Wolfgang - really?

Source.

Hmmmm...

Read this.

Looks like the alte Haudegen is ready to hang up his hat.

If so, we shall all be poorer for it - and so will be the Sharks!

We've been at odds about his particular brand of Shark interaction since day one - but very much contrary to what is so common in today's social media, our public sparring has not led to yet another one of those pathetic feuds but to friendship instead. Yes of course the man is cantankerous and a total Shark hugging nutter - but that's precisely why I like him! :)

So here's to DaWof.

And to him changing his mind once he has spent some quality time with his beasties!

Oceana?

They got every reason to smile - well done Alibaba!

And I cite.

The incident has shown why communication is so important.
I hope that Oceana sends its apologies to Mr. Jack Ma personally after deliberately connecting him with the manta ray profiteering. Jack Ma and people like him, who consistently make the moral choice, should be acknowledged and thanked, particularly in such a sensitive context as the Asian market and shark finning. Alibaba has become a beacon of hope to us who have had faith all along that if the Chinese people only learned the truth about shark finning, they would change the recipe for their special soup.

Bravo Ila, spot on - it's high time for some accountability here!
It really looks like Oceana has committed a major gaffe by launching a petition without ever bothering to first do their due diligence, let alone get in contact with the petitionee.

Wolfgang has then resolved the whole issue with one single e-mail message.
I must say that I concur with his assessment: at least prima vista, this very much looks like an exercise in self serving hot air that has now sorely backfired. Having checked, Oceana is not a partner in the iconic Manta Ray of Hope project and having missed that train, there may have been pressure to be seen as doing something - very much like in the case of Shark conservation which is the current big thing and where everybody and his dog, and the dog of his dog are jumping on the bandwagon. Having noticed the last minute vociferating by Oceana in Florida, this after others had done all the ground work, I would not be surprised at all - and to think that like Mark, I used to be a fan! :(
But I don't know the facts and will defer my final judgment until I see what happens next. For now, the petition is still online which may be an indication of the fact that somebody there is either deaf, stubborn or stupid, or all of the above.

Talking of which, it may be even simpler.
I had to laugh out loud when I saw the name Elisabeth Griffin.
Remember her, the blissfully unrepentant Ms sippy champagny of African Elephant and US geography fame? May this be nothing more than yet another one of her blunders?

But I'm clearly speculating.
As always we shall see won't we!

PS Oceana have decided to spin this & are screaming Victory!
And now, thanks to your efforts...?
Where have I seen that MO before... and like there, I am very much not impressed!

PS2 Ila's take right here!

Aliwal Shoal - What has happened to the Tigers?

Aliwal Shoal Tiger and diver, by DaWolf - a thing of the past? Notice the Blacktips in the background.

I must say, when it comes to SA, I remain of two minds.
Having been a staunch anti-apartheid advocate, I was overjoyed when the despicable regime finally disappeared. Mandela transcends positive attributes but then came the pathetic Mbeki - and Zuma, let alone Malema are frankly a disgrace and cause for grave concern.
When it comes to conservation, there is of course the brilliant terrestrial track record that on top of preserving vital unique habitat is contributing millions in tourism income. On the marine and especially, sharky side of things, not really impressed. There's certainly a lot of research, some of which is rather impressive; but when it comes to getting those Sharks protected, I see ALOT of self congratulatory media by the various bikini models, artists, sharktivists and whatnot - but in terms of having achieved tangible results?

The Shark diving Industry?
SA's Shark diving has been developed and very much put on the map by visionary, and probably equally crazy icons like Andre Hartman, and the legacy is being continued by excellent people like Mike Rutzen or Chris Fallows for whom I have nothing but the greatest respect. Other people, not so much - but such is the Industry everywhere, tribal and petty! Plus, news like these are of grave concern as such banana republic shenanigans will come at the direct expense of safety and reputation, and I'll leave it at that.

