SDM JOURNAL FOR...
August 26, 2010
I just got back from Cat Island, Bahamas and another life changing adventure. Cat is such an amazing place, expect to hear a lot of things coming from that island, cause we will be spending a lot of time there. We had some great shark encounters that I want to tell you about but I am sworn to silence right now, because some surprises are in store for you all. I can tell you about one of the adventures I had out there that is not sworn to secrecy and it involves an animal rescue. Yup, I got to participate in an actual save a shark moment. All I can say is it was good karma that day.
A quick story as I am saving the full story for the next issue. I helped out a fisherman out there who was deep water trolling. Anyway - about an hour after I helped them out, the captain of their yacht radios us - letting us know they caught a shark, and if we wanted to come over and see it. We were near by, so we pulled out chum crates and motored over to them. We jumped in to see the shark, and it was a reef shark that was hanging there, totally worn out from the struggle. I asked the yacht owner if I could cut it loose and he said go for it. So they handed me some wire cutters and I dropped down and set the shark free. It was such an amazing feeling. Its not everyday that I get to give back to the ocean, and it took a while for me to sort of soak in the day. So much was going through my head. Being out there, helping that shark is going down as one of my best days at sea.
Cutting the shark free. I wanted to take the hook off the shark totally but it was ripping into the sharks mouth so badly that I felt it was better to just cut the line as close as possible and let the wound heal and rust out.
Through the years, I have written blogs and newsletters that talked about life changing moments and adventures. I have tried to explain this thing that happens to people when your out there in the world, but I am not sure if I ever truly explain it properly, or if in explaining it, it ever comes out at all. But something happens to you, something that changes you and you just don't return home the same person. Like coming back from this adventure - again I feeling this sensation of coming home, but I am not really coming home - it's as if a piece of my soul was left behind on that island. And I am not trying to sound all Mystical or Kung Fuey, I am just trying to share this world with you the best I know how. As a story teller, its my job to share this world with you - all of it - both good and bad.
Its funny how this life grabs you. When you begin traveling you start out as a tourist in search of adventure. What happens next is a toss up. You may end up happy visiting resorts and diving pretty reef sites, clicking off animals and islands you have visited. And thats good enough for you. But for a select few, thats not enough; resort diving is not enough, trails with signs on them is not enough, and cruise ships with catered meals just won't do. Somewhere along the way, the tourist in you morphs into a citizen of the world, or a traveler - where you don't really have a home anymore, and you don't feel like you belong anywhere. Money becomes a tool, and material things just sort of lose their importance. A traveler wakes up each day with the need to just keep on going; the need to experience new things, see new places, meet new people, run into old friends. It may not sound pleasing the way I am putting things, but trust me, when you get there, its such an addictive lifestyle.
All my friends who are travelers, when we run into each other out there, it's always as if our conversations pick up right where we left off - even if its been a few years. Most of the time, they will be wearing the same cloths; same shirts, the same skirts, the same worn out travel bags. You can see the road has often worn them down a bit, but the thing that never changes is the brightness of their eyes, and smiles that seem to never fade. What sucks is the encounters never last long - because the road it seems, is always calling us in seperate ways. And so after what always feels like too short a visit, we part ways until the day we bump into each other again.
Sorry if I sort of went off on a strange path today in my blog, but I am feeling the pains of returning home from another adventure (that was both too short and too long), and the pull of the road as it calls to me, screaming at me to get back out there...
August 12, 2010
Through the years I have written short stories and have kept journals of my sharky adventures and I decided to finally put them all into a book. This has been something I have always wanted to do. The book idea kind of happened when I started cataloging stories I have written into a file just to sort of keep them all together, when I realized that there were quite a few stories there. If you have been subscribing to our magazine you will have certainly read a few of them already. But often those stories were watered down versions of what really happened. I did not write about what really happened on some of the adventures, (or mis-adventures, whatever fits better.) But there were times when the dive operator really sucked, or we ran out of air 40 feet down, or I stayed down too long and got the bends, and never went to the chamber because I still had 2 days of diving left. Those are things that I felt were better left out of the magazine, because it showed too much irresponsibility. But for the book, we are putting it all out there and making it a lot more real. Of course I might regrete that one later...Nah, its all just
"details."
Kinda like our film Summer of the Sharks. I wanted to capture the ocean storms, and the sea sickness, not just the fun and beautiful underwater scenery, I wanted to show the realities and the hardships of the life we craved. Of course as much as I wanted to capture the realities of this life, I still think we could of showed more of it, and I will be working on that for my next film. Working on showcasing a truer picture of what goes on out there, because we do get our asses kicked around quite a bit. I guess with just that statement you all now know Summer of the Sharks II is in the works. I am still not sure what and when the story will come alive but just know that the story is in motion.
