Paddling out for the Aliwal Shoal Sharks.

Click on image to enlarge

The event had the desired result; it received excellent media coverage, and most definitely created, perhaps even underscored, awareness about the recent fatal entanglement of five tiger sharks, one great white, and a black tip in the nets. 


To recapitualte: Fourteen (!!) medium sized tigers were caught within two days in the nets of which nine could be disentangled, and released, before suffocating. These are the "official" numbers as provided by the Natal Sharks Board, responsible for the maintenance of the controversial shark nets. Who knows how many of the nine tigers that were freed survived the ordeal of having been trapped in the gill nets.


This tragedy prompted the local shark dive operators and some shark enthusiasts  to organize the "Paddle out for sharks" happening.

Lesley Rochat, a Cape Town resident who flew to Durban to support the initiative with her presence, wrote a blog which I feel conveys everything about the anti shark net ceremony. 

Unfortunately, Lesley had to witness, again, that some of the supposedly "concerned" shark advocates who were out there could not refrain from showing how guileful and little bourgeois they are.


Here is what Lesley felt compelled to include in her blog:

"It was a truly special event, filled with hope, the dead ray reinforcing our motivation to come together. It was therefore disappointing to later hear that it was dampened by someone slinging a snide remark at me while out of earshot, which was cheered on by his supporters.

Clearly I had spoken too soon - slaves to their own issues, they were unable to be gracious and put down their weapons of difference at such a significant event.

I’m an activist so it doesn’t bother me what people say about me, and I actually thought the remark was very funny: “Is that Lesley? Didn’t recognize her with her clothes on!” LOL! It’s no surprise, however, that the hundreds of ‘like’s’ and ‘shares’ on the Facebook post of our CATCHES ANYTHING, KILLS EVERYTHING poster with me naked in the nets does not include a single one of these individuals, despite it being a powerful campaign against the nets.

But what does worry me is how we will ever win this battle while another battle against each other, the ones who care about the animals, exists. As much as I dislike the Sharks Board I am willing to sit with my enemy, engage with him, and find a way to save our animals. 

By the same token I extend a challenge to recognize that while we might not all like each other, we need each other to win this mammoth battle.  The longer I am a conservationist the more I become aware that the environmental battles we fight are nothing compared to the battles against human frailty we are up against. They are very often what prevent us from achieving our conservation goals.

It is sad, but I believe that this is one of the obstacles standing in our way from making progress to save our sharks and other marine life from dying in the shark nets. I do, however, believe that Sunday’s event was blessed by Hope’s presence, and was a positive move in the right direction toward a long road that still lies ahead."

The people Lesley refers to are the same self-centered, self-righteous, arrogant, and tribal shark dive operators I had a most regrettable "issue" with two years ago. 

What is it that folks like them cannot put their egos and selfish business interests behind them when an unequivocal demonstration of public consensus about shark conservation is of the essence?


Hard to understand.... 

Lesley Rochat, courageous Shark Warrior, goes naked to get attention........for the sharks' plight.

It certainly takes a lot of guts to overcome the natural sense of shame to exhibit your body as created by God in public - even if you are a good-looking guy or gal. 

Lesley Rochat, South Africa's foremost shark activist, has no problems with her nudity when it comes to making herself heard - or seen - in her campaign to draw the public's attention to the plight of the sharks in her country. 

The latest tiger shark deaths in the Shark Board's gill nets in the Marine Protected Area of Aliwal Shoal prompted her to find out for herself what it could be like for a human to get entangled in a shark net and drown miserably. Her experiment drew her even closer to the animals she fights for with all her might.

Lesley has published a passionate plea in her blogspot to protect the sharks of South Africa from being killed senselessly by commercial and recreational fishermen, poachers, finners, and the lethal shark nets put up decades ago in the beaches of Scottburgh (about 40 miles South of Durban) to supposedly keep bathers and swimmers safe.

People who are acquainted with Lesley know that she is a multi-talented individual with an impressive personal history of professional achievements. Whatever she does, she puts all she is, and all she can, in her undertakings which is why I always thought she should be leading a concerted campaign with the active support of world-renowned shark scientist Dr. Leonard Compagno to make the authorities realize that the controversial shark nets have proven to be ineffective and, indeed, unnecessary to achieve their purported objective.

With a view of last week's large-scale deaths of as many as 17 (!!!) tiger sharks in Scottburgh I would think that those most affected, namely the Aliwal Shoal shark dive operators, will now join forces with Lesley to try to convince the local government that the shark nets are neither good for the marine life in the MPA nor for the ever growing dive tourism that creates jobs and brings in much collateral business such as land safaris.

