom, and that comments we don't like will  be deleted.

Our blog our rules! :)

 

Yasa - Incoming!

Source - click for detail!

This is gonna be really bad.

The track has indeed completely changed, and although we're not likely to feel the full brunt of the wind, we're still going to be much more at risk.

You can follow the bloody fiasco in near real time here.

See you on the other side!

 

PS - we are a bit rattled but fine. 

Thank you so much for your support!

TC Yasa!

Click for detail!

Bingo. 

TC Yasa is now a reality.

Sadly, it also looks like it is highly likely that starting on Thursday, it will very badly affect the Yasawas, Nadi & Lautoka and then Vatulele and Kadavu - see the forecasts here and here.

See at bottom!

 

So far, it looks like we down here will fare better.

But who knows as those tracks are fickle at best - plus, we will certainly experience some mighty gales and heaps of rain.

So there you have it.

And in case you're still wondering: you need to start prepping right now.

Seriously, chop chop!

 

Good luck everybody! 

PS - and this?

 

Source - click for detail!

 

Believe it or not, but we're currently sandwiched between two cyclones: TC Yasa, currently a Cat2 and TC Zazu, a Cat1 that is lingering close to Vava'u!

 

What a fiasco - bloody Climate Change anybody?

PPS - NaDraki here and here, FMS, Windy here etc = the track has changed dramatically = not good at all!

Shark Attack Horror?

 

Really - have you seen this shit?

 

Andrew is obviously totally correct, the comments are total rubbish.

He was cornered by an eager "reporter" and like we always do lest there be any misunderstandings, asked that any questions be sent to him by email.

Alas, that obviously never happened.

So there, let me try to put things into context.

• First and foremost, Mark is apparently going to recover OK.
  He's a real nice kid and we wish him the best of luck and a speedy recovery.
  
  
• He was however not merely free diving, he was spearfishing.
  As shown in literally countless examples, this can frequently lead to shark bites. Like I said many times eg here and here, it is well known that the Sharks in popular spearfishing locations like Frigate Passage can get highly conditioned = aggregate at the mere noise of a speargun being fired, get highly excited by the vibrations of a speared fish, try to nab any catch and retaliate when poked and pushed away. This is most likely what has happened here.
  In brief, do not fight with a Shark over a fish!
  To cite myself (talk about being prescient!)
  

  And if you spear fish and are not careful, you may well end up having one of those close encounters described by Jonathan - not because of us but because that is what happens everywhere around the world, see here and here among many, many such examples!

• The Shark was most likely a Grey Reefie.
  But it could also have been a Silky (no that's not a Bronzie - nor is this one!) or a Galapagos - case in point here! Bronze Whalers however are essentially antitropical and not officially recorded from Fiji.

• The experts are not. Trust me I know.
  Once again, having an opinion does not equate knowing something, and I can certainly leave it at that. Google Ultracrepidarianism, Sesselfurzer and Dunning-Kruger and you'll discern where I'm coming from. 

• The Shark feeding dives have nothing to do with this, zero.
  Once again, we have actually collected the scientific evidence that clearly illustrates that with the exception of our small harmless Whitetip Reefies, our Sharks
  a) were never resident but have instead always spent most of their time roaming throughout Fiji, and most importantly,
  b) have never depended on our handouts but have instead remained wild animals that have always continued to normally hunt their prey away from the Reserve.
  
  In brief, the fact that we feed less (yes we do still feed) has no incidence whatsoever on the well being and/or the behavior of our Sharks = they are not going hungry nor being more aggressive nor roaming further afield or anything like that - and again, this is not my opinion but evidence = fact!
  Read the links!
  
  And one more thing.
  Some quarters have suggested that our fed Sharks may have lost their natural fear of humans and may therefore have become so-called beggar Sharks and thus, more dangerous. We do not observe any of that when we dive without bait in the Reserve, and it thus makes no sense whatsoever to assume that it may be happening further afield.
  