Cooking our dinner and drying gear after arriving in Venice, Louisiana. This was during the filming of our EPIC road trip, for Summer of the Sharks. Also one of my all-time favorite pics.
Stories from the road trip will be in the book as well. So just so you know the book project has officially begun. Not sure when it will be done, I have not given myself a deadline for it yet but you all will get more info on that later...
August 10, 2010
Yesterday I got an email from a good friend of mine who had an opportunity to see The Shark Con. For those of you not familiar with the film.
The Shark Con is an inside look at the shark industry as a whole, we look at not only the shark diving industry, but also the shark fishing industry. In the film we interview shark fishermen, not to put a negative spin on their views, but to hear what they have to say. This is a conservation film, but its a different type of conservation film, where we look at everyones side, and we allow the audience to form their own opinion. We don't create the opinion for you. Which is where a few of my shark diving friends have problems with the film. My friend asked me the question, "if I love sharks, why would I make a film like this? - why would I allow shark fishermen to tell their side of the story? Why would I question shark conservation?" Of course my answer was not good enough for them. They felt like I have different motives for making this film, and so my answers fell on deaf ears.
Here are my personal reasons for producing this film.
The original idea for this film came when we wanted to find a villian for our film Summer of the Sharks. We wanted a bad guy for our story, so we decided to interview Captain Bill Goldschmitt, a very outspoken and charismatic shark fishermen. However, when the interview was done, and we sat down to look at the footage, we realized he wasn't the villian at all. He was a human being, who was very passionate about what he does, and he had some very valid points. So after a few back and forth meetings between me, director Rusty Armstrong, and producer Steve Pavon, we decided to look into this further. After about a month of emails, and internet research, we discovered some pretty interesting information on the US Governements role in the shark fishing as well as the shark diving industry, as well as some of the big NGO's who were supposed to be helping sharks. It was some pretty deep shit that no one was talking about, or it was sort of swept under the rug. So we sat down again, and an outline for a story that has never been told emerged. Rusty and Steve then asked me if they could go back to Florida and interview a few more people. I gave them the greenlight and they crossed every square inch of Florida interviewing key characters in the shark industry.
I did some serious soul searching and thinking about this film. Should this film be made, and should I be the guy to do it. In the end I said yes, this film needs to be made, and if we (our production team) didn't step up and get it done, then no one would. The thing is I consider myself more of a citizen of the world vs. a US citizen, and I do not believe we have any right forcing our views on other cultures or other traditions.
On a very person level, I have to question, what makes us think that our ways here in the US are better than those of other cultures around the world? Yes the freedoms and civil liberties we have in the US may be better than most, but why are our traditions better than those from say Isreal, or Mongolia? Who is the judge and jury on that one? Well for lack of someone real to blame, I have to say that the filmmaker is the one who decides what we believe to be right or wrong. And not just the filmmaker, but the petitioner, the blogger, and the media and so on - these are often the people who help decide, who is right and who is wrong in this world it seems.
So I took a subject that is near and dear to my heart, and made a film where we allow the audience to decide for themselves, and if I am crucified for it, so be it. I know where my heart is, and I know that I love sharks, and through the years I have sacrificed myself financially, and emotionally for shark conservation, and that is never going to stop. But a story was put in front of me that needed to be told, and I am - at the core of my soul, a story teller...and so The Shark Con was born.
August 9, 2010
This past Friday National Geographic TV ran a segment about me on a new series called
AMAZING. They did a story on me hand feeding tiger sharks. I am really happy to report that the story was done extrmely well. The piece was exciting, yet tame when it comes to hyping up a story like feeding tiger sharks. I do not have the clip from the show in my hands yet, but when I do, it will be plugged directly into our website. As you can tell I am pretty excited about it. However if you get the chance it will rerun again on
Friday, August 13, at 3PM. So make sure to set your DVR to record. Or skip work, or play sick. Or better yet just quit, watch my show, then go be a shark bum down in the Bahamas. I'm kidding, don't do that. (Sort of kidding.)
One of the images that came out in the story.
So mag work is back under way. I am still busy packaging and mailing out mags, and also prepping for my next adventure,. I'm headed back out to Cat Island, Bahamas to explore a spot that I believe is going to be an insane shark diving hot spot. I probably won't have blog access on our website but I should have FaceBook access, so I will update our progress there. The great thing about this spot, is that we were the first shark divers to dive this spot, so its totally brand new. A first descent, which to me is just EPIC stuff. In this day and age, where everything under the sun has been done and named, to find a spot that is totally unknown is a dream come true.