Anyway, I'm digressing as usual.
Why I'm writing this post is that this has piqued my interest.
Apparently, way less Tiger Sharks show up on the Aliwal Shoal dives. Apparently, the reason for this are poaching for trophies - and the highly controversial Shark nets.
This stuff: antiquated, ineffective, unselective, an ecological crime that needs to be stopped.



But is that the most plausible explanation?
Firstly, has anybody checked the data? Has anybody taken the time to go and corroborate those reports by talking to the KZNSB, by looking at fisheries data and by following up on the poaching allegations?

Secondly, Wolfgang reports that
The dive reports I received lately are alarming: Very few tiger sharks sightings, and the tigers don't stay, making one or two brief passes only to leave the scene altogether.

Hmmmmmmmm...
Sharks including Tigers don't like to approach people and that's why the dedicated Shark diving operators attract them with bait. In Aliwal Shoal, this is now thankfully done with ZIBS, a Shark friendly implement that is however not dispensing any food. Thus the Sharks are being teased in and then waste time and energy that could be spent on productive hunting, which is however not the topic here.
The topic is that this could well lead to negative reinforcement whereby individual Sharks wise up to the fact that they're being cheated and learn to avoid that situation.
And then, there are the notorious swarms of Shark hugging bimbettes and intrepid freedivers abusing the Sharks as underwater scooters: do you really believe that those disrespectful stupidities are in any way conducive to those animals ever wanting to come back?

Which brings be straight over to the following.
In my experience, Tigers are rather placid (and incredibly determined!) and just want to do their thing in peace without being harassed.
Juerg has been here for a lightning fast go-see and informs me that his next paper is about to get published. In it, among other topics, he documents how other Shark species have reacted to the stupendous increase in our population of Bull Sharks that has culminated in our sighting of approx 100 individuals this June - and counting, next year there will be more!
I don't want to pre-empt his conclusions but one of the results will be that we're seeing less Tiger Sharks. From my personal observations, this is because they just cannot be bothered to come and join the fray in order to compete with the Bulls - this the more as the Bulls are clearly not intimidated and on the contrary, have even been observed to shoulder away the Tigers when getting to the bait!
Talk about a total lack of respect!

And then,there's the famous Shark Rodeo in Walker's Cay.
As far as I know, only a very few of the famous Bulls bothered to ever turn up at the chumsicle and when they did, they made one or two brief passes only to leave the scene altogether. Tigers, a big fat zero - and this despite being frequently sighted in the vicinity, despite of the yummy fish smell and despite of the massive commotion caused by the Caribbean Reefs and especially, the Blacktips!

Or maybe because of it!
Blacktips are your quintessential asshole Shark: lightening fast, frisky, in-your-face assertive and unpredictable - certainly nobody any self respecting Tiger Shark would ever want to be associated with, especially if they came in packs!

May it be that the exact same is happening in Aliwal Shoal?
May there have been an increase in Blacktips? May there be some correlation between that increase and the decrease in Tiger Shark sightings? May Tiger Shark diving in Aliwal Shoal have become the victim of its own popularity - among humans but above all, among Blacktip Sharks?
Some form of interspecific exclusion, competitive or not?

Yes I'm clearly speculating - but has anybody looked into it?
Thing is, I fully support Wolfgang's cry for better coordination and better Shark protection in SA - tho I fear that achieving any degree of co-ordination, let alone cooperation will be difficult (...) and that in view of the current banana republic shenanigans, few operators will have the guts to speak up against the inept Government policies. But, as always, all should happen based on factual data - and when it comes to those Tiger Sharks, I'm not that sure.
Thoughts?

And since we're at it:
Tiger Beach? Feisty Lemons vs placid Tigers?
Questions questions... :)

Gut gebrüllt Löwe!

Well, here's to Wolfgang - again!
The unverwüstliche doyen of cantankerous Shark conservation (I might be peeling the paint off buildings but in keeping with the same analogy, when he gets going, he flattens whole house blocks!) has given an interview and I must say, it is as good as it gets.
As usual!

Really, nothing to add to what I wrote here.
Except that as time goes by, our friendship keeps growing. We're finally gonna meet again this November and I already know that it's gonna be the highlight of this year's trip to DEMA.