  Again, the people who have conditioned the Sharks to approach spear fishermen are not the Shark diving operators but... the spear fishermen themselves!
  

• And no, this is not about testing let alone predation!
  Those smaller Sharks simply don't prey on humans. Instead, the bites are most certainly agonistic = due to competition and/or aggression and/or self defense/retaliation - read this about agonism and this about Shark attacks.

There you have it.

In brief, Fiji's responsible Shark feeding operations have zero effect on the safety of the population at large - re-read this.

 

Long story short?

Sadly, this is nothing more than shoddy journalism that instead of bothering to engage in even the slightest modicum of objective research and fact finding, is merely repeating some random unqualified and unsubstantiated speculation and hearsay. And by being unnecessarily sensationalistic and misleading, it contributes nothing to the safety of the public and is also bad for the Sharks.

Not impressed, sorry!

Better next time Fiji Sun!

 

PS: really interesting comments section here = note how there's none of the usual gratuitous drama. And Setareki's reminder of the ubiquitous poaching and illegal selling is obviously spot on. Like I said back then, we know the perpetrators and also the enablers, and there will be a reckoning.

PPS - Bingo: watch this - fundraiser here.

Having actually gone and asked Mark

• He was indeed spearfishing


• It was indeed a Grey Reefie


• The Shark was exhibiting the typical agonistic display of this species and then attacked twice, as they do. This also tells me that it was probably not a tourism Shark as those are used to people approaching them and have never, ever displayed agonistically during any of our feeds.


• And finally, beware of the charlatans and self professed experts on social media - really, what a sorry bunch of total losers!

Forrest Galante, Cretin!

Who, exactly, thought that this was ever gonna be funny? Source.

Read this - pretty disgusting huh.

But of course nothing of it is in any way surprising.

It's same old same old, just yet another piece of deception, featuring yet another unethical self promoting media whore.

Obviously, the real problem is not Galante.

He's just yet another disrespectful moron parading himself on television - dime a dozen, and more turn up every year for ever more bizarre shows that are just mindbogglingly idiotic. His mother who knows him best calls him a cretin, and is likely 100% correct - and I can most certainly leave it at that.
 

Because the real problem are the American networks.

One would think that at least the corporate entities would care about such archaic and obscure concepts as telling the truth, or behaving ethically, be it only to safeguard their own reputation - but no such luck.
Every year, we get asked  to partake in some of their shitty, exploitative shows - and every year, we inevitably turn them down as soon as they show us their idiotic scripts. Sometimes, I really wonder where that relentless race to the bottom is gonna lead us - but then again...

And talking of which.

If you thought that Shark Week was being reformed and getting "better", think again - and increasingly, it's not only the idiotic fabricated scripts with their gratuitous drama, and the insufferable idiotic anchors and cameramen.
Having had the misfortune to watch a few recent shows whilst in New Zealand, they did feature several prominent Shark researchers for whom I've now lost every last shred of respect.  Seriously, what a bunch of pathetic hypocrites - and folks, never, ever claim that you got conned into participating in that shit because you knew, and chose to totally sell out! 

And this year?

Trust me, nothing whatsoever will change, zero. 

Having checked, it will be the same tired lineup of media whores from producers to anchors to cameramen to researchers aggregating for their pathetic yearly meal ticket and regaling us with the same old tired pathetic lineup of boring, contrived and exploitative programs. 
Luckily it does not impact Shark conservation one way or the other - but considering how much better it could be, it remains highly irritating never the less.

Incidentally, for us that continued fiasco has been great.

Our steadfast refusal to prostitute ourselves has earned us a reputation for integrity and as a consequence, the great, respectful shows with honest, credible people tend to gravitate towards us - and guess what, those folks even pay their bills!

But I'm digressing as always.

Read the article at the top - and as a minimum, stop believing those media, and stop admiring those horrible people!
It's all staged BS, and those folks are in it only for the $$$, with the animals being abused as props - and no brazen greenwashing will ever change that.

