Tiger Beach June 2011

Dive into Tiger Beach with OceanicAllstars
June 11-18, 2011
Join Duncan Brake & Jillian Morris for the dive adventure of a lifetime.
$3399.00
Tiger Beach is one of the world shark diving Meccas and draws divers, scientists & film crews from across the globe. The pristine shallow waters provide the perfect setting to interact with these amazing creatures. See Tigers, lemons, Caribbean Reefs, nurse and even Great Hammerheads. Some of the best reef diving in the Caribbean is near by along with the wild Atlantic Spotted Dolphins that love to play. The M/V Kate is the ideal dive vessel and provides all the amenities need for a great week on the water.
Duncan and Jillian will offer underwater photo & video seminars as well a shark education & conservation talk. With only 6 divers, there is ample time in the water and you can dive on your own schedule.
Fly into Grand Bahama and journey to the West End where you will stay the night at Old Bahama Bay, a luxury boutique resort. Enjoy local fair and the beautiful white sand beaches before you depart on your adventure.


June 10: Fly into Grand Bahama Island
Spend the night at Old Bahama Bay Resort
June 11: Depart for Tiger Beach ( 1/2 day of diving)
June 12: Full Day of Diving at Tiger Beach
June 13: Full Day of Diving at Tiger Beach
June 14: Full Day of Diving at Tiger Beach
June 15: Full Day of Coral Reef diving
June 16: Full Day with the Atlantic Spotted Dolphins
June 17: Half day of diving and return to West End ( stay on boat)
June 18: Guests Fly home

Includes:
Only 6 divers
Tanks
Weights
All meals ( vegan & vegetarian available)
Hotel Accommodation at Old Bahama Bay ( June 3 night)
Underwater Photo/Video Seminars
Shark Conservation Seminar

Not Included: Flight to Grand Bahama

To Book your Space: $500.00 Deposit due upon booking.

For more information please contact sharkyjillian@gmail.com





2010 Review....crazy ride

On this second day of the new year, I am being attentive to my blog. I am at home in NH where the ground is white with snow and the house is cozy ( fireplace and hot tea included). I am heading back to Florida this week to prepare the first Bahamas trip of the year. Reflecting on 2010 and excited about 2011.


2010 marked a very busy year for us and 2011 promises to bring more adventures.
After a whirlwind tour of Ireland, England, Scotland and Spain we headed back to New England for some really winter weather! Lots of snow!

February took us to New Zealand to film and and to also be on camera talent for National Geographic’s series Hooked. We spent nearly 3 weeks in New Zealand filming marlin, bronze whaler sharks and other big fish. This included 5 days on a boat around the shores of Three Kings Islands. It is here where 2 oceans come together and the wildlife is incredible! New Zealand is rugged and wild...and they have pink sheep!



In March we dove into reality TV and filmed Kourtney & Khloe Kardashian doing a discover scuba for their show “ Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami II. Random shoot with mega yachts and mansions on South Beach. Not our typical gig, but definitely a fun one. Duncan was awarded a new diving BC for winning the Shark Trust 2010 video contest with footage of a lemon shark giving birth!

April and May were non stop, as we headed to Long Island in the Bahamas to film the Vertical Blue Freediving Event at Dean’s Blue Hole. Here we saw National and World Records fall, including William Trubridge’s swim to 300 ft on a single breathe of air without using fins. With only a day in Miami, we were off to Belize to help with the annual Glover’s Reef Shark Survey. Here we tagged sharks, as well as filming the research station and the work that is being done there. The people of Belize really understand how valuable the ocean is and we loved every minute of our time in the country.






June was filled with time on Grand Bahama island and several trips to Tiger Beach, one of our favorite places on the planet. This island has become our second home and we have even moved some of our belongings there. Wishful thinking I guess....
I also suffered a nasty spider bite ( grrrr) which I self diagnosed. Antibiotics and a little field medicine and I survived. The scar is pretty minimal considering the hole it left in my arm. I dive with sharks for a living and a spider got me!