Anyway, again, this is not a laudatio.
Legendary as X-RayMag is calls him will suffice.

Machetjut Alter!

South Africa - behold the Bait Ball!

This is the Bait Ball - more implements on Wolfgang's blog post.

Well well - literally!

The Aliwal Shoal operators have come up with a new Shark friendly baiting implement that will once and forever solve the issue of Tiger Shark entanglements and loss of teeth. This has been a communal undertaking where several operators have spent considerable time and funds on finding a solution, and they need to be thanked and commended for having done so.
Bravo!

This will never happen again.
With that in mind and because this is now the past, Wolfgang has given me permission to publish the pictures - this is what got him going!

Where are the teeth? Click for detail.

Does this look like a single event to you?

But!
This begs the question, why did all those people invest all those resources into a non issue?
Remember the backlash? Remember the statements that no Tigers were being hurt? Remember the underhanded whispers and e-mails that the entanglements were a one-off that had been caused by non other than Wolfgang himself who kept yanking on the chain? Because he was just a senile incompetent idiot who was taking too much medication? And that being his usual stupid and stubborn primadonna self, he was not listening to reason but turning against the very people who had gone to such great lengths to accommodate his idiotic requests?

Do you really believe that anything would have happened if he had not raised his voice in alarm?

I say, this still requires closure.
Those who saw what was happening and never said and did anything, learn the obvious lessons. Those who received those emails, remember who wrote them. Those who turned their backs on Wolfgang as a consequence, have a hard look into the mirror.
Notable exception: Allen Walker who channeled his initial anger into productive energy - well done!
Remember the title of my post?

To Wolfgang, what can I say alter Haudegen - you are just simply unmatched and everybody including the Sharks you love owes you big time. Again!
This is Leadership!

And those who wrote those emails?
You owe Wolfgang a retraction and an apology.
Yes it was probably knee-jerk and in the heat of the moment - but now, the heat has dissipated (has it?) and it's high time for the walk to Canossa! The more since it is Christmas! Yallah!
Or not!

Indeed, I'm not holding my breath on this - but I shall be watching.
And I will not be the only one!

Shark Media: Love. Not Loss.

I actually wanted to blog about something completely different.

I wanted to write a post about the fabulous outcome of COP 10.
This is really a remarkable result, especially considering the current economical, and thus political circumstances. The decision to expand nature reserves to 17% of the world's land and 10% of the planet's waters and Japan's pledge of USD 2bn for biodiversity are great and need to be applauded - at least til tomorrow, then the professional whingers will undoubtedly start moaning about how it's not quite enough.

Sure beats the news out of the European union where the Mediterranean states (thank you Malta!) are already trying to torpedo Europe's stance at the upcoming ICCAT meeting, this against the stated intentions of their new and I believe, brilliant Fisheries Commissioner Maria Damanaki! Thankfully, Maria isn't taking that laying down, so fingers crossed that the end result will be equally positive!
As to the meeting itself... some people may want to re-read this.

Anyway, that's what I wanted to post about.
But in researching the biodiversity topic, I literally stumbled upon this remarkable video.

Totally true!
I spare you the links, but I've been blogging quite a bit about my dislike of a specific brand of pro-Shark videos that I find overly melodramatic and gory. Looks like others with much more specific know how agree, especially with respect to the stupid and rather revolting "shock ads" and shock campaigns.

The correct way?
Look no further than the BBC whose iconic images remain the pretty much unequaled standard for excellent, moving and truthful animal documentaries. Or when it comes to written statements, check out this latest feature about Wolfgang (Shark whisperer huh... somebody aint gonna be amused...) where his love of the animals is all-pervasive.
That's how you do it!

So here's to more smart Shark media!

And here's to...