So back to mag business...I have finished issue 23, which means after I am totally done with the mailings, I am going to start looking at cutting together issue 24. Which is going to be a great magazine, but I am sort of mentally already beyond 24, because the one I want to get to is issue 25! Which is due out in March 2011. Issue 25 is the mag I have been gunning for - for a long time. Reaching 25 is huge to me. I know its hard to really understand why, but for me its symbolic of what I have achieved and the road I have traveled. I know I need to get over this and focus on issue 24, which I still need to create, but its so amazing to me that here I am 23 magazines into this life, with 2 films under our belt, countless adventures - and this road I am traveling is still going, with no end in sight. I love it. Just expect great things is all I am saying. if you liked issue 23, which to me seems impossible that you would not like it, because it is one of our best, if not THE best mag we have ever published, then you will love whats coming your way. Because my goal is to kill issue 23, and create a way better mag, with stories that will get your blood boliing.
And that has always been my focus and my driving force - to get you hopping up and down on your seat when your reading our magazine. I saw this documentary on National Geographic TV about salmon sharks, and I was so blown away with what I was watching that I was literally standing up - then sitting down - and just moving all over the place. I was dying inside with wanting to get out there and see these sharks for myself. Which kills me because the heart of the salmon shark season is also the heart of the whale shark season in Holbox. And missing a season in Holbox is a not likely to happen for a while, not with monster aggregations happening out there, and especially not after our latest discovery. So needless to say, salmon sharks in Alaska remain on my wish list of things to do, as I am more than sure I will probably miss it next season as well? But thanks to my mag, and videos I can get all fired about getting my ass out there, some year soon.
August 3, 2010
I am finally home after a very long and amazing July. July was full of travel and adventure, and most importantly sharks!But all great adventures must come to an end as mine did, so I am home for a short while to rest up, spend time with my family, mail out some mags, wash my dirty rags, download footage, update you on what's been going on and then I am off again on another adventure... this circus life is great.
So my tale begins with the pressure to get issue 23 finished up for you all before I left for Mexico, which was accomplished! Issue 23 is now shipping, so if you have not gotten your mags yet, don't worry, more mags are shipping. Oh and if you haven't renewed your subscription...shame on you! Now is the time, the mags are only getting better. And so far the response has been that this issue is our best to date.
The cover is by Andy Murch. I am extremely proud of this issue, the stories are amazing and the images are just - for lack of better words...bad ass! So there it is, the mag update, issue 23 is done, so expect some PR for this mag to go out in the form of newsletters and so on, as we promote the new issue.
Summer shark action!
July was a very sharky month for me, I left home on the 12th to visit my good friend Joe Romeiro of 333 Productions. He leads trips with his buddy Brian on the east Coast for blues and makos. We went out for 2 days and had something like 6-8 different blues show up, with one day that was really good with two solid players hang around for over an hour. The thing about the East Coast is the blues there are big. We did have one mako show up, but it was just a fly by. It did not want to play. It was a blast, we had solid shark action, and some fun nights drinking beer, talking shark and of course making plans for future trips together.
On the 15th Joe dropped me off at the airport and I left Rhode Island and landed in cancun, Mexico to meet the first group from our reader trip for whale sharks in Holbox Island, Mexico. By the time I had arrived, SDM photographer Paul Spielvogel had already rounded everyone up and they were waiting for me to load the vans and get everyone off to the island. I was really looking forward to seeing Holbox, getting to know everyone on the trip, and to see all of my islander friends. Holbox is such a special place. Right now with all the crazy currents happening in the Gulf, you can go and see whale sharks from Isla Mujeres, or Cancun, but there is nothing like Holbox. The energy and the life on this island is so electric and so beautiful, there is no place I would rather be. Holbox is the kid of place where I would feel comfortable letting my kids run around to play. Imagine doing that in Cancun? There is no way. To me, Cancun is just a huge noisy dirty concrete shopping mall surrounded by a beautiful baby blue ocean. It has no appeal to me what soever.
Our first day there and we roll into our normal routines, once everyone checked into their hotel, we went out for the evening stroll, and then congregated by the swing bar, to watch the sunset, a ritual of mine which everyone embraced. You got to love it...sunsets here are so amazing. You just don't tire of them. It is always a race to finish the daily chores or dinner to get to the beach to make sure you see the sun and sky turn into brilliant golden colors.