July also included a trip to Grand Bahama and more TIGER SHARKS!! Explored the West End and found some amazing dive spots. Healthy coral and lots of critters. This month I was also asked to be an advisory board member for the Shark Free Marina Initiative. This is a campaign that we have worked with since its inception and are very passionate about. It prohibits fisherman from bringing dead sharks into the marina. It is designed to encourage catch and release if people insist on fishing for sharks.



August: Back to shooting random reality TV. We filmed an auction of very expensive items from a man imprisoned for a Ponzi scheme. This included a Bugatti Veyron, the world’s fasted production car. Only a cool 1.5 million for this rare automobile. It sold for $850,000 at auction, so I guess that is a deal? Only 5 in the world and it is definitely a pretty car. I then headed north to see the family and Duncan hopped across the pond to see his. While home I spoke to 6th graders at Berwick Academy about sharks and why we need to save them! I love going into the classroom! Such inspiration.

September we enjoyed the leaves in New England for a bit and then headed back to Miami. A day in Florida and then back to Grand Bahama for a shoot at Tiger Beach with a German film team. Lots of travel.

I celebrated my 29th birthday on the island with some of my best friends, big tiger sharks, fancy dinner on a yacht and a birthday tiara. Eeek almost 30! October also marked the loss of my grandfather. I was able to see him twice this year, which is rare, but was precious. Norman Watters you are in my heart and will always be in the sea with me. This brought Duncan and I back to Maine to help my grandmother for a few weeks.

November was probably the most hectic and incredible month of the year. Duncan kneeled in the Atlantic Ocean at Long Sands Beach in York, Maine and asked me to marry him!!!! This was after he convinced me to take my shoes off and see how cold the water really was. I am a sissy now about the cold. Island life has ruined my tolerance. I am glad I ventured in. Then on Nov 27 Duncan headed to Hobart, Tasmania to begin a 3 month shoot in Antarctica for the Animal Planet show Whale Wars. I was a bit disappointed as they don’t hire women to film... is this 1950s? The Sea Shepard boats go down to protect whales from the Japanese boats that say they are collecting scientific samples. It is a radical movement, but is making a difference.





2010 was also busy with articles& photos in Deeper Blue, Shark Savers, Make a Wish, Bahamas National Trust, Bahamas Daily News, InStyle Magazine, Hawaii Skin Diver Magazine, Shark Diver Magazine, Beyond Blue, Women’s Adventure Magazine Winter Issue and one in GAFF Magazine that highlighted our sharky adventures as a couple. Duncan even took my last name for the piece. A good story for our kids one day.




I am excited for the adventures that 2011 has in store. Bahamas, Australia, Fiji and England are planned and numerous other projects are starting to fill up the time.
Energized and passionate, I am jumping head first into several major conservation projects and this makes my heart incredibly happy.


Best Fishes,

Jillian

Best Fishes for 2011

My blog performance for 2010 was fairly pathetic. I devoted my writing to articles, scripts and educational materials, all of which were incredibly fulfilling. Like millions of others, I am making my resolutions for 2011. They include health and wellbeing, but also a promise to give more attention to my lonely blog page. I intend to share personal stories, but also provide conservation information and news that I think is important. I do hope you enjoy!

Cheers,

Jillian

Deeper Blue-Shark Free Marinas Article

Spreading the word about the Shark Free Marina Initiative on Deeper Blue

Articles, updates and other things.....

I have been away from the blog for a bit, but really want to start keeping it more up to date. 2010 has been a crazy and amazing year. Here are the links to several articles, posts and other things I have been working on.