Felix and Lemon - By Wolfgang Leander

…Wolfgang , for always speaking up for the Sharks he loves!
Recently, he did so in this stellar article in the Nassau Guardian (Patric is right: I sure hope that the Bahamian Shark diving operators are fully behind this initiative!) and very courageously, in a post about some harmful Shark feeding procedures in SA - and I see that there’s progress!
Wolf’s only motive is the welfare of Sharks and I commend him for always being true to his feelings and totally incorruptible.
Gut gebrüllt Löwe!

…Lawrence , for embarking on his 150th expedition to Guadalupe!
Lawrence is the original pioneer of commercial GW diving along the Pacific coast of the Americas and as such, he has really seen it all - and considering the dangers this involves (and I’m not talking about the Sharks!), his is a mighty achievement indeed! Way to go!
Safe sailing hombre – and may Dakuwaqa always be with you!

Wolfgang and the Hypocrites

Is somebody trying to kill Mark Addison’s poor Tiger Sharks – again ?
No, this time, it’s the very same Mark Addison torturing his own animals - and lemme tell you, I’ve seen other, truly horrific pictures of Tigers completely entangled in those steel cables he deploys! And so has he!
WTF?

Huge Kudos to Wolfgang for breaking the story.
I can attest to the fact that the man has been torn between his personal loyalty and the desire to help the animals he loves, and that he has desperately tried to resolve the matter silently by contacting the concerned operators. Hopefully, his courageous post will have the desired effect and the shenanigans will stop. And if not…
Bravo Wolf for being ethically incorruptible and for always putting the well being of your beloved Sharks first!

Which begs the question, are we to believe that he was the only person to witness Addison’s despicable cruelty?
As a friend writes far too many underwater names let all manner of garbage happen with sharks, take the shot, and then shill their images online for a little name recognition and a pat on the head at DEMA without saying a thing. Patric’s re-post is of course spot on : just look at the shenanigans that are being perpetrated at Tiger beach, and to a lesser extent, at Guadalupe!
Indeed – anybody wanting to point fingers better perform a quick self check beforehand!

Case in point, the retinue of Tiger Shark petting bimbettes.
They were all CC’d on Wolfgang’s e-mail messages to Mark, every single one of them, and they all saw the revolting pictures! Did a single one voice her so publicly professed love for the animals or take the required moral stance and get personally involved in the matter? Take a wild guess – indeed, not a single squeak! That is, apart from a righteous public statement after Wolf published his post – not impressed!
Sadly, I’m not even surprised – having some backbone, speaking up and thus taking a modicum of personal risk that may well result in the loss of the coveted freebies is very different from proffering self promoting bullshit and blasting anonymous perpetrators in far away countries whilst always trying to look pretty in the process!
Names? No need to dwell, they know who they are and I’m sure that you can guess – but next time somebody tells you to take the pledge, or the like, you may want to ask some specific questions first!

As for Blue Wilderness, meh.
Great website and great self promotion – including the obligated larmoyant pro-Shark and anti-this and -that videos featuring the shark-grabbing bimbos!
Prima vista, certainly the place to go and the operator to choose!

Now, if only the man would walk the talk.
I had a first hunch when the above Tiger shark killing story broke two years ago, with a lot of righteousness, whining and the vocal support of the bimbettes. Net result of the brouhaha?

Next, I notice his name in this description of Into the Shark Bite. Despite of all the subsequent spinning by friends and apologists, this is Shark porn pure and simple, the lowest possible level of Shark media. Yup ABC4 is a cool personable guy but when he isn’t invited to strum his stupidity at shark parties, he’s a professional animal pornographer (producer of Deadly Waters no less!) and fuck one’s own conservation sound bites! Do you believe that Addison didn’t know what he was doing, and with whom?
As I once said: Pecunia non olet!

And now this.
This is certainly nothing intentional – but how can a Shark operator cause this and not stop this procedure immediately? This has happened several times!
I mean, seriously, how can anybody in our industry be so cold hearted!
How utterly disgusting!

Luckily, as always, clients have a choice.
Walter Bernardis of African Watersports cares and is trying to do something, see Wolfgang's post.
Give your business to him, not Addison.