Image by Paul Spielvogel
The first day out on the water could not have been more perfect. The sharks were thin in the local waters so we decided to venture out into the blue where we had reports of large gatherings happening. We got to the whale shark grounds and we were not disappointed. Over 100 sharks were gathered together feeding on millions of grouper eggs floating with the currents. Everyone was blown away. Just seeing one shark is a thrill, but seeing 100 plus sharks is always a sight to see. Everyone got their fill of shark after shark. It was awesome. I enjoyed watching everyone's expressions as they popped in and out of the water. The smiles, the eyes, you just can't feel that good everyday.
The following days the ocean went to crap and tropical storms moved in making a mess of it. We had winds, rain, bad swells, one day we got caught in a really bad storm that scared the hell out of everyone. Not the normal conditions we are used to around Holbox, but we made the best of them and we were only grounded one of the 8 days scheduled for these trips. We did make the most of everyday and each day we were gifted with windows where the winds would die down, and the swells would settle for a while and we were able to find sharks and sometimes mantas to interact with. During those moments we were able to have some great encounters and everyone had a great time with life changing experiences.
We even ran into mating turtles. In fact in my 8 days at sea, I think we ran into 10 mating turtles on the surface. A great sign for the species. Manta rays were also a treat and a nice break from our long whale shark encounters.
Last season was amazing and I had some pretty exciting moments in the water, but this trip to Holbox this season was by far my favorite trip out there yet. I thought I had seen and experienced the very best that Holbox had to offer, I was wrong. This year the marine life taught me something new and I am humbled and grateful for the experience. The world has changed me, of that there is no doubt, I am a better person for the experiences I have been privilaged to have experienced, and I feel it would be a disservice to the animals that have given me so much to not share their stories and moments, that they have given me with you all. This season I had 2 days of what can only be described as encounters with God, or moments where the universe was in harmony, or whatever you want to call it. I was gifted two perfect moments that are forever burned into my soul. I wish I could share them both with you, but for now I will only be able to share one. As the other I am sworn to secrecy for now, but a GREAT story is headed your way, I promise.
Here is story one;
We had this huge manta ray that we were trying to interact with and everytime we jumped in, the manta would dive down and pop up way off in the distance. The manta clearly did not want to play. But we were desperate for an encounter with it. That day I decided not to get in the water very much and had pretty much called it a day but for some reason I decided to jump in to try and see the manta, even though I know mantas don't care much for interacting with swimmers here. There was about 5 of us trying to see this animal, and when the captain motored up to it, we all jumped in. I was on the outside of everyone, and I saw the manta drop straight down, turn and swim to the right - so I started swimming in that direction, and before I knew it the manta was swimming upside down, directly beneath me - looking up at me, whithin touching distance. I never tried to touch it, and just swam after it. For more than four minutes I swam directly above the manta. She was looking at me, and I was looking at her. She was so beautiful, and I could see her looking at me, curious about me and what I was. It was such a spirtual experience; no song, no words, nothing expressed could quite explain what it was that was going through my mind at that moment. I was just absorbed by the beauty of it all. I left the water a changed person. Hard to explain with mere words, but I did. The ocean and its animals have taught me so much about living...true and pure living.
Don't worry, I'm not going to start chanting or anything. But its another one of my great moments in the water.
A quick shout out to everyone who joined me out there this season...Thank you! It was by far one of THE best whale shark seasons we have ever experienced. The animals, the sunsets, the island, and the beautiful people...You all made it amazing and special.
Till next season!
June 30, 2010
Again I have been silent for too long. Sorry about that, I have been slamming out issue 23, and it has consumed me every time I sit behind the computer. Decided to take a quick break to say hello and update you on the mag, and upcoming events. As you all know July is almost here and each July we head over to Mexico for the annual whale shark migration. Last season was so incredible, it still brings me chills thinking about it. Over 600 whale sharks gathered to feed in an area around the size of 2 football fields, and it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen.
I can still remember the feeling of arriving there and seeing fins everywhere. I was jumping out of my skin. It was a pretty emotional moment for me, I had been coming to Holbox and interacting with whale sharks since 2005 and I had seen and witnessed some amazing things, but this was - "wow" - no real words. When we turned the motor off on the boat, all we could hear was shark fins cutting the surface. Even as I write this, I can still hear it. It was breathtaking. I tried to film it, but I was all over the place, excited with everything that was happening. It was history, true shark diving history, and I felt privilaged to be there and see it.
Anyway, we are headed back to Holbox and hopefully we will have some amazing encounters. I am not expecting that to happen again, but for me just seeing one shark is always a great day. Before I head out to Mexico I am making a quick stop in Rhode Island to check out the blue and mako shark action. My buddy Joe Romerio of 333 Productions has been taking people out to see these sharks and after their crazy season last year and the trip that kicked off this season. I am headed out there to see what it is about. The first trip of the season they had 12 blues, a 9 foot mako and two basking sharks show up a totally EPIC first day of the shark season. So I am pretty excited about finally seeing what the east coast has to offer.
