Sea Shepherd joins the fight

Good news for the anti-shark finning campaign against Alibaba.com, the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society has joined.

“Many of these sharks are being brutally finned, often while still alive, within marine reserves around the world including the Galapagos Islands and we hope that Alibaba.com will remove these listings and restrict future listings that offer shark related products,” states Sean O’Hearn Gimenez, Sea Shepherd Galapagos Director.

See their press release here.

There are no sharks here...

Since the blog is about freediving, sharks, etc., I best post something relevant. One of my favorite stories comes to mind.

In March 2005, my dad and I were in the Galapagos - it was my last day there before I was heading back. Unfortunately it was raining, seas were rough, and the visibility miserable. So the boat dropped my dad and I off in a bay - where according to the captain a snorkeler had been bitten (nothing serious) by a Galapagos shark. The area is filled baby seals, nursery. But according to my dad - there are no sharks here...get a clue.

So as we are diving we decide to separate - I stay close to the rocks patrolled by the seals - the bull seemed nice enough to let me be. As I am fiddling with the video camera out of the corner of my eye I see a huge shadow glide along the white sandy floor. It is by far the largest shark that I have seen while diving, almost four meters long - as big as Galapagos sharks get.

She swims by me and vanishes back into the murk - I start calling my old man, he comes, but she is nowhere in sight. So my dad decides to explore the area in which the shark disappeared. As my luck would have it, she came back - this time closer and kept approaching - I should have been filming all this right? So I start swimming towards the rocks while looking at her. All of a sudden I bumped the seal bull - great - mauled by a seal and finished by a shark.

The seal did not mind - but he did mind the shark. Like a missile he zoomed in on the shark chasing it off. I had enough excitement for one day - as my dad came back he could not believe his eyes: me sitting on the rocks next to an iguana and baby seal - waiting for the boat to come back.

Not sure if my dad believed me or not - at least about the size and since I had not filmed it there was no proof - but alas, my dad returned to the same spot two days later and found her, the picture is there to prove it...

"There are no sharks here" - whenever I hear that coming from my dad now - I expect an adventure.

Anohka

I have only been to four Indian restaurants in Miami, not sure if there are any more honestly. Two have been good while the others, simply put, sucked. None compare to places I would frequent in Boston.

Anohka (one of the good ones), located in the Grove, is a small family owned restaurant. I have been there more than once, the food is good, but expect to wait for it. It is also a bit on the pricey side, at least compared to the other three.

Good place to take a date - you will have a lot of time to talk, unless of course there is nothing to talk about anymore - awkward silent moments. But at least you know it was not meant to be.

Lamb kebab was very good as were the samosas and nan bread...

Hollywood - FL style

Last night we went to Sneakers (bar in Hollywood, FL) to watch a buddy, Tony C, play. Not sure what the name of the band was - but they had a good groove going on. Crowd was pretty different compared to Miami.

Not sure what New Years will bring - party at a friends house, hmmmm...I'd rather be at the Road.

Nothing beats a live band and a cold brew...

From Tony C Jam De...

Garcia's Seafood Restaurant

Last night went to Garcia's, what a dolphin sandwich - may very well be the best in town. Their site is not working, but take a look here, one of the hidden treasures of Miami.

Cheers

Old Man - it's time to blog

So I am trying to convince my old man to start blogging. Lately he has been actively voicing his concern about shark fining - particularly against www.alibaba.com. He has been working with various organizations to spread the message, so far the approach has been subtle - phase two will be more aggressive.

However, I also think it is a great space for him to talk about his experiences, views, and the opportunity to start discussions on various topics. Maybe even post some pictures from his trips.

Get with it old man and Merry Xmas!!!

Felix