Shark Sunday: Caribbean Reef Shark Encounter

There is a popular dive site here in Bimini frequented by not only the Bimini Biological Field Station ( Sharklab) for research and education, but also by local dive and eco tour operators. My first visit to the site was in 2004 while working on a research vessel that was visiting Bimini and I have been there dozens of times since; I am happy to report that it never gets old and you never know what you will see.

The usual stars are Caribbean reef sharks with anywhere from 2 to 20 making an appearance. Like any site frequented regularly, you start to recognize specific animals and I am always happy when old regulars show up.

Although the Bahamas is a shark sanctuary, we have seen people and fishing gear on this site with sharks as their targeted species.

The Bahamas Shark Sanctuary Approximately 243,244 square miles

Shark Fishing Gear Left Near Dive Site

Caribbean Reef Shark with a Hook Scar on the Mouth

It had been about a month since Duncan and I visited the site, so with a beautiful day before us we headed out. As soon as we anchored up a single shark finned at the surface. We threw a few pieces of bait in and very quickly we had 4 sharks. We geared up, got the cameras ready and slipped in.

Happiness! Who Needs Diamonds?! Sharks are a Girl's Best Friend

The water was crystal clear and the sunlight danced in ripples on the gray skin of the sharks; I absolutely love days like this. We spent over an hour in the water diving down and holding our breath, being as much part of their world as we could for a brief amount of time. The ocean is quiet place and I love lying on the bottom and just watching. I love sharks, if you hadn’t already guessed, but watching them never ceases to amaze me. Lost in the moment, my body reminded me that I am a land animal and must return to the surface.

Duncan Filming Caribbean Reef Sharks 

Freediving Shark Selfie

Throughout the Bahamas Caribbean sharks dives and snorkels draw divers, film crews and shark aficionados from around the world. These sharks are also responsible for educating thousands of people and changing fear into fascination and respect. Five minutes is all it takes to create a new perception and shark eco-tourism throughout the Bahamas has not only been good for the economy, but good for the sharks that swim around these islands.

We ended our dive and got back on the boat. I threw in some of the last scraps of bait and chatted with the sharks, as I always do. Duncan giggled, like he always does, amused by running commentary. I absolutely love being around these remarkable creatures.

Shark Geeks! Loving The Gorgeous Day!

I am a huge proponent of getting in the water and having your own shark experience, so if you find yourself in the Bahamas or somewhere offering a shark encounter, I encourage you to dive in! If you are in Bimini check out the Sharklab's Research Experience , Bimini Sands for shark snorkels or the Bimini Scuba Center for scuba diving trips.

Shark Week: Shark Babies

Sharks are apex predators that rule the oceans of the planet, but even the largest shark begins life small. Most people only see the gnashing teeth or the massive beast strung up as a fisherman’s trophy, never stopping to think about how the story starts. If a shark reaches sexual maturity (8-12 years on average) they must find then find mate. In the case of lemon sharks they have a gestation period of 12 months before giving birth to live young. The female essentially beaches herself on a high tide, getting her pups as close to the protection of the mangrove forest as she can.


The pups are thrust into a dangerous world and very few will survive to see their first birthday. Sharks, barracudas and even adult lemon sharks will happily make a meal out of these babies, so it is critical for them to find shelter amongst the roots and in the shallows. It is here in this nursery the sharks will spend the first 3-4 years of their life, honing their skills for survival in the open ocean. Juvenile nurse sharks, conch, lobster and snapper also use the protective roots of the mangroves as a nursery area until they too, are ready to move into deeper water. Sharks are the last animals you would expect to find in a forest, but above and below the surface the mangroves are vital for the survival of countless species across the planet.

For over twenty years Doc Gruber and the Bimini Biological Field Station have been studying these tiny predators in the mangroves and lagoons of Bimini in the Bahamas. The Sharklab has done ground breaking research proving these sharks are highly social and even have their best friends. They have also studied the devastating impact the development of a mega resort has had on juvenile lemon shark populations in Bimini. The mangroves are the heart and soul of these tiny islands and without them the people and the ecosystems around the island suffer.

Sharklab director Dr. Tristan Guttridge with a juvenile tiger shark

Sharklab observation tower

A shark with a transmitter being observed in the shallows

I love sharing these little guys with people because it shows them a different side of sharks. Even the most fearful people can find a new appreciation for these incredible animals. It gives them a change of perspective when they are looking at a very small and very vulnerable creature. Don’t get me wrong they still have teeth and still behave like a shark, but seeing the tiny belly button scar of a lemon shark or the spotted belly of a baby nurse shark, will soften even the harshest critic.