Enough said. 


Read now what Lesley posted in her latest blog, and if you can help disseminating her message, please do so. All those already involved in the campaign, and the sharks, would love you to be part of this worthy endeavor.

"Out of South Africa" - very bad news, again.

Aliwal Shoal Tiger Shark - most probably killed by now...

Photo: Wolfgang Leander (2008)

While other countries are realizing that it is important to protect the sharks, South Africa seems to be going backward.

I don't want to get into a political discussion as I will inevitably be told by my South African ex-friends that there are too many local idiosyncrasies for an outsider to know to be able to utter a balanced opinion. As if such a common place would not apply to any other country on the planet...

Today I received the news that up to some seventeen (!!) tiger sharks have been caught recently, and killed, in the infamous shark nets facing the world-famous Aliwal Shoal shark diving spot, a Marine Protected Area (MPA).

If you have a Facebook account you should be able to access this link. If not, here is what Lesley Rochat wrote:

Lesley Rochat

Been on a film shoot all morning and just got a message from Fiona Ayerst notifying me that possibly more than 10 of our Tiger sharks have been killed by the Sharks Board in the nets in KwaZulu Natal. Spoke to a good friend in the area and apparently sharks board are lying about how many they killed. Anyone with any more info please let me know. We have got to stop them from doing this and getting away with it! (This photo attached is of Wolfgang Leander with one of our tigers some time back, no doubt a dead shark by now...)

Some of you might recall that last year I had suggested that all concerned should form a solid alliance of shark activists, conservation organizations, and shark operators vis-a-vis the government to get them to follow the example of other countries to FULLY protect their sharks which, of course, would have to include taking down the sharks nets.

Except for Lesley Rochat, Fiona Ayerst, and shark operator Walter Bernardis who would have spearheaded such an initiative, there was no resonance worth mentioning within the South African shark community, at least not that I am aware of.

All those South African shark operators who claim to love sharks preferred not to expose themselves, and, as they always put it, rather work "behind the scenes", each on his / her own depending on the "contacts" they have.

As long as these business people seem to be incapable of joining forces leaving their own agendas aside, at least for once, nothing will change.

And when they find out, yet again, that the Natal Sharks Board have pulled in another batch of dead tiger sharks, they will all start screaming and whining unisono with the backing of some voices from far away places such as Toronto, and demand that "this has to stop". It's pathetic.

Already now tiger shark sightings have become a rarity in Aliwal Shoal.

Soon the truly magnificient tiger sharks of Aliwal Shoal will become extinct, thanks to the Natal Sharks Board and the lack of determination of the shark operators to launch a frontal attack on the government. After all, they will be directly affected by this particularly unfortunate development that was already foreseeable only a few years ago.

Perhaps the sad news about the killing field that is the Aliwal Shoal MPA will have the effect of a wake-up call among all those who either make a living with the tiger shark dive business or "just" care unselfishly for the well-being of these most gracious creatures.

Tiger sharks of Aliwal Shoal: Where have they gone?....

Aliwal Shoal tiger shark

Photo: Wolfgang Leander (2008)

Click to enlarge

William Winram is a world champion freediver who, in the past, had teamed up with a shark dive operator in South Africa to offer, along with Fred Buyle, freediving courses with the most attractive bonus of practicing going down on one breath of air among tiger sharks.

William Winram swimming with a tiger shark

Photo: Felix Leander (2008)

Click to enlarge

This is what William wrote me today:

"Very sad the state of things in South Africa..not a single Tiger sighted when Fred Buyle was there and I have not heard of anyone else that has taken a trip there seeing any either...very, very sad. Seems there are collectors paying top dollars for the jaws of big predators and I am guessing with everything else it is just too much pressure for a species like that to survive."

Much to my chagrin, it now appears that I was probably right in assuming that the poaching in the Kwazulu Natal area, in addition to the devastating effects of the shark nets along the Scottburgh beaches, and elsewhere, have taken their bloody toll, heavily.

I witnessed the gradual decline of tiger shark sightings between 2007 and 2010. Instead of getting to the bottom of this, and trying to find out why this was happening, some of the shark dive operators, the one I was with, for example, preferred to speculate outwardly about such simplistic and very unconvincing reasons as currents, winds, water temperatures. They knew, or must have known, the real causes for the drastic dwindling of the tiger populations in the KZN area but preferred to do nothing serious about it.

