"Smiley" - the rising star of Tiger Beach.

With about 10-11 ft in length, she might not be fully grown but she is definitely an adult tiger shark who commands respect; she is serene and inquisitive; and above all she is most graceful, beautiful, and absolutely lovable. 

When she looks at you, as she does in the above image, you will be completely mesmerized by her striking facial expression. She has what we call in German a "Charakterkopf" (literally: 'character head').

It is impossible not to recognize her because her lower jaw has been disfigured while on an angler's hook.

She is "Smiley".

It is also hardly impossible not to meet "Smiley" at her beach. As soon as a dive boat anchors in the Tiger Beach area, you could almost bet that she will be on the spot sooner or later, mostly sooner. This year, I haven't missed her not even one single day.

I met "Smiley" back in November 2008 for the first time when she looked pretty much like any other female tiger shark. It was, however, not difficult to identify her even then  by the prominent dark spots on her belly and the inside of her pectoral fins. 

You could tell that "Smiley" was quite confident in the presence of divers. She never displayed any type of boldness, let alone aggressiveness. She was what tiger sharks generally are: Curious and gentle. When I say 'curious' I don't mean what a lot of even so-called experienced shark divers stupidly claim, namely that sharks always look at you to check out "whether you are prey".

The first year after she was hooked and mutilated in the process, "Smiley"  was extremely wary of divers - as if she related her trauma to humans. Fortunately, she eventually regained her confidence in divers. Her being hand-fed by the crew members of the "Dolphin Dream" might have also contributed to winning back her trust in 'humanity', as it were...

The large shark in the upper right side is "Smiley" approaching one of the hand-feeders.

Who knows, "Smiley" might be related to famous "Emma" -  I wouldn't be surprised as both dignified ladies have a lot in common. What I can say with certainty, though, is that "Smiley" is definitely on her way to becoming the new star of Tiger Beach. 

This is not the first time I wrote about "Smiley" - have a look at the blog I posted back in November 2011.

At any rate, this is a propitious opportunity to wish "Smiley" and "Emma", and all their relatives and friends, a long and happy shark life.


Here are a few images of "Smiley" taken before she got that distinguishing smile on her face....

All photographs by Wolfgang Leander

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Tiger Beach revisited.

It is always an emotional climax to go back to that magic place. I see the same individuals, and at times I feel they recognize me as well (you should know that sharks have a memory that goes back at least one year).

"Emma" with lots of tiger babies in her tummy!

Photo: Wolfgang Leander (2011)

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I was especially pleased to see a pregnant "Emma", and "Smiley", an incredibly gentle female tiger shark whose lower has been almost destroyed by recreational fishermen.

"Smiley" looks 'ugly' now, but to us who know her, she is the most beautiful striped girl with an unusually strong personality, not unlike the legendary "Scarface" of the Fiji Islands.

"Smiley" - intelligent and most gentle despite her new 'look'.

Photo: Wolfgang Leander (2011)

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The weather was not that great during the two weeks I was in the Bahamas but the underwater adventures we had when the visibility was good, and the people who joined us this time, more than compensated for the bad luck not to have had the usually excellent diving conditions at "the" beach.

I felt privileged to be around experienced shark divers and novices who were, as I could see and hear, as enthusiastic to mix with the shark crowd as 'yours truly':

Caro and Michel Lonfat, Isabel Muscat, Isabel Singer ("Bitsy" - not at all bitchy!! :-), my old young friend David Salama, Carsten and Ute, both from Frankfurt, grumpy but good-hearted Roy Kerr, Jupp, as always, this old aristocrat of genuine Westfalian stock who is an idealistic yet down-to-earth shark warrior, Rob Allen and his buddy Andrew, both very British in the very best sense of this qualification, professional photographer Will Allen (not related to Rob), Felix, who turned 35 during the trip but did not want me to announce it, Engracia Katsoufis with her contagious laughter, filmmaker David Ulloa, a talented horse and human whisperer, and, last not least, Robert Terpstra always so busy preparing his camera housing for the next dive that he sometimes missed the best part of the action... :-)

OK, enough said - I know that some of you, dear readers, want to see a few new pix. Here they are:

Murky waters can be great for moody images.

Photo: Wolfgang Leander

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"Smiley" - again.

Photo: Wolfgang Leander (2011)

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Caribbean Reef Sharks - gregarious and curious.

Photo: Wolfgang Leander (2011)

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Isabel Muscat checking her camera to see whether she got a good shot of "Smiley".

Photo: Wolfgang Leander (2011)

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Caribbean Reef Shark: Some consider it the quintessential shark.

Photo: Wolfgang Leander (2011)

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They ARE simply beautiful, aren't they?

Photos: Wolfgang Leander (2011)

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My next shark dive trip? It's still a secret but you'll know in due course....