As you watch Shark Week and see the iconic shots of great whites with mouths wide open and laden with teeth try and think about that shark when it was small. There is a lot more to the story than what you are getting a glimpse of.
Happy Shark Week

2013: The Year of the Great Hammerhead Shark

As I write this, CITES CoP16 is underway. CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, is an international agreement between governments around the world. The goal is to ensure that the multi-billion dollar international trade of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. CITES offers protections for over 30,000 species across the globe. Countries voluntarily join, but once a member they are legally bound to uphold the convention. This year the 16th meeting of the Conference of Parties (countries) is happening in Bangkok, Thailand and a proposal to include scalloped hammerhead sharks (Sphyrna lewini) in the Appendix II listing has been submitted by numerous countries including, Costa Rica, Ecuador and 27 member States of the European Union. Great and smooth hammerhead sharks are being included in this listing because their fins look very similar when traded. Oceanic white tip sharks, porbeagle sharks and manta ray proposals have also been submitted.

2013 has certainly become the year of the great hammerhead shark, especially on the tiny island of South Bimini in the Bahamas. For nearly a decade the Bimini Biological Field Station (Sharklab)
and its staff have been developing sites to dive with and tag these amazing creatures. From January through March, the great hammerheads frequent these crystal clear waters and can be n close proximity to the coastline. Until this year, this aggregation had managed, for the most part, to stay off the radar. This created an ideal research and diving venue, uninfluenced by outside factors. This has all changed this year and the, "cat is out of the bag," so to speak with everyone and their uncle motoring to the shores of Bimini to have their moment in the world’s newest shark diving Mecca.

The shark diving community is small and the Internet has made the world even smaller, so in a short period of time news has spread to the far reaches of the globe in the form of images, social media posts, videos and blogs. Sadly, it has also not taken much time for bickering among boats, claims of discovery and touching/grabbing of the sharks to happen. No one owns these sharks, but the sharks, the scientists who study them and the island they are swimming around, should all be respected. I have shared two letters in a previous post about hammerhead shark diving protocols and encourage people to read them. The world deserves to see these animals and the more positive press and education that is spread, the better their chances of survival.

My first hammerhead encounter happened in 2007 off the coast of Key West, Florida. Since then I have only had a handful of encounters both diving and tagging these animals, but they have remained my favorite animal on the planet without question. The conservation media company my husband and I run has a hammerhead in the logo, we each have hammerhead tattoos that we got before we ever met and our wedding rings have 2 hammerheads engraved on them; we love these sharks.




The crystal clear water of Bimini and the shallow depth, make this an ideal place for photo and video; probably the biggest draw for the masses now flocking to Bimini. The sharks cruise in from the haze and circle around the bait. These charismatic predators are bold, but not aggressive or fearful. They have comical faces, with their mouth on the underside and large cartoon like eyes. They appear to be laughing at a joke or smiling for the camera. Power and grace, with a Cheshire cat smile. No, they do not have the characteristic sleek body or head sharks are known for, but even people who do not know much about sharks can identify a hammerhead.






Sadly, the rare and elusive nature of these creatures, which has catalyzed a global interest in photographing and filming them, is also the reason why research to better understand them is absolutely critical.

I feel truly blessed to have spent so much time with these magnificent animals and I hope that each and every person that slips beneath the surface around Bimini realizes how fortunate they are as well. It is not about getting the shot or filming in 4K; it is about sharing with the world why these animals need protection. Each image, each video clip, each blog, each story shared with friends, is so much more than just those things; it is an opportunity to spread awareness, educate the world and help make sure future generations can know the indescribable beauty of having a great hammerhead swim past.

Great Hammerhead Shark Diving Protocols: Bimini, The Bahamas

Great Hammerheads have created quite a stir in Bimini this year and it is important that some of the ridiculous shark riding shenanigans that happen in other locations not be brought to these sites. Please respect these animals and help protect them. Scalloped, smooth and Great Hammerheads are all listed in proposals for inclusion at this year at the CITES convention happening in Bangkok, Thailand in March.

Below are two letters sent to various members of the shark diving community is hopes that they will respect not only these animals, but the island they are located near.





Greetings from Bimini,

With the enormous amount of interest that the Great Hammerheads are generating around Bimini this year, I wanted to attempt to to set the record straight regarding this incredible situation happening around the island. I don’t mean this message to be confrontational or self-righteous, rather I’m hoping it can be informative and maybe even helpful.