The next project...
After I finish the new mag, I am going to focus on a project that is long over do. Well it is at least for me. I have always wanted to publish a book, and I decided to create an e-book. The book is going to be a collection of short stories and newsletters I have written through the years. I know some of you may have already read the stories I have written. Some of the stories were published in SDM, some for the web, and they were all written in a sort of a rated pg fashion. However for the book I am going to cut through the nonsense and tell you how it really was. If the operator sucked, if the diving was as great as I originally penned, if we got sick, if the sharks got nasty. Many times I have written stories and have had friends and associates tell me not to write certain things because it was irresponsible diving, or we were doing something we were not supposed to. And so on...I had originally said it was going to be maybe 25 pages or so, but now that I am collecting my writings, its going to be a lot longer than that. So keep an ear out, as I will be talking more about this project once the mag is done. Who knows I may even decide to make a hard copy of it - if it's good enough?
June 9, 2010
Change...Lots of change is coming to SDm. I have talked about it before, but as I work on all of SDm's projects that is the one theme thumping through my head. Some of you will like the changes, some-maybe not. But I can't help the direction we are going, SDm has always been about flow and the moment, and as I evolve as a person, so does this company. I think it will be a great change - but to be honest, I won't know till we arrive. Right now, the current issue is in the works and I am trying to find the heart and soul of this mag. The stories I am going to put in keep changing, and the ideas for them do as well. I have some great articles for the mag, but I am still not sure what articles are going in. There is some cool deep shit in it though. One of the articles really almost set me to tears, it was so awesome.
I guess that is really where my mood is right now. I am already inspired by the stories we are putting out there. Now I want to be moved by them. I want to look at an article and go, "What the Fuck!" and just feel it down to my soul. I guess that is the hard part about books and magazines, is they are only able to tell half truths, they are never able to tell the full story, because you can really see it or feel it. Video and film does a better job of putting you there emotionally.
So part of this journey is to really get back into video and learn how to tell better stories. I thought we did a good job with our first film, Summer of the Sharks with telling our story, but it could of been better. Stories can always be told better, And The Shark Con, is the telling of a different tale; that film is about the business of saving sharks, both good and bad. But now...my mood has changed and I have changed, so I feel like I need to get in there and tell stories that really put you there. As a story teller, I want to put you all there to really feel what we feel and see what we see. Its so hard to do that with just written words. I had mentioned before that I was planning on working on Summer of the Sharks II and we were trying to find a location to tell this tale, but that is not the story I want to tell right now. I am looking at the next phase of films I want to make, and stories I want to tell. And that is exactly what is going to happen, more films of this life is what I am going to begin working on, more of what we go through, what we see, what we feel...and in the end you will get a taste, and a deep sense of what this life is really like, and why we love it, why we crave it, and...even need it!
So get ready as I embark into the next phase of SDm and Chasing Sharks... our life, our love, our dream!
June 3, 2010
This is going to be an interesting year of changes and great times. The big news in the shark world is Hawaii's ban on shark finning, which is a huge win for sharks. The bill states that it is now illegal to sell, trade, distribute or possess shark fins. Another great move in the right direction for shark conservation. Especially since Hawaii has always been one of the ports shark finners used to refuel, restock and unload shark fins. So this is a pretty exciting deal. Congrates to everyone involved with the campaign, its pretty amazing.
I have already begun the new issue of SDm, most of the stories are in and as always I am pretty excited about what I am going to create for you all. I was looking back and thinking about our magazine and this road I have travelled with you all. From our first issue, to our current issue #22.
It's been a crazy journey with a lot of ups and downs. Again I want to thank you for staying with me through it all. Without you, our readers, and friends, non of this would be possible. So much has happened to us since the begining, so many adventures, the many stories, the countless hours on and in the water and the mindless hours spent behind a computer putting all of these mags together for you all. And I have to say after 8 years in the saddle, it's been all worth it! I love this crazy life.
A few days ago I created a new photo album on Facebook where I put some images of myself where I am diving with sharks. When I first started the magazine, I was crazy about interaction shots, and years later I am still crazy about them. I love images that show divers with sharks. I know many of my shooter friends prefer the natural history shots. I know this because most of what is sent to me is sharks and water, or sharks with reef. I always stress that this mag is called Shark Diver magazine, but hey...the images are always so amazing and its hard not to want to publish them. I always get fired up when I see a great image, I want to share it right away with everyone. But when I get great interaction shots, I am always crazy excited about publishing it in the magazine.