Oh and... cinema science my ass!  You know who you are!
 

Anyway.

Let's go Shark diving - respectfully!

 

Playa - killing the Golden Goose?

Dooh - click for detail!

And I cite,

“Esperaba a que llegara la temporada, pero nunca llegó. Todas las tiendas se quedaron con los flyers, con los posters, los turistas preguntando por el tiburón toro y no hubo ningún tiburón toro para ver."

Indeed - read this.

The Bulls Shark season in Playa has been a total bust and now that it is over, the venerable Saving our Sharks has thrown in the towel and basically announced that they are stepping back and handing the responsibility of managing the Shark dives to CONANP and the operators, to wit in the words of Google Translate - and yes I'm being lazy but I'm sure you get the gist,

#News 
Self-regulation is key! Let's work for hope! We are in a moment of transition. 

Playa Del Carmen. An example worldwide! 
This town is the only destination in the world where the diving of attraction with sharks is recognized and regulated legally, this puts us in the eyes of the international community. The future of this activity is in the diving community of playa del Carmen and the competent authorities.

Each of us can influence the destination! 
Self-regulation by tourist service providers is key! Today we managed to integrate the activities of interaction with bull shark to the legal framework of the corresponding authorities. The National Commission of protected natural areas, through the reserve of the Mexican Caribbean biosphere, is the authority responsible for the surveillance of the activity, without forgetting the responsibility of good management by each of the tourist operators. 

#TogetherWeCan! 
Disinformation has been one of the hardest obstacles to beat. Saving our Sharks cannot continue with the management of sharks in playa del Carmen without the proactive participation of the entire diving community that performs responsibly this activity. 

This case of success for the conservation of this species is endangered due to: 

• Excess load capacity. 
• Lack of follow-up of the rules 
• Lack of economic cooperation 
• Unfair competition between diving centers and independent divers (low prices) 
• Lack of surveillance by the authorities 

Among other factors... 

In the following link you can see the conference presented on January 29 at the planetarium of Playa del Carmen explaining more thoroughly the problem and possible solutions. The participation of the whole community is indispensable for the continuity of activity! 

What is required?

#StrongMeasures: Collaboration and unity for: 

1. Solving the payment of the fisherman's compensation with legal fishing permit. (due at the beginning of the month) 


2. Community Payment for the supply of equitable bait where the entire diving community is included that takes advantage of this resource. 


3. Self-regulation for compliance with loading capacity and respecting schedules. 


4. Union of diving centers to form committees and decision making. You can create a new association or join the already existing as awd or union of Caribbean divers. 


5. Creation of a common fund or trust, for management, surveillance and improvements of the area.


6. Coordination with authorities for the surveillance of tourist operations.

And then, please peruse the video.

There, you can learn about the countless exeplary research and conservation initiatives by SOS and the substantial costs that entails - and then, you may want to notice that only a paltry 11% of the operators have contributed in the past 4 years, and to which extent each of them have stepped up to the plate.

And, you can also see why the bulls did not aggregate, and read about the issues of overcrowding and price erosion.

All very sad really, unnecessary and demotivating.

But lemme make it easy for you - long story short?

Forget about all the different "explanations" ranging from Climate Change to the Bulls having been fished away - none of them is correct.

The reality is much more simple and also way more pathetic.
And as always in these cases, it reeks of hubris, greed and stupidity.

• The Bulls did come to Playa like they do every year.
  But as per the slide at the top, they haven't been aggregating at the feeding site because they were seeking some conviviality with the divers but instead, because they were being chummed in - and the latter meant incurring a lot of upfront costs for buying the bait ahead of the season and then storing it, and then a lot of work for driving out to the site and establishing an initial presence that then needed to be continuously reinforced with an adequate amount but also quality of bait. In the past, this was being performed by essentially, Phantom Divers along with a very few other dive shops, with everybody else then mooching on their hard work.
  