PS: simply brilliant wrap up by Patric here!
And the Chinese whispers about Wolfgang being the cause of the problem?
Really, how utterly pathetic and underhanded, simply disgusting!

I'm done with this thing.
Fix the gizmo. If Walter’s solution doesn’t work, find one!
Stop enabling Shark porn!

And since we’re at it – Sharks are not underwater scooters!

PS2 Felix' take of Into the Shark Bite here.

More about Scarface!

Well, gee Wolfgang!

Thanks for telling Everybody – with friends like you, one sure doesn’t need enemies! :)

Anyway, yes, I really did nearly soil my pants!
Keep in mind that this was in 2003, meaning way before everybody and his dog would flock to Tiger Beach, plus it was our first ever face-to-face encounter. Previously, I had only encountered one big Tiger who chased my out of the water when I took a bucket of fish down on Osprey Reef in 1977, plus I had experienced a few short flybys that were equally totally unexpected, frightening and ultimately, disappointing.

After the encounter, I ran home and sent this to Ron and Val.

So, the tigers are the good guys, huh ... just push them away you said...

(Ron had just sent me a message stating, remember, Tigers are good guys and if he comes too close simply push him away. Bulls are much more dangerous than Tigers.)

Just came out of the water and here's what's happened: the 4.5m tiger turned up at the hand feed, snatched the bin and took it to 30m. There, she tried to get into it but was too big and got all pissed off as there were scores of bulls trying to steal its fish.
Remembering what you had said, I went down with Manasa and Rusi and was peacefully filming away, as she decided to have a go at us. Manasa had a fish and so did Rusi but when she came for me, all I had was the camcorder. She bit it twice and tried to wrestle it away (camera running), after which she then had a serious go for Manasa who had taken back the bin. She was really going for him and he was zipping around that bin trying not to get caught til she finally gave up.
Got it all on camera as well!

The following day, having somewhat calmed down, I wrote well, for panicking or getting aggressive there just wasn't enough time.. all i was trying is to hang on to my housing which was half-way in, monitor and all, with those teeth much too close to my hand holding the handle - and you know how they are, she would have just gobbled it down. It came out pretty rumpled but thanks to Gates, in perfect working condition (and still running).
Re-looking at the tape, I now think that having gotten the fish from Manasa and Rusi, she was assuming that I wanted to give her something as well.

Yes the camera kept running and you can all watch it right here: Papa's dance around the bin at 0:58 and the bite, at the very end at 6:51!



As to Doug’s picture, it is obviously stellar!
This is the very start of the bite and you can see her pushing on the monitor. Doug had what then was the best digital camera (you can see him at the end of the bin dance sequence), but it was slow to recycle and he missed the bite proper – still, to this day, the pic graces the Gates website and they can boast to build Tiger-proof housings!

In terms of size, I am 2m so she was about 4.5 meters long. And she has continued to grow!
Once it became clear that she would become a regular, we named her Scarface after the many scars disfiguring her mouth and exposing her teeth.

Initial encounters were rather problematic, which made for many entries in the Naughty File.
She would continuously try to steal the bin (4:15) and attempt to scare us away by gaping (0:28), which is Tigerese for piss off, this belongs to me, and when we wouldn’t acquiesce but fight back, she would get seriously angry and become outright dangerous, like on 6:31 where she is actively snapping and trying to cause harm.
No mellow and docile here - huggers: learn from it!

We did, abandoned our attempts to steer her with the prods which he hates with a vengeance all the way to wrestling them out of our hands and then spitting them out (3:43) and now keep the food in a large aluminum box that we have dubbed the Rubik’s cube for Tiger Sharks and that her best and incredibly persistent attempts will neither dislodge nor crack.

When it comes to our private and very much personal relationship, it certainly improved - which is easy!
After that first attempt, she never, ever tried to bite the housing again. But on every visit, she would make it a point to pop by and give it a good sniff, resulting in some truly memorable footage. As an example, in one scene (mellow and thus not in the file) she comes from the left and positions herself inches away from the lens; then the whole body behind the head pivots from left to right and finally, she departs back to where she came from, without ever having touched the housing! In other scenes, I would have to lightly push her away, as in 2:40 and 6:08 where it looks like it is her touching the camera.
Stellar stuff!