One of my personal goals was always to get images of me diving with different species of sharks that was a goal I chased and is a goal I am after to this day. A little vain I know, but years from now when I look back at my life as a professional Shark Diver, I want to have a few memories to show my grandkids. Here are a few shots from that facebook photo album...
Playing with blue sharks off of San Diego, CA. Blues are super curious, but they are very bitey sharks, so when we start interacting with sharks like these, we need to keep an eye out on those sneaky sharks that come up from behind us.
Bulls are great photo subjects, but contrary to popular belief, its not always easy approaching these sharks. They are very nervous and it takes a long time to get them comfortable enough to want to approach divers.
Seeing a great hammerhead is rare, period. They are solitary animals and extremely elusive, so when one comes in to see whats going on during a shark dive...its special. We were lucky to have this great hammerhead hang around us for 4 days straight.
Once one of the most common sharks in the ocean is now one of the hardest to find. Oceanics are such amazing animals, their beauty is beyond belief and they move with such confidence. They are just amazing animals.
One of the most amazing sharks you will ever encounter. Tiger sharks are such amazing animals and when they show up, they just steal the show.
One of the rarest sharks in the world thanks to over fishing. The porbeagle shark is an amazing animal and I feel blessed to have had the opportunity to see one in the wild. A trip we led back in 2008 was a sat tagging expedition and we were able to sat tag 2 porbeagles, and tag and measure an additional 10 porbeagles. A victorious expedition.
May 26, 2010
Today's blog is going to be another rant about shark conservation. After writing my
April 27th blog, I was surprised and a bit overwhelmed by the emails I recieved and a few
blogs I found in the after math. I was confused by some since most of the writers are out spoken anti-Eli campaigners, but aside from that I was also inspired as well. In a sense it told me to move forward with these ideas and see how far I can go, so I am putting all bitterness and bad feelings aside and thanking all the emailers and writers of those blogs and I am going to move forward with some of my ideas and continue to do what I do best, tell stories; good and bad, and cut through all the bull shit and say what's on my mind...
Ok straight up, first let me put these beans on the table...I have always been very vocal about not being a true conservationist, because I am biased. I don't want to see a shark get caught or killed, but I don't mind seeing a ray, or grouper get killed so that I can see a shark up close. The reason I bring this up is, I want to make sure, as I get deeper into the shark conservation world, that I am understood. I don't hide who I am, or what I believe in. For me its protect sharks first, other species after, (and I include whales, dolphins, and turtles in the after). But I do know that by protecting sharks through marine reserves, we are also inadvertently protecting other species of marine animals, so either way the ocean's win.
Ok back to the blog...
When I wrote my blog I was just writing to write the ideas that were floating around in my head. Ideas that have been forming since the production of The Shark Con started, and also with the sudden growth spurt of all these new shark conservation groups. Because I am within the core of the shark world I see them popping up all over the place. You see them come up and begin campaigning to save the shark, send money, then some sort of fizzle out and disappear, sitting lost in cyber space. Every now and then they pop up again and push to move back on the radar. Most don't though, and I feel like good people are wasting talent, money and energy on dead end projects, when they could be using their creativity and passion on good projects that desperately need people like them.
Don't get me wrong I think its great and that their heart is in the right place, and deep down I know what most are trying to do, they are trying to help and just keep the circus going - we all are. We are all trying to do what we know how to do, to just keep the circus going and stay as close to the sharks as we possibly can, each in our own way. But what it also tells me, is the reason most people are starting up their own shark conservation groups is because there is no real communication or agreements between existing groups. No one is talking, or agreeing, and it seems everyone is hoarding info, or grant money and are not allowing others to join the game. Again the losers in all this are the sharks.
I just read about a new campaign to protect red snapper from American commercial fishermen. Again they are trying to completely keep the commercial boys from making a living. I look at what they are trying to do and I understand the need to protect that animal. But what is going to happen is by killing off the industry instead of finding a way to regulate it, so that both fish and people win, is they are going to open up the market on that same fish in areas were there are no laws to protect it. Because regardless of these rules, people still want to eat red snapper, and the restaurants and stores will continue to buy it - but instead of buying from responsible fishermen they will buy it from fishing countries that are completely unregulated. You may disagree but its 100% true. That is just one example on things that I feel really need to be thought out properly as conservation groups move forward on different projects.
So the big question is how do we unite and get everyone moving in the same direction? How do we get everyone focused on the same common goal? We all want the same thing, but what is happening out there is sharks are stuck in the cross fire and nothing is getting done. Like I said small battles are being fought and won, but its not enough. So part of my quest is to figure out how we all can eventually join together and get some real results that will do what we all want done.