Too bad the majority of the shark dive operators, some of them self-styled conservationists, and all those shark activists in South Africa did not want to address the problem collectively and aggressively. Most of them, so I was told, were cooking their own soups, trying to work "behind the scenes", rather than uniting resolutely, and leaving their ego issues and personal agendas aside, if only for once...

Have these people ever considered contacting the PEW organization which was instrumental in advising the Bahamian government to enact a ban on all shark fishing activities, both commercial and recreational, in the vast archipelago? One individual did but she had no peer support.

I cannot escape the feeling that there is a considerable element of parochialism in the South African society that seems to be an ugly legacy of its not so glorious past...

A notable exception fighting for the survival of the sharks in South Africa is Lesley Rochat. But she faces precisely the obstacles I just mentioned making it very difficult for her to move forward effectively.

The shark dive operators in the Umkomaas / Scottburgh area should make no mistake: The ONLY attraction of Aliwal Shoal are (or should I say: were) the tiger sharks, and, to a lesser extent, the black-tip sharks - everything else, the average visibility, the variety of fish species, what little corals you find there, are not spectacular enough to compete with other international dive destinations.

Playful Aliwal Shoal tiger shark

Photo: Felix Leander (2008)

Click to enlarge

Interacting with a tiger shark in Aliwal Shoal

Photo: Roger Horrocks (2007)

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I had absolutely fantastic tiger shark encounters in Aliwal Shoal, and I have spent some of my very best and most exciting dives of my live in that spot.

It literally hurts me to imagine that the beautiful, incredibly gentle tigers I met there, all adult females, are gone, most likely killed for either their fins, their low value meat, or their jaws.

This is a major tragedy I cannot fully fathom yet...

On Lesley Rochat, AfriOceans, and the South African sharks.

I have to confess that I was not aware of Lesley Rochat's initiative when I wrote my recent blog about the mortal dangers South Africa's most endangered sharks are facing.

Whoever is familiar with the shark world in South Africa knows Lesley Rochat. This petite and strong-willed lady has got to be one of the most versatile shark-minded individuals I have ever met: She is a writer, public speaker, a photographer, an accomplished filmmaker, the founder and Executive Director of AfriOceans Conservation Alliance, a highly visible and active shark conservation non-profit organization.

Lesley Rochat is above all a most passionate lover and dependable advocate of sharks.

Lesley in her element - and in a yellow wet suit, effectively proving that sharks don't mind the "yum-yum" color, yet another myth some shark pros still cling to...
Photo: Mike Ellis (2011)
Click on image to enlarge

Read this link, and you will know what Lesley has been doing to start the kind of ad-hoc movement I had in mind to protect the sharks in South African waters:

http://aoca.org.za/pages/2896/wanted-dead-or-alive

Let me emphasize what she wrote:

"We are a small organization with limited resources and staff. We, however, with the support of our well-respected Board of Directors, have the experience to drive a process of this nature.

We therefore urge all those who have an interest in the ocean, as well as all shark diving operators, and SCUBA diving operators in general along the South African coast, to put back into the very resource they depend upon and work with us and assist us in whatever way possible, including in raising funds required to drive this lobbying campaign to conclusion.We are open to sharing our lobbying intentions in detail with any interested parties, including other NPOs, forming collaborations and partnerships with all who wish to constructively assist us with time, money or expertise.

We tire of Industry politics and personal agendas, which consume energy while our sharks continue to be slaughtered. We hope the industry at large will support us because losing our sharks matters to all of us."

Need I say more? Lesley confirms what I felt in my gut. I am glad she candidly put on record what seems to be a major obstacle within the shark community in South Africa: The seeming unwillingness or perhaps just plain indifference of all those concerned to finally unite and make their interests a firmly articulated common cause vis-a-vis the authorities.

With reference to my blog on behalf of the sharks in South Africa, here is what Lesley said, in her very own words:

"... trying to get organisations and people to work together will take too long and our sharks can’t wait. Sadly there appears to be too many personal agendas, pseudo conservationists, egos, and lack of real caring.Since we sent our newsletter and posted the WANTED! DEAD or ALIVE? lobbying campaign over 3 months ago requesting help, apart from a few caring individuals making donations, our invite to join us in saving our sharks has not been taken up by other local groups.At this stage, AfriOceans is the only organisation in South Africa that is driving this matter forward.