  But this year has been different.
  Let's just say that somebody has taught everybody else a lesson about the need for cooperation and coordination - see below. And because chumming has been inadequate, the Bulls have not aggregated - the question obviously being, has the lesson been learned?

• At the same time, the whole scene has plunged into chaos.
  Playa has more than 100 dive operations, many of which don't even sport own premises and/or any notable infrastructure let alone staff, but instead merely consist of a few folks operating a website; and then during the Shark season, there is a substantial influx of illegal foreign Shark whispering dive guides migrating to Playa who are further undercutting everybody's profitability by offering dirt cheap bare-bones Shark dives from hired boats with rented gear.
  All of these second- and third-tier operators are not only unprofessional and outright dangerous, they are literally not invested in the local dive community and most importantly, they don't follow the Code of Conduct.
  And as a consequence, Playa's whole Shark diving scene has progressively been caught up in a downward spiral where there has been no more solidarity and cooperation, quality and safety have been compromised, nobody has anymore been making any real money, and the pathetic backstabbing and badmouthing, even of SOS (!), have become simply intolerable.
  I say, what a fucking disgrace - talk about shooting oneself in the leg huh.

• And lastly, the pressure on the Sharks is just not sustainable.
  On any given day, they may be no more than 20 Bulls - but there are approx 400 divers, notabene daily, being taken to see them!
  In industry lingo, that is called cattle diving, and countless examples of such multi-user sites have shown that it just does not work unless the operators self-regulate and/or the authorities intervene with regulation.

And that's it.

So simple and at the same time, so sad and pathetic - and above all, so totally self-inflicted and preventable.

So what now?

The solutions are obvious and contained in the above announcement by Saving our Sharks - foremost of which the URGENT necessity to observe one's agreements and compensate the only licensed Shark fisherman whose license is still valid despite of the recent Sanctuary designation, as the different involved agencies appear unable to coordinate their efforts.

And if not - and if so the damage may indeed be irreparable.

Alas, in the short term I'm not at all optimistic.

Without the continued leadership of Luis' SOS and Chino's Phantom Divers, I fear that nothing good and/or lasting will happen - and from what I can discern, both those gentlemen are pretty much disgusted and unwilling to continue making the huge investments in time and resources to keep the industry afloat.

And CONANP, the official regulator?

There too, I fear that they are highly unlikely to have the willingness, know-how and means to step in and provide the needed leadership and supervision.

So yes, barring a miracle, kiss Playa's Shark dives goodbye!

And in the long term?

Like the whole of the Riviera Maya, Playa's tourism industry is experiencing some challenges and in that context, Shark diving has been one of the few touristic highlights and a life line for the local dive industry as Shark divers do not care much about those things and will keep on coming - like they did during our 2006 coup when our other tourism sectors experienced steep declines. 

With that in mind: may this fiasco be an opportunity to finally get the local authorities onboard in regulating and supervising (!) the industry, by e.g. issuing exclusive (!) licenses that would be conditional upon strict adherence to the Code of Conduct but also, upon proof of real investments in the local dive industry = as in there being real dive shops with physical locations, and local staff, and a selection of dive gear, etc?

In view of the continued failure to properly regulate Mexico's Whale Shark industry I'm not terribly optimistic - but then again, as they say, hope springs eternal.

As always we shall see.

Yes I know: in view of the rather pathetic situation here in Fiji I'm probably the least qualified to preach about peace and harmony - but contrary to here where each operator has their own exclusive site and cooperation is a choice, Playa has a single multi-user site where the users have no such choice at all.

Yes there are way too many bad and dangerous dive shops that need to be put out of business - but starting with GSD member Phantom Divers, there are also a few really good and ethical operators that could decide to associate and turn things around = I'm thinking about establishing an exclusive Shark diving association, with a limited number of members with exclusive licenses offering exclusive, sustainable and profitable Shark dives to a limited number of clients.
That sure must be possible - or not?