Oh, and by the way I am open to any and all ideas!
May 24, 2010
This weekend I was reflecting over our trip to Cat Island and a moment that I had in the water. I am still trying to wrap my head around an amazing encounter I had out there and I am going to try and put it into words, but I am skeptical on just how to do it. After I had my crazy EPIC encounter I tried to tell everyone on board about it, but as I sat this weekend thinking about my retelling of the tale that day, I know I fell short of reliving it. Even now as I prepare to write this, I feel like I will do it an injustice. And maybe after you read it, you will think nothing of it, or that I am fluffing up the tale. Or maybe you have had an encounter that was similar, or better than what I experienced. Either way it does not matter, my encounter will go down as one of the most amazing moments I have ever had in the water and I feel blessed to have had the experience. So anyway, no more building it up, here it goes...
DAY 4 - We had been chumming for oceanics for around 3 hours, most of us were sitting on the boat, and George Gross, one of our friends came back from an exploration swim. He told us that an oceanic was hanging out, maybe 100 yards away from the boat, still not confident enough to come in. I decided to go and investigate. Our boat captain told me to swim toward some birds that were gathered off in the distance, said tuna might be there, sharks follow the tuna. Figured it was something to shoot for, so I grabbed my snorkel, jumped in and swam off. The captain told me to take my camera, I said "no, I'm just going for a look n see." The last words I heard before dropping my head back in was, "your going to regret it."
I was swimming out, popping my head out of the water every so often to see where the birds were, and to see if I was gaining ground. I eventually hit the drop off where the water is deep. There is something unnerving about swimming in the open ocean when you can't see the bottom, and there is no wildlife around. I don't care who you are, it makes you realize how insignificant you are. A few sport fishermen were trolling in the area and one of them passed pretty close, I remember thinking, "Shit, if they head my way, they will never see me -game over." So I slowed my swim and spent more time looking above me.
I was still focused on the birds which were now flying towards me. I dropped my head in the water to see what they were chasing. Nothing came into view. Another few minutes passed and this time the birds were really close, so again I dunked my head and I scanned the water, but nothing came into view. I was about to look up when I saw 3 big mackerel, maybe a foot and half long, appear. Right behind them another 10 appeared, then around another 30 showed up. They were all swimming straight for me. When they reached me, they started swimming in a tight circle around me. I was mesmerized by them. They were close enough to touch, but I never reached out, I just folded my arms and watched the show. A couple of big dorados joined the mackerel, and below me a school of about 20 small tuna joined the spin.
There I was in what can only be called a magical-spiritual moment with all these beautiful fish swimming around and around me. They were curious about me; this weird, slow and goofy creature swimming in their ocean. I was in complete awe of the spectacle, and not really sure what to think. Here I was alone in the ocean, sharing a moment with animals that are openly known to fear us divers, and they were comfortably swimming within grabbing distance of me. I was in complete disbelief and humbled by it all. I was watching and studying one of the dorados as it swam around me, when something caught my eye. A large oceanic came out of the blue and swam straight at me. When she got close enough to bump me, I reached my hand out and gently pushed her head down and to the side. She swam down and around, and came back for another pass at me. She tried to bump me again, but again, I reached my hand out and gently pushed her aside, this time she winced and disliked my touch. She decided she had had enough of me, so when she moved away she made a large lazy circle and swam back out into the blue. When she left the entire entourage of fish followed her off.
I followed for a short while but then I stopped and just watched them swim away, thinking about this gift the ocean had just given me. At first I was kicking myself for not having my camera, but then I was glad I did not have it. I figured I would of been so busy trying to document the encounter that I would of missed seeing it, sort of like being there, but not being there.
I was swimming back to the boat, and the first person I run into was Amanda Cotton, I started to try and tell her what had just happen, but our captain was calling us back to the boat, 2 oceanics had just shown up, so we both raced for the boat. For the next two hours we swam with oceanics and it was just amazing being out there with these great fish, but my mind kept wandering back to that moment and what to do with it. I know it sounds funny me saying what to do with it. But its true, I really was having a few issues with what had just happened. I felt like it was a personal gift from the ocean and was not sure if it was something to be shared or something to keep to myself. I decided it was something that had to be shared, but I was not sure about how to share it, because like in all story telling, the true meaning, the true moment, and all its emotion is lost in translation. It really has to be experienced, and the fire of the moment, can never really be recaptured.
Thanks for reading and allowing me to share this with you!