Since I started lugging around the Boat, matters have alas become a tad more impersonal.
Now, it’s me who has to sneak up on her or position myself close to the feeder, where she barely deigns to acknowledge my presence by giving me a quick glance. Obviously, the size and electronic signature are completely different as the Fathom Imaging lens is one huge piece of inert material – or, horribile dictu, I may just be losing my sex appeal in line with what is happening in my terrestrial existence!
But despite of the snubbing: the love and the excitement will never falter!

Check her out (click to enlarge): here she is straight from the footage 3 days ago, beautiful and quite, but not yet terminally pregnant – meaning that she will stick around for another while before going walkabout, possibly for a couple of months.
So, what are you waiting for…. !!!


As to Wolf wanting to meet her?
I don’t usually share my girls but for him, I’ll make an exception.
He knows that and has long had an open invitation to come dive on the house – with one caveat: he will have to strap on a tank and do it on SCUBA!

So, what’s it gonna be?
DaWolf, will you make a small, insignificant compromise in order to meet a truly wonderful lady? Piece of cake for a waterman like you! Or will you remain the usual stubborn old fart and continue whining about the missed opportunity?

Am I putting you on the spot?
Well, altes Haus: wie Du mir! :)

Praising Wolfgang

Another one of Wolfgang's fantastic pictures - click to enjoy!

Great to see how much he is being revered!

I'm of course talking about DaWolf.
I'm obviously an avid reader of his iconic Oceanic Dreams and had to smile when he wrote this laudatio of some of the Ocean ladies he met on his recent trip to his beloved Tigers in South Africa.
Very Alter Charmeur - and yet, I know that it came straight from the heart, like everything the man writes.

The ladies have reciprocated.
Underwater Thrills leads me to this post by Lesley Rochat and a bit of navigating reveals yet another brilliant description, this time by fellow free diver and Shark conservationist Hanli Prinsloo. Very poetic and emphatic, as only women can write, they are a testament to Wolfgang's sensitivity and gentle love for his striped ladies.
Please read them and be moved - as I was.

And undoubtedly, so was he - Wolf, you deserve it a thousand times!

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!

DaWolf!

This is about as brilliant as it gets! Pic by Wolfgang Leander (click to enjoy).

We've met - finally!

And no, don't worry, I'm not about to venture writing a laudatio, well deserved as it may be, after just one short lunch.
The more as all you need to do, is to google "Wolfgang Leander" to discover who he is and what he does - along with the biggest endorsement of them all, a dishonorable mention by the anonymous scumbags over at CDNN!

Thing is, we've had our initial run-ins.

But what became immediately apparent was that the man, on top of being a true gentleman, was passionate, highly intelligent and willing to engage in constructive dialogue instead of resorting to the usual petty bickering which is so typical for our sharkophilic circles. Being short tempered and petty myself, I could not but admire and above all, respect his restraint and eventually, his positions - and I have no doubt that this is also the principal reason why he is so universally revered among Shark lovers, to the point where everything he does and says is inevitably being defined as iconic.
Not bad for a self-professed nutter!

For my part, I just sensed that we were kindred spirits and was eagerly awaiting the chance to meet face-to-face in order to die Paar kleineren Missverstaendnisse auszuraeumen, which is German for kiss and make up, or the like.
And I'm happy to report that we have made up and that ever since, we've been kissing like crazy!

But as I said, this is not a laudatio.
This is personal, and all I wanted to say that I'm deeply impressed by the person I'm starting to discover, and that I like him very much. Yes he may indeed be iconic - but above all, to me, he is a true Mensch - culture, passion, quirks and all.

The lone Wolf travels farther, faster.
In diesem Sinne mein Lieber - Machetjut!

Touching the Sea

Pic: Paul Spielvogel

To Touch or not to Touch?