So what is it gonna be?

Are the operators gonna stop the badmouthing and backstabbing, step up to the plate financially and physically, eat some humble pie and go make amends - and all earn some good money together as a consequence?

Or are the stupidity, egos and hubris just too big, and are they gonna choose to lose that important income, and down-scale or even close down as a consequence?

Folks, the choice is yours.

Good luck everybody!

Guadalupe - I stand with Mike!

Source.

Oh FFS.
 

Read this and then, watch this  pathetic shit.

I'm being asked to comment, so there - though for you who are eagerly expecting the usual epic pile of blood and gore, I got bad news as the following has been edited by Tashi Blue and is consequently way nicer than the usual fare on this blog.

So sorry! :)

Anyway.

First and foremost, this is obviously very sad.

Stouffer has definitely been grievously injured and may indeed have perished after they managed to shake him free of the cage. But although it sure looks that way, we do not know for sure - and considering that those GWS are incredibly resilient,  he may also have survived against all odds. In fact some guests on that cruise did claim to have seen him again, behaving "strangely", once activities were resumed after the accident.
So fingers crossed that he turns up again in the future.

Secondly.

Mike Lever is a good man and personal friend.

He is a co-founder of GSD and in many personal conversations and decisions I have witnessed, I have found him to be highly ethical, intelligent, professional, and conservation and safety conscious to the max.

But most importantly.

When the authorities issued the new rules, it was actually Mike who first implemented the new cage design - and this incidentally very much against the wishes of some of his clients, see e.g the stupid comments by the insufferable Ms. Cobb right  here!

And this?

CONANP (who  have incidentally done nothing wrong - and have also most certainly taken no bribes!) are clearly mistaken as the relevant measurements are not between vertical bars as wrongly suggested in the infographic here.
Instead, there must be no more than 35 centimeters between horizontal bars as clearly stated in the regulations (= 5.6) here and here, and in the legally binding “Wildlife Sighting Permits” from SEMARNAT.
Now you know - you're welcome!
 
And guess what.

The distance between the horizontal bars of the cage of the Nautilus UnderSea is fully compliant!

Detail detail - but it is all-important!
In brief, the fact of the matter is that Mike Lever's cages are fully compliant, and that claiming anything otherwise  is defamation pure and simple.

And just to be clear: there was no fault by the crew, either.

That Shark was clearly interested in something or somebody inside the cage and decided to change course and charge the cage, twice, entirely voluntarily = it is crystal clear that there was no error in bait handling, no teasing, no goading, nor any other nefarious human behavior leading to the entrapment of the Shark. In fact several experts testify that this is unusual behavior - tho considering that this is a predator and a male, I'm personally not terribly surprised to witness what to me looks like aggressive behavior!

In any case, this is clearly just a freak accident and incredibly bad luck.

Which brings me straight to those pathetic FB posts.

The dude is some insignificant animal molesting macho self promoter who however appears to have great media outreach in Mexico. I note that despite of claiming to be a conservation activist, or whatever, he has never done anything for Mexico's Sharks despite of the country's infamous Shark fishing tradition that is specifically leading to the demise of not one but many of those endangered and protected GWS in Baja.

In fact this was his comment on the Solmar accident.
IMPRESIONANTE huh - and what about him and his YouTubers pals illegally feeding from the cages to attract the GWS who then slam into them. Nice, respectful marketing, too!
Hipócrita anybody?

But that was then - so why the outrage and media circus now.

And why the appalling xenophobic focus whereby the people's anger is being directed more at Mike's nationality than at his claimed breach of the rules.
 

Let's maybe look at some circumstantial evidence shall we.
 

There is the issue of the origin of that video.

This is not the footage from a single camera but actually, it is a small edit from two cameras filming from two different cages. Having been shown this precise edit a while ago, I know for a fact that there's only one possible provenance, and that is from the Nautilus Fleet itself.