Shark Savers Community Blog:
Glover's Reef
Students & Sharks: A Recipe for Success

Diver Wire:
OceanicAllstars & RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation
OceanicAllstars Film Vertical Blue Freediving Event


Deeper Blue:
Filming Vertical Blue

Beyond Blue Magazine-Issue # 8

Please check out my article on the frigid winter we had in Florida this year.













www.beyondbluemag.com

Sharks and Students: A recipe for Success

As a teenager I would have jumped at the opportunity to join a real research trip and possibly tag a shark. This is exactly what the University of Miami RJ Dunlap Marine Conservation Program (formerly South Florida Student Shark Program) offers. With Dr. Neil Hammerschlag and his team of interns at the helm, South Florida high school students are able join shark survey and tagging trips. The data collected is extremely valuable and encourages students to take an active role in current scientific research and education.

On Sunday March 14, I was fortunate enough to join the group to photograph and film the expedition. Joe Romeiro, of 333 Productions, was also on hand to capture images of the day. Leann Winn, one of the program’s members and a science educator at Palmer Trinity School joined us with some of her students. Our day started at Sea Base in Islamorada, Florida, where we loaded the camera equipment, fishing gear and plenty of frozen barracuda before heading out to sea.

The fishing site was selected because it offered calmer conditions; making the ride and work much more manageable. The fishing technique used is “circle-hook drumlines”, which is modified ‘hook and line’ that selectively targets sharks, reduces capture stress and duration, and minimizes the bycatch of other species. Circle hooks are used because they allow safe hooking of sharks in the side of the mouth, where they can be easily and quickly removed. This style of hook prevents foul hooking in the gut, which can be lethal for the shark. Each drumline has a large weight attached to a main line with surface buoys at the other end. A shackle attaches another line with a baited circle hook to the main line. This allows the shark to continue swimming regularly while hooked. The techniques and equipment used have been developed to minimize handling time, reduce stress and be as minimally invasive on the animal as possible.

While we waited for the lines to soak, the kids reviewed the techniques and equipment for the workup and jobs were assigned. It is important that everybody is organized and ready if there is a shark on the line. Efficiency is necessary in order to collect all the needed data and get the animal back in the water and swimming as soon as possible.  The workup of each shark includes measuring the length, taking a biopsy for mercury analysis, a blood sample and a fin clip for DNA, as well as inserting a roto and dart tag. These tags give each shark an identity and provide contact information if the animal is caught or found. Some sharks even get a satellite tag, depending on the research that is currently being done. The tags are not permanent and will eventually fall off, with the application area healing very quickly.


When the time arrived to check the lines everyone’s energy was high. For many of the students it will be their first time ever seeing a shark and you never know what might be on the end of the line!  Each line is checked and rebaited if there is nothing on it. This gave us 20 chances to catch sharks. Our first shark was a female black tip reef shark. She was quickly secured and the kids immediately went to work. Neil’s team removed the hook and in less than 5 minutes, of being brought onboard, our shark was swimming again. We were then onto the next drumline to see what was waiting for us!  At the end of our checks we had caught 3 nurse sharks, 2 black tip sharks and a black nose. I have to say I was slightly disappointed that we did not get a hammerhead, but it was still amazing to see these healthy animals. Those 6 sharks, although captured and uncomfortable for a bit, are apart of the greater good for the oceans. They are ambassadors for their species and for all sharks across the world. The 2 black tips brought a lot of excitement because they were both females and both possibly pregnant.


Obtaining data from female sharks is extremely valuable. It provides information on mating and birthing behavior, data to support protection of breeding and nursery areas, and encourage regulation of fishing seasons so breeding animals are not being targeted and removed from the stock. Data collected on these trips will hopefully help put legislation in place, as seen with the recent protection of lemon sharks in Florida waters.

Every student on the boat left with a huge smile and a better understanding of the ocean. It is always amazing to see the science world connecting to the average person, especially younger generations. Making a connection to these animals at an early age is vital to changing perceptions. Not every student that goes through the program will become a marine biologist, but hopefully they will all be marine advocates.

For more information check out www.rjd.miami.edu