Wolfgang has just posted his personal take on that.

We've never met but I do like and respect the man.
He's obviously intelligent and very experienced and his love for Sharks knows no boundaries. I'm sure that he would never, ever do anything that would put Sharks in harm's way or somehow tarnish their reputation.

"From the Heart", I fully agree with every word he says - the more as every single one of our feeders will always feel compelled to give a little affectionate pat to any Shark coming in for a snack. This may look stupid in view of the fact that Sharks are not likely to take it the way it was meant - but as Wolf correctly remarks, it does clearly habituate them to our presence. In fact, most of our old-timers hardly ever deploy their nictitating membranes and when they do, we've learned to be especially cautious.
Check out the pic and you'll notice that Olga is obviously equally relaxed.

And yet, upon coming across some images of a dive trip to Tiger Beach, I felt compelled to raise my voice in alarm. What ensued was an interesting conversation thread and I'm particularly happy that we all managed to remain mutually respectful and polite, a rare feat in the ever passionate and opinionated world of Shark aficionados.

That conversation has apparently continued "behind the scenes", as witnessed by Wolf's desire to set the record straight. It certainly has continued at this end, both in terms of e-mails we have received but also, in terms of internal discussions about our own procedures.

Personally, it's a case of Zwei Herzen, ach, schlagen in meiner Brust.
You may have gathered that we at BAD Love Sharks, with a Passion! We name them, we research them, we protect them, we keep track of their individual lives and are overjoyed when our old friends turn up after their yearly walkabout, like right now - and yes, we also pet them!
You may have also noticed that although we interact with the biggest, and most dangerous coastal species, we don't define and market ourselves in spectacular adjectives like "ultimate" (as in "terminal"? Yes, I'm being facetious), "extreme" and the like. Our aim is not to sell some death-defying "adventure", but to showcase our Sharks to our Clients and to have them come away with a new, personal appreciation for their beauty, grace and mellow disposition - whilst contributing to their protection in the process.
From that point of view alone, we're as "Shark-hugging" as one can possibly get!

And yet, we couldn't be more controlled and have more stringent and inflexible procedures!
I've blogged extensively about it before and won't bore you with more of the same. Essentially, it's about commercial versus private Shark diving. Commercial Shark diving means stacking the cards in one's favor and never forgetting the awesome power of the animals we're dealing with. It also has to do with our responsibility towards our Clients and the fact that they, and not the Sharks, can be highly unpredictable!

In that regard, I'm grateful that Wolf has generously posted a caveat not to try and emulate what he does. Thank you!

Is what he does "disrespectful"?
That's really a difficult one.

We've been accused of "demeaning" our Sharks by conditioning them to participate in what some rightfully call a "Circus act". Our standard answer is to point to our Conservation efforts and also, to the fact that the alternative is not a "happy life" but to end up as Shark fin soup. We also feel that we need to do so for safety reasons, as the such conditioned animals are certainly easier to handle.
But I realize that what we do will always remain controversial.

Same-same for Wolf's effusions.
There is really no need for them - but knowing who he is and having read his post, he means only the best and causes no harm whatsoever, certainly not to the animals.
There are scores of Fish- and Shark-touchers, foremost Valerie who'll pet anything from Nudis, Morays and Dugongs all the way to Great Whites! People like them are instrumental in changing perceptions and are to be commended for doing so.
In brief, Wolf, go for it! As I said before, I sometimes bemoan the fact that having crossed the fence, I won't be able to join you!

Would I however strongly object if boatloads of divers started doing the same? Most certainly, experience or no experience!
In the end, the Ocean is no Zoo and direct interactions like petting and feeding are generally to be discouraged as they impact on the animals, most likely in a negative way. Moreover, when it comes to predatory Sharks, one must never forget that they are potentially lethal and that every direct interaction carries the risk of accidents - certainly bad for the person involved but devastating for the image of Sharks and our efforts to get them protected.

OK, enough of this.
Back to Shark Protection - judging from the projects I know about, 2009 is going to be an awesome year!

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?