And bingo.
Having looked and also asked questions, there's clearly one disgruntled employee who  has a big axe to grind, had access to the video and disposes of good contacts to the media - and lo and behold, she is indeed busy running her foul little mouth behind the scenes.

Yes she did indeed once again manage to get fired.
But not because of some nefarious conspiracy by Mike but instead, for her unbecoming public behavior when she was partaking in a cruise on the NBA as an employee - and yes there are plenty of witnesses to that = you staunch defenders may want to reconsider your position as right now you are frankly looking like total suckers!
BUT, I also notice that it is asserted that

she stated clearly that this was an accident and not the result of human negligence. She also stated that the vessel’s cages are compliant with regulatory requirements and that the crew did everything possible to save the shark, while ensuring the safety of the divers. She did everything, ethically and professionally...!

And then there would be little media man Mauricio.
He doesn't appear to mind helping mooching foreigners as long as they do his bidding - but I hear that he is not amused by Mike's continued collaboration, and support of Domeier and Nicole, and by Mike's opposition to the mooching Sharkwater.
And, he is some sort of consultant to the park authorities who were given the footage. So may the leak have originated with him - and are we really to believe that he does not know the precise rules he helped draft? Questions questions!
And anyway, everybody knows that he will do anything to please those $harkettes - and in turn, Ocean Barbie is all-too-happy to propagate the lies, the more as doing so will undoubtedly add to her reputation - and trust me, it has!
And so it goes, same old same old!

Anyway - long story short?

This is nothing more than an orchestrated hit job on Mike.
 

If one can reproach him anything, it is that he has obviously failed to grasp the potential gravity of the situation and missed getting ahead of the curve and media feeding frenzy by being the first to publicly report the accident. But then again, considering that this was clearly a freak accident, there seemed to be be zero upside in engaging in public self flagellation.
So they did what appeared sensible then, ie inform the authorities and hope that the video would not surface - and NO, there was definitely no need, let alone right for the public to see those horrible images!

But be it as it may, it remains crystal clear that Mike objectively holds no blame for what has happened to Stouffer - not legally which is obviously all-important but also not ethically as nothing unusual/nefarious was done by the crew.

• His cages are fully compliant with the regulations - and therefore, the whole story that he was asked but refused to change their design is nothing but a total fabrication


• He holds no responsibility for the Shark choosing to slam into the cage


• There was an observer on board who immediately informed his superiors about the incident - which totally negates the accusation that Mike was trying to hide the accident from the authorities - and why would he. And he has also neither bribed anybody, nor has he lied.

In fact I am sure that he will be fully exonerated.

And then, there needs to be a reckoning.
The way I see it, Ms Domingo is in an ocean of legal trouble.
Mauricio as the stated source of the leaked video edit quite likely too.

The little macho dude?

He is either fully complicit in fabricating and spreading the slanderous lies, or just simply reckless, unprofessional and stupid for allowing himself to be used. But he is also gleefully milking this story for the advancement of his own reputation as activist and media influencer = $$$.

And for that alone, were I Mike, I would sue his sorry ass for his patently brazen and reckless attempt to destroy my credibility and livelihood  which only serves to deprive Mexico of millions in Shark eco-tourism revenue, and thousands of shark divers from realizing their dreams to observe these majestic creatures.
But that's obviously entirely up to Mike.

To the smirking competitors, THINK.
This is quickly morphing into a runaway train that may well endanger the industry as a whole. Whether you like it or not, and whether you like Mike or not: you're all in this together. So be smart, stop the backstabbing and show some public solidarity. And once it blows over, you can resume hostilities.
But not right now - and anyway, you know the man and know he did not do it.

And the pathetic media frenzy?

It is what it is and like always, it'll blow over - but to you all-knowing couch farting Shark tourism experts and self-appointed criminal investigators out there who know NOTHING but continue to regale everybody with your ultracrepidarian diarrhea: scripta manent, and we shall most certainly remember.
And yes I know I know....