As anyone familiar with Bimini has probably already assumed, the researchers at the Bimini Biological Field Station (SharkLab) are responsible for discovering and determining the regularity and reliability of diving with these big hammerheads. The SharkLab staff began diving with these sharks on a regular basis back in 2003, and since then have utilized various ‘hammerhead sites’ around the island for numerous research projects and related expeditions. Obviously the hammerheads were around long before that, and can be found in more than one location around Bimini, but all of the visiting “shark diving” boats are utilizing sites and situations developed by local SharkLab researchers.

Due to the rarity of interacting with these sharks, and the incredible potential for research opportunities on an IUCN Redlisted species, local guides and tour operators have resisted the exploitation of this yearly “hammerhead season” around Bimini. It was decided that research should be the priority surrounding this event, rather than commercialization.

For better or for worse, and against the wishes of many of those involved with developing this phenomenon, that all changed in 2012. An off-island SCUBA operator caught wind of the situation around Bimini and convinced a former SharkLabber to show him the basics of how-and-when-and-where to attract these incredible sharks. A year later, after the wide publicization of that promised “one time only” expedition, we now have at least 10 off-island dive operations converging on Bimini to experience this event.

Anyone coming to dive with these sharks around Bimini needs to accept that there is considerable amount of responsibility that comes with your expedition. You hold in your power the ability to do an enormous amount of damage to the reputation of this island and to this endangered species of shark, and hopefully you do not take this lightly. I’m a firm believer that under the right circumstances and with the proper insight, any species of shark can be safely encountered in the wild. That being said, I would imagine there is little to no agreement on exactly what those circumstances and insights are. But if you think its acceptable to put yourself, or your guests, or the sharks, at any elevated risk for the sake of photos, videos, or bragging-rights, you are wrong. If you or your guests get hurt around Bimini because of your own recklessness, the tourism industry on this island could face irreparable damage, as could the public perception of these sharks, and we want people to take that very, very seriously.

Additionally, I’d like to suggest that if you are benefitting in anyway from your expedition to Bimini, that you should make a point to patronize some of the local businesses while you’re here so that the island benefits from your trip as well. Go to the local bars at night, take some meals at local restaurants, take a tour of the SharkLab, or whatever else you think is fitting. If you’re looking for a marina to tie up in, please consider Bimini Sands Resort & Marina, the Bimini Big Game Club, Seacrest Hotel & Marina, Bimini Blue Water Resort, Weech’s Bimini Docks, or Brown’s Marina. All of these marinas have supported local conservation measures around the island, and should be rewarded for doing so.

If, for some reason, you’re not willing to spend money on the island, then contribute in some other way. Help maintain the moorings at the local dive sites, do a beach-clean-up with your crew and guests, join and help publicize the Bimini Marine Protected Area Campaign, or something else worthwhile.

We don’t need, or want, this amazing event around Bimini to turn into a circus of competing egos. There is no need to further misrepresent the history of this situation, nor is there any reason that the operators involved can’t coordinate and cooperate in a professional manner, all without interfering with ongoing research.

If you are seeing this message, The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism has been made aware of your visit, as have local law enforcement officials. We expect your cooperation in ensuring the safety of every person and animal involved in these expeditions, and also expect your help in maintaining a professional atmosphere around the island with proper diving etiquette employed.

As Bimini emerges as the regional “Hammerhead Headquarters,” we all need to do what is necessary to make sure your excursion not only benefits you and your guests, but also the sharks and the island of Bimini.

Thank you for your time, and please feel free to contact me if you have any further questions or comments.

Regards,
Grant Johnson

Vice-Chairman, Bimini Tourism Advisory Board (BTAB)
Activities Director, Bimini Sands Resort & Marina (2007 – Present)
Former Manager, Bimini Biological Field Station –SharkLab (2001-2007)



Sharklab:
Dear All, 


For the past 23 years the Bimini Biological Field Station, "Sharklab" has been documenting the occurrence of Great hammerhead, S. mokarran sharks around the Bimini Islands. In 2003 we located an area, "The Grate" where these animals could be baited in for educational experiences and to facilitate tagging and genetic sampling. Last year this site was used for the first time commercially as a diving experience for tourists, and in the past two months a number of tourism vessels have begun to explore its potential. Whilst we are delighted to see people from around the globe interact with, and observe up close one of the world’s most charismatic predators we are keen to ensure that such experiences are conducted in a safe and responsible manner. This site is an established research location for Great hammerheads and has already provided some interesting findings. Attached is a document that includes some of these preliminary results, as well as, sections detailing our current understanding of Great hammerhead biology and conservation, planned methods and the significance of our research. Great hammerheads are endangered, declining in numbers and data deficient. To our knowledge there are few places around the globe where it is possible to research free-ranging individuals in close proximity to shore. Bimini therefore gives us a unique opportunity to understand more about these elusive predators and we hope that with this email and detailed description of our project we can open up lines of communication between ourselves and dive operators. We are eager to collate as much data as possible on these enigmatic sharks and would welcome information on the number of tagged / untagged individuals observed, as well as, environmental records of the conditions, such as water temperature during such dives. It would also be particularly useful to know when and for how long operators are using the site so that we can coordinate with our research and educational trips. If you are interested to take such information please contact me for a data template. 

