"Goetterdaemmerung"

Click on pic to enlarge

This image invokes in me an almost somber Wagnerian mood, Goetterdaemmerung, the twilight of the old Germanic gods.*)

And if I think of the Polynesians I can truly understand why they happen to revere sharks as godlike reincarnations of their ancestors.


*) I am not a Wagner fan; in fact, I reject him because he was a rabid antisemite.

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DeeperBlue - First Article

Nico Danan of Oceanminds invited me to write for DeeperBlue - at the time I knew I wanted to write about freediving and sharks but did not know what the best approach was. So I decided to break it down into different segments...

The first is up and is called: "Freediving with a Sea Wolf: The Beginning of a Unique Journey".

More to come as I am preparing the second chapter...

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No story - just a few words and an image...

Click on image to enlarge

As I was selecting a few photographs for an Ukranian photography magazine, I came across this image I had completely overlooked before. I thought I should digitalize the negative and share it as I believe the photograph conveys the indescribable grace of the mighty tiger sharks.

Very few people understand these awesome creatures; I would dare to say that only those few who had the privilege to dive and interact with them have a notion of their true nature. All others have almost worthless second hand knowledge about them. Even shark researchers who 'just' study tiger sharks but don't do proper field work (= dive with these majestic animals) simply don't know them.

Take George Burgess, a shark "expert" who has no clue about tiger sharks; however, he repeats what everybody else says: "Tiger sharks are the most dangerous sharks next to the great whites and the bull sharks - blah, blah, blah..." - yet, the Discovery Channel and the media consider Burgess an undisputed authority when it comes to shark attacks.

Tiger sharks are probably less understood than great white sharks. That is why the majority of people really don't mind seeing those redneck shark angler hooligans of the oceans killing and proudly displaying tiger sharks hung up by their tails. Invariably, to justify their murderous 'sport' these idiots sheepishly say that these sharks are "man eaters" that deserve to be 'neutralized'.

As one of those primitive shark hunters put it recently in an interview: "Only a dead shark is a good shark".

Isn't that what was being commonly said about Indians during the not so glorious conquest of the West in the nineteenth century?...

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Shark Encounter Survivors become Strong Advocates

This morning friends in Amsterdam sent me a link to another shark story on MSNBC - I was reluctant to open the page - to my surprise, the title of the article read: "Survivors lend hand to sharks that bit them".

What a great story to tell - people who have been bitten by sharks fighting for sharks:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/31914432/ns/us_news-washington_post

Apparently Maddow just covered the story on TV as I have been seeing various tweets making reference to sharks / senate / survivors.

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Spear-fisher encounter with Caribbean Reef Shark

Caribbean Reef Shark, Bahamas, Photo by: Wolf Leander

CNN had a fairly "normal" piece on a recent shark incident involving a spear-fisher; reason I say normal is because I did not feel it anyway sensationalized the situation.

Watch the video here.

Essentially a spear-fisherman / guide takes other spear-fishermen on fishing trips in the Bahamas - one of these tourists panicked as shark got to close and decided to shoot shark in head - instigated an already potentially dangerous situation even more. Unfortunate for the guide that he got the worst of the aggression. Some thoughts:

• Diver panicked and shot shark - if you are not comfortable around sharks get out of the water (and if spearing...)
  
• Shark felt threatened and defended itself after diver attacked it
  
• Careful who you take into the water - specially in spear-fishing circumstances, need more OceanSmart people
• Neal Watson claims that Caribbean Reef sharks are "safe" while lemons are dangerous - WHAT? Caribbean Reef sharks can be like street dogs and in packs even bolder. I would rather be in the water with a Tiger Shark than a Reef (personal opinion - as are all other points above.
• A lot more potentially dangerous things happening in the Bahamian waters than the Tiger Beach
  

Happy ending - both spear-fisher guide and shark will live. Discovery - some more Shark Porn material for Shark Week 2010

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Another Shark-Free Marina

Update: After posting story, Patric Douglas contacted us with the following information - makes the whole Shark-Free Marina concept even more powerful:

"THIS marina went SF due to the efforts of one local woman who wanted to do something for sharks and her name is Kate Metzler.

Kates story is even more wonderful when you come to discover she purchased two signs on her own and walked right into the marina with the website material and got them to make the change for sharks!

This is the vision behind the SFMI, empowering people in their own areas to help sharks.

Kudos to Kate and the hundreds of other Kates just like her out there.

It starts with "One".

Thanks for the post. "

Harwich Port Boat Yard has become a shark-free marina thanks to the efforts of Luke Tipple (Director of the Shark-Free Marina project) and Patric Douglas (CEO of Shark Divers).

Take a look at the growing number of marinas that are doing the right thing: http://www.sharkfreemarinas.com/current-shark-free-marinas.shtml

Read complete story here...

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Interview with Discovery Channel Executive Paul Gasek

About two weeks ago David from Southern Fried Science asked for readers to submit questions as he was going to interview Paul Gasek from the Discovery Channel in reference to Shark Week. Many questions and good questions were submitted...thank you, David, for the initiative.

I was pretty disheartened after reading Paul's answers to be very honest. Particularly by: "At Discovery Channel, we pride ourselves on telling compelling and accurate stories. Shark Week is no different." - sure you may say this was taken out of context - not to me.

Gasek did not answer David's question in reference to the fish stuffing of a dummy snorkeller to incite a shark to "attack" the dummy.

I do not see the Discovery Channel changing the programming of Shark Week anytime soon...

LONG LIVE SHARK PORN

Read the full interview here - curious as to what your thoughts are.

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