Remains the question of those cages.
I notice that those idiotic proponents of out-of-cage diving with GWS, foremost of which that horrible slimeball Amos, are using this to slam cage diving as being bad for the Sharks.

Obviously there needs to be change.
Rules or no rules - over the years, a few Sharks have died and several have been injured during caged dives, and that is just not acceptable.

But this can be remedied.
E.g. by even more stringent bait handling rules and above all, by even smaller cage openings all the way to using sturdy aluminum mesh like they do in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
And to avoid the Sharks getting in and/or the people leaning out, those large openings for the photographers' big dome ports may have to go completely, or be replaced with some sort of transparent viewing ports like in  Hawaii - and fuck the vociferous likes of Ms. Cobb who are financially irrelevant anyway.

But going cageless is nothing but a fool's bet.
Private ventures by intrepid thrill seekers, and professional shoots are one thing - but let there be no doubt that when it comes to commercial Shark tourism, cage diving is the only way to conduct safe and long term sustainable dive operations with White Sharks.
In brief, the cages need to stay - and like I said many, many times, let's please not have the inmates run the asylum.

Anyway.

Let's go Shark diving - sustainably!

To be continued no doubt.

PS - personal declaration, or whatever, by Domingo here = much personal ass covering and vindictive verbiage  - but I equally notice that she does not state that the cage was illegal, or that the crew did anything wrong.
Her assertion that it was she who first informed the authorities because Mike would not is a bold faced lie = during that trip, there was an observer from CONANP who immediately informed his superiors - and no, it was not at all clear, and still isn't, that the Shark had perished.
Plus, again, she was not fired in connection with this accident but instead, for her conduct whilst on a cruise on the NBA - which is of zero importance here anyway.

PPS - Domeier here. Agree - but there can, and should be improvements.

PPPS - Ramon  trying to get his 10' of fame here. Ever since Nicole, he is desperate to remain relevant, with little success - and this total stupidity only makes him look like a cheap opportunist.

PPPPS - Patric here. Agree and disagree. 
YES - getting ahead of the curve would possibly have been good - tho back then it wasn't at all clear that the Shark had likely perished (and even now we do not NOW - see Craig's comments below) = there was most certainly no perceived need for a public mea culpa. 
NO - right now when everybody is hyperventilating, remaining silent is the way to go. 
AND - there will undoubtedly be a reckoning = keep watching this space!

PPPPPS - truly remarkable comments by Craig Ferreira right here. Could not agree more, see above!

PPPPPPS - a friendly GWS cage diving operator writes,

FYI Re: Cage design, I found that shark penetration problems are largely resolved in the positioning, or complete removal of the (trapping) VERTICAL bars within the viewing/camera gaps ... in particular in the corners. Our vertical bars are centrally positioned in the viewing gaps and nosey sharks slide out sideways through the corners.

Excellent suggestion - thanks!

PPPPPPPS -  Craig again here. To cite another authoritative voice,

The sad thing is that the uproar created around this incident does affect shark cage diving around the world, a non-consumptive tourism activity, whilst shark demersal longliners are decimating our shark populations and this where the focus should be. In South Africa, we are seeing a real impact on our shark populations and even our protected white sharks are accidentally caught, but not reported. If only the social media warriors would not be hypocrites and focus on the overfishing versus cage diving which in South Africa is the only official monitoring and conservation of this species taking place

PPPPPPPPS - more pathetic xenophobic showboating, and outright defamation by Allende here. 

PPPPPPPPPS - gloves are definitely off. Talk about being a total hypocrite. But, ride bene chi ride ultimo = keep watching this space!

Comments policy: please comment here and not on FB.

These are our social media platforms and not public chat rooms, and we thus reserve to monitor and/or delete all and everything we do not like. 
Our media our rules!

Idiots and OWTs - Video!

Watch.

Oh well.

Looks like that attack a while ago has led to zero reflection - and why am I not surprised to find the name of the pagliaccio in that pathetic lineup of Shark molesting morons!