I would greatly appreciate your time in replying to this email with any thoughts or comments.

Thank you for your time and best regards,

Dr. Tristan Guttridge
Director Bimini Biological Field Station
South Bimini, The Bahamas

It's a Bahamian 'Ting Shark Stanley

Shark Stanley has finally made it to the Bahamas. Shark Defenders has created a cartoon hammerhead shark named Stanley. The goal is to get Stanley to visit all 177 CITES member countries before the next convention begins on March 3 in Bangkok, Thailand. The PEW Environment group, the UN ADvisory Panel that makes recommendations for cites, has recommended support for hammerheads, oceanic white tips and porbeagle sharks.

The saying, “It’s Better in the Bahamas,” is also applicable for sharks. The Bahamas established a 630,000 square kilometer (243,244 square mile) Shark Sanctuary in 2011 and the first Shark Free Marina in the world is the Bimini Sands Resort & Marina on the island of South Bimini.

While in Bimini, Stanley visited the Bimini Sands, hung out with some local kids and even met his first REAL shark at the Bimini Biological Field Station ( Sharklab).

Keeping Bimini Blue

Just 50 miles from the hustle and bustle of Miami, the islands of Bimini sit surrounded by some of the bluest water in the world. Bimini has an eclectic history constructed with rum running, Hemingway and the Bermuda Triangle. Big game fishermen have chased records, tourists have sipped tropical libations on the white sand beaches and film crews, researchers and conservationists have slipped beneath the surface with some amazing sharks. For two tiny little islands; Bimini has big personality and a lot to be proud of.

Over the years the draw to Bimini has remained consistent; the gorgeous blue water. I have traveled throughout the Bahamas, Caribbean and the world and I have never encountered the shades of blue one can find off the shores of Bimini. From above it is abstract of bold and brilliant color. From below there is no end to the life and adventure you may find; dolphins, plane wrecks and the Road to Atlantis.

Almost 400 unique animal species have been documented within the North Bimini Marine Reserve. Several of these species are listed as threatened or endangered (IUCN or CITES) including the smalltooth sawfish (Pristis pectinata), green Sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the Bimini boa (Epicrates striatus fosteri).

Those who don a snorkel or scuba gear might find Atlantic spotted dolphins, eagle rays or one of over a dozen species of sharks that have been studied in these waters. The diversity under the water is remarkable and will definitely leave you wanting more, wondering what you might find around the next bend. It is not just coral reefs worth exploring, but the mangroves are a unique world of their own. Juvenile fish, conch, lobster and even baby lemon sharks use the roots of the mangroves as a nursery area. If you look close enough you might even find a seahorse.

Diving, snorkeling, kayaking, bonefishing,island tours and stand up paddleboarding; Bimini offers amazing ways to experience this beautiful blue.

Bimini, despite its beauty, is not sheltered from the negative environmental impacts that are affecting our planet. Development, habitat destruction, overfishing, illegal fishing and pollution have all found their way to these tiny little islands. There is hope though, and there are people who care and want to see Bimini retain its beauty. Biminites, local businesses, homeowners and visitors alike are working together to protect Bimini as much as possible and to share with people how they can help.

Check out the new Bimini Blue Coalition Facebook and Twitter pages and share your love for Bimini. Help us keep Bimini Blue. Not visited Bimini yet? What are you waiting for?

Big Beautiful Bull Sharks

I love bull sharks. They are big, powerful and have a lot of attitude. They are also graceful, misunderstood and remarkable in the fact that they can travel through brackish and fresh water. Bulls are one of the many species that frequent the waters around Bimini and today we went in search of them.

The team included Lauran from the Sharklab, her family and Katie and Grant who now run the activities department at the Bimini Sands. We headed to the north island to bait off the docks in hopes of getting the chance to tag a big animal. It wasn’t long before two very large sharks began appearing in and out of the shadows. Massive tarpon and couple stingrays showed up as well. Eagles rays jumped in the channel and the energy was building. None of us were very patient, especially when the sharks are in the area. I decided to run to the bathroom, saying we would probably hook a shark while I was gone. As I was walking back down the dock with Katie, people were shouting and we ran to jump in the boat.