May 21, 2010
I have just returned from our first exploratory trip out to Cat Islands, Bahamas, and this trip is hands down one of the most amazing places in the world. It is a shark lovers paradise. The liveaboard boats have been going out there for a few years and they have been coming back year after year, with tales of EPIC shark encounters and I decided enough was enough, I had to go and see it for myself. Damn I am glad I finally went. The only thing that I am kicking myself about is how long it took me to finally get out there. We dove so many amazing spots, and every spot we visited had some kind of shark action going on. We spent most of our time diving right next to a deep wall, and I am happy to say it was a pristine reef which has never been chummed before - A first descent! So we dubbed it Charlene's reef. At this spot we dove with Oceanic whitetips, tiger sharks, lemons, reef sharks, and nurse sharks. The two tigers that showed up were very shy, but they hung around, making fly byes every so often. I just could not believe how damn sharky it was. We were up high swimming with the oceanics, and I would look down and reef and lemon sharks were swimming on the reef below. The other sharks it seemed did not want anything to do with the oceanics. In fact at one point I thought I was going to witness an oceanic and a lemon side by side, (I was thinking, "This has got to be a rare occurance"), but the second the lemon saw the oceanic coming, she was gone, and fast. I am going back to do some more drops on this spot - it has the makings of being an all time world class shark dive.
SDM editor with oceanic whitetip. Image by Paul Spielvogel
So it won't be the last time you hear about Charlene's reef. I have plans to go back this summer to investigate a few more exciting spots as well. Reports of other species were the talk among the locals, so 6 days was not enough time, this island is rich with shark activity. Since this was a first decent our group named it Charlene's reef, which is what we named the big beautiful oceanic that we spent two hours with. We had 3 different oceanics to interact with during our time on the island, but Charlene was a solid player and gave us the most amazing show ever. She stayed under our boat the entire time, and did not care about us, and showed no aggression towards any of the divers.
Our beach house for part of our stay on the island. Rough I know. Image by Shane Gross. This is home base for next seasons trip.
The night we named it Charlene's reef, we were sitting around the table at our beach house celebrating the day thinking up a good name for the spot we just dove. The group honored me and allowed me to name the shark and the spot Charlene after the Bahamian bartender who changed my life and set me on this journey into the shark world. She is one of the main inspirations behind Shark Diver magazine and why I am out here Livin the Dream!
Charlene our beloved oceanic. She stayed with us for over 2 hours. We finally left her swimming there as we motored off.
the full trip report is coming soon, I just have to catch up on emails, and mailing mags and orders that came in while I was gone. But I thought I would share with you all the success of our trip.
May 6, 2010
I was recently asked what I felt about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, and I really did not have an answer for them. The Gulf of Mexico is my home waters and I have a special connection with her. But the reality is oil companies rule the world and our Governments will always get on their knees for them, and there is nothing any of us can do about it - so there is no point bitching. I know that sounds like a defeatest attitude, but its not, its an honest, I have no illusions about who I am and my part in this world answer.
I could pretend I have some sort of power and go out there and march and picket, start a petition, but just like the thousands of people who have in the past, they are politely dismissed and business continues as usual. The owners of the oil companies have the real power to save or destroy the world, and we are at their mercy. So until one of them has the itch to save the planet, none of this will ever change. In the end, this oil spill is just going to be a big tax relief for the oil companies, and all the damage they did will be yesterdays news. All the animals that needlessly died, and the ocean that is damaged because of this reckless greed will be forgotten. The oil company may end up paying some huge fine, but it is nothing that they can't make back in 2-3 days of doing business.
Back in early 07', I was on a shoot for National Geographic TV and we spent 2 weeks on this Dutch owned oil vessel out in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel was bigger than a football field, and they spent $100,000 a day to run it, and the oil company gladly paid it. Imagine how much money you have to be making to happily write checks for $100,000 a day operating expenses. So I have no illusions about where I stand in the world. It is what it is, and this oil spill will soon be yesterday's news. The earth will keep spinning, and thankfully will soon tire of us and spit us out. Then she will recleanse herself and it will start all over again.
Wow, that was depressing. Sorry it had to be said - ok, maybe it didn't. But there is enough bullshit out there, figured its time to begin telling people how it really is.
So anyway, back to what's good in the world. Issue 23 is alive and kicking! I have begun working on it, and have selected the stories that I want to see in the new issue. As always I am after shock and awe when I create SDM, and this issue is no different, I have some very cool surprises in store for you all. I have one particular article in mind for the next issue that I really want, and I hope the photographer agrees to allow me to publish the images, they are just amazing and will really blow minds if I can get him to agree to it. Wish me luck with it, cause they are fun and will stir your travelling soul to get your shit and get out there. I do have one prediction for the new issue. Many of you will read it from cover to cover and you will say that this is by far the very best magazine we have ever released!
That is my prediction!