And the comments by Shark Education?

Well yes, maybe. But then again, if this is supposed to be tourism as opposed to some private adventure, then the operators need to approach those dives completely differently and bloody keep the clients in check and suitably protected - and yes it is possible to dive safely and responsibly with OWTs like amply demonstrated by GSD member Epic Diving! 

And no, no need to elaborate.

Re read this and if you really got too much time, this - it sure ain't rocket science!

And if the industry doesn't bloody self regulate...

And so it goes.

Let's go Shark diving - sustainably!

PS - Indeed, the OWT populations are among the most depleted, and these shenanigans can easily lead to further persecution. Bravo Sergio, condivido al 100%! 

 

Terrifying Moment!

Sandbar Sharks - compare with the video. Source.

And here we go again - watch.

And this is the "story", or whatever.

Did you notice that the dude with the rod has something on the line? That's probably why that little Sandbar was there in the first place, and that nip is probably agonistic, i.e. happening in perceived self-defense - and yes I'm of course speculating because we'll never know!

Anyway.

It's same old same old - not the smartest of behaviors, lousy reporting and ultimately, much ado about nothing much at all.

And the Shark gets the bad rap.

Enjoy the Ocean - responsibly!

 

Terrifying Moment?

Source.

Really?

What a load of horse manure!

It is about this encounter (and incidentally, it is 100% a GWS), and the Shark could not have been more peaceful, much as per Nina's original description here.

Shame on you Daily Mail!
 

Catching GWS in California!

Source.

Oh for crying out loud - watch.

Yup that would be a juvenile GWS.

White Sharks are protected in the USA in general and specifically, in California where this is happening, and one would think that this is unlawful and would warrant prosecution.

Regulations here.

Well, think again. 

Very much like what has been happening until recently in Florida, the authorities are apparently choosing to not intervene, or to drop the charges or levy ludicrous fines when they do - and the fishermen know that and continue to target and reel in the Sharks in quasi total impunity. 

Kudos to the indefatigable Mr. Bland for having meticulously researched the topic and published this excellent essay.

Anyway.

I say, it's time for some kicking of lazy bureaucrat asses - like in Florida!

Kim?
 

More Shenanigans with Tiger Sharks!

Shark conservation at its very best!

Here we go again.

Have you seen this?

Yeah that would be the absolute genius I referenced here.

And like all those other self promoting media whores in Ramsey's pathetic Ohana, or whatever, he is obviously a Shark whisperer. And he is obviously not molesting those perplexed Tigers for personal vanity and for camera = $$$. Instead he is, reluctantly, literally putting his life on the line for conservation, in order to dispel the myth! And to calm them down because that's obviously necessary! For the Sharks!

And incidentally, all this invaluable whispering, Shark conserving and myth-dispelling is happening smack in the middle of one of the few well enforced Shark sanctuaries where all Sharks are already fully protected!

And incidentally, where Shark feeding is currently banned.
And yes once again this umpteenth Shark stupidity would really be nothing new - or do you believe that those Tigers would approach the dude sans bait in the water?

I mean, seriously!

But worry not, it is merely a continuation of the same old tired and disrespectful shenanigans, and there really is no need to elaborate - just follow the link at the very top  and for the record, for once I agree with David 1000%!

And how about the following.

It looks like shortly after my recent post on the subject, the victim of that Tiger Shark bite has posted a third and much more graphic video of the incident.
Before the usual couch farting apologists start boring everybody with their interpretations and excuses: this is bad bad bad, and the dude is incredibly lucky that the tank took the brunt of the abuse and that he got away with only minor lacerations.
And because people don't stop asking - no it was most definitely not us, nor was it the guys down the road!

Really - what a fucking disaster.

And to think that for years, everyone there has been personally Schooled in ADORE-SANE!

Then again... :)

But I'm digressing as always.

Behold the video.

Anyway.

Let's go Shark diving - responsibly!