The sun was starting to drop in the sky and the clouds were really moody. It was like a scene from a movie as we brought the shark along side the boat with the sun beginning to drop behind moody late afternoon clouds. A seaplane took off and boats were zipping around. We made our way to shallow water and quickly began the workup. We did the standard three length measurements; took a DNA sample and I got to put the Casey tag in her. The total length of our big lady was 2.46m (8 ft) She had a ling running from her mouth a few cuts, no doubt the work of a fishing venture.

Our friends Dony and Michelle arrived from Toronto and Duncan got them over to us in time for them to snap a picture. I think they were a little shell shocked having landed and less than an hour later they were standing in shallow water touching a massive bull shark. So amazing! Unbelievable that our best friends arrive on island and this is how we welcome them!

As the sun painted the sky a beautiful orange we snapped some photos before watching her swim away with power and grace. Everyone was so excited. What a rush. My face hurt from smiling so much. I had wanted to give a bull shark a hug for a while and this was a pretty epic way to end 2012! Not only that, my friends arrived in time to see their first bull shark up close. I am still spinning from the whole experience.

FLIPSIDE: Me and the Dunkster on Camera

Duncan and I worked with Ulf in 2010 as site guides on a shoot at Tiger Beach. We got chatting about filming, sharks and our lives, as you do when you are on a boat with people. About a year ago, Ulf reached out and asked if he could film us filming and doing shark education for a documentary. It sounded like a fun shoot, but we were not sure it would get approved or funded. Low and behold Ulf rang us up in September and said, “let’s make this happen.” We were shocked, but excited and started making plans. We have been approached by a few producers about filming our lives as a couple that travels, films and plays with sharks together, but we never felt comfortable with what they wanted us to do. We were optimistic that Ulf understood our intentions and passion for these animals.

The shoot date was set for two weeks in October. Ulf arrived in Bimini to find Duncan sick with a strep infection and the weather less than ideal. Every time we made a plan, it was changed. We went north, south, east and west, to try and get some shelter, but Hurricane Sandy was impending and she was relentless. We cancelled a trip to Grand Bahamas and sorted an alternative in Bimini. Sandy had other ideas, however, and she shut down all shooting except for hurricane footage.





Ulf’s crew left, but his flight got delayed, thus he was stuck with us to brace for his first hurricane. We did all the normal prep; canned goods, matches, candles, batteries, water and flashlights. We had access to water for the toilets and a camping stove for meals. The marina has a generator so the bar and showers were still open. Once we were prepared we set out to explore and see the raw power of Mother Nature as she crashed against our little island. We got sprayed, splashed and soaked as we looked for places to film.

We lost power for a few hours, so we organized a posse to climb Mt Bimini; what else would you do when the power goes out? We reached the summit and all got a free microderm abrasion to the face. We washed down our conquest with ice-cold Kaliks. We were very lucky only losing power for a day. Fun and games were had, but the shoot really went to shit, with no place to get away from Sandy’s extensive reach. We sought shelter in the mangroves, but really didn’t have much luck. Usually in Bimini you can find shelter on one side of the island or another, but Sandy was really set on mucking up our plans. We finally threw up our hands in defeat and set about arranging for Ulf to return at a later date to finish the shoot.

At the beginning of December, just over a month since he left, Ulf returned to Bimini in hopes of good weather and lots of sharks. We wasted no time getting after it and quickly got two shark dives under our belts. Ulf was definitely in a better mood, having some footage and a story to work with.

The next part of the shoot was one of the most amazing days I have had on Bimini; we took school kids into the mangroves to feed baby lemon sharks. It is amazing how many kids on the island have never really explored the beauty of the mangroves that are in their backyard.

When we arrived on site the girls jumped in and began the trek. The boys, however, took a little coercion, which came in the form of heckling from their female classmates. Eventually we all made our way through the channel to where Sharklab manager Jill Brooks was waiting with some bait in the water. The little sharks came in slowly and then one by one each student got to hand feed a shark. The teachers, who were standing behind us to begin with, decided they needed a turn as well. There in the mangroves we shared an amazing connection between sharks and people. This is one of my favorite places on the planet and probably one of the most memorable moments I have had there. I think I can speak for everyone involved when I say it was remarkable. Within a few minutes any fear or misunderstanding was replaced with awe and excitement about the sharks.

Still on a high from such a powerful experience, we spent the next day speaking at the local high school about sharks, why they are so important and how the students can help them. Bimini is setting a strong example for shark conservation and as Biminites, these students have something to be tremendously proud to be a part of. It is vital for younger generations to realize how much of a positive impact they can and will have. Reveling in yet another amazing moment in Bimini.