Therefore, I propose that the horse that is already running the race is backed, and that AfriOceans is assisted in winning this fight. Apart from our petition with over 6000 signatures, we have already made contact with the Minister and will revert on progress."

This makes a lot of sense to me, which is why promoting internationally what AfriOceans is already doing seems to be the best bet under the circumstances.

Go here to find out how you can help AfriOceans, and also stand a chance to win a cowshark dive for two or a signed copy of Dr. Leonard Compagno’s book: "Sharks of the World":

http://aoca.org.za/pages/2207/sa-shark-petition

As far as the local scene is concerned, I can only hope that all the shark dive operators along the coast of South Africa, the conservation groups, the countless individuals who love the sea and its creatures will join AfriOceans in its ongoing fight for the protection of the beautiful and precious sharks that make South Africa a "mecca" for shark diving, especially its most vulnerable sharks, paradoxically also the most feared ones: The majestic 'Sharks of Sharks', the great white sharks, and my favorites, the awe-inspiring, strikingly gentle and charismatic Tiger Sharks of Aliwal Shoal.

Female tiger shark of Aliwal Shoal - she needs more than getting stroked on her head...
Photo: Wolfgang Leander (2008)
Click on image to enlarge

On Shark Week 2010 and South African Shark Amazones

I was about to write a blog about this year's "Shark Week" when I came across Lesley Rochat's thoughts on the subject that are, in my opinion, absolutely spot on.

So, rather than adding my views on the controversial Discovery Channel yearly program, I invite you to read what Lesley had to say.

Lesley Rochat is one of those individuals in the shark world I highly respect. Unlike others who pretend to be concerned about the welfare of sharks but actually consider them a mere business, this petite and strong-willed lady cares deeply for sharks, and will not bend her integrity for selfish purposes under any circumstances whatsoever.

There are others like Lesley in South Africa: Fiona Ayerst, Sophia van Coller, Olivia Jones-Symcox, Hanli Prinsloo - all admirable 'Shark Amazones' who prove that when it comes to tenacity, commitment, and mental toughness, they do not belong to the "weaker" sex at all....

On female divers, sharks, and women power.

Hanli Prinsloo: Freediving instructor, motivational speaker, creative writer, film producer, great companion - and, above all, a real "Mensh" *)
Photo: Wolfgang Leander

Sophia van Coller: Photographer, boat skipper, adventurer, talented and extremely elegant freediver, full of warmth and a fine sense of humor.
Photo: Wolfgang Leander

Click on images to enlarge

I was lucky, and privileged, to meet again some remarkable ocean ladies in South Africa, all committed in one way or another to the preservation of sharks.

Hanli Prinsloo, Julie Andersen, Olivia Jones-Symcox, Sophia van Coller, Fiona Ayerst, and Lesley Rochat are a bunch of strong-willed and focused women with a clear perception of where, and how far, they want to go.

For them, as for many others, sharks are the paradigm of the oceans' vulnerability - but not only that. They love sharks just for what they are: Awesome, powerful, and essentially gentle animals in the Big Blue.

These women are fantastic divers, very professional, very experienced. I did not photograph all of them this time as the weather conditions, especially the visibility, were quite adverse during my entire stay stay in South Africa. I snapped only 500 pics in four weeks, and came back with perhaps 20 acceptable images, among them the two posted above.

While I could be biased, I believe that women are, in general, closer to nature than men. It must be a gender specific intuition that makes women more sensitive to, and respectful of, life. Men hunt, above and under water; women don't.

Sure, there are a few spearfisher'women' - but they are the exception to the rule. Olivia is such an exception; she is exceptional in many other ways as well. I have learned to know her as a very principled, genuine, and compassionate individual.

What I also find quite intriguing is that women are, proportionately, more passionate about sharks than men. Most of the "fan" mails I receive from the viewers of my shark photographs are female.

When I was younger, and that was a loooong time ago, I always thought that sharks were for boys, as kitty cats were for girls. How wrong was I. But what can I do - I was (still am) like most men are: Prejudiced and narrow-minded....

Thanks to my beloved wife Karin I have learned a few lessons in the subject 'Women's Liberation' even though she tends to believe that, deep down, men are incapable of learning anything when it comes to gender issues. To her, I am still a hopeless 'macho'. I will not say that she is right, but I can't say she is completely wrong, either.... :-)

Whatever, as far as I am concerned, we'd fare much better if women ruled the world. Now more than ever.

*) Yiddish for "a decent human being".