A Day in the Life of a Baltimore Aquarium Scuba Diver

This ain't your mama's fishbowl.


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The Magic and Horrors of Encounters at Sea

An awe-inspiring, tragic, must-see presentation by Brian Skerry.


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Visit Brian on the Web at www.brianskerry.com

On Killing 33,000 Sharks, 2,000 Dolphins, 2,000 Turtles to Boost Beach Tourism in South Africa

Not cool. Not cool at all.

It is difficult to believe in this day in age, with all that we know about sharks' plummeting populations, their critical role in ocean ecosystems and the minimal risk they pose to humans, that the archaic and destructive practice of installing shark nets for "bather protection" still exists. But in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa, a province ironically known around the world as one of the few places left where sharks and the ecosystems they keep healthy still thrive, untold numbers of harmless sharks, turtles, dolphins, and rays meet an untimely and senseless death each year by entanglement in the approximately 28 kilometres of ‘shark' nets that are installed just off the beaches.

What are shark nets?
Shark nets are essentially gill nets: long rectangular nylon mesh nets, 200-300 metres in length, that are positioned near the surface of the water and kept afloat with buoys. Sharks swim into these nets and are caught by their gills. The squares of mesh are designed to be just large enough for sharks to become entangled, but not escape. The more a shark or any other animal struggles in these nets, the more hopeless their situation becomes, and the more impossible their chances of escape and survival. The vast majority of these animals die an agonizing death by suffocation. Gill nets are widely considered to be one of the greatest threats to the survival of many species of marine animals.

33% of sharks in nets were leaving beaches!
In South Africa, the shark nets are installed in tiered patterns by the KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board (KZNSB). Just beneath the surface, they do not fully extend to either the top or the bottom and do not even come close to fully enclosing the beach areas. The result is that sharks can easily swim around or under the nets and into the shallow waters in which humans swim and surf. In fact, the KZNSB acknowledges on its own website that at least 33% of the sharks killed in these nets were actually on their way OUT from the beaches, rather than on their way in, and other sources estimate that this number is closer to 70%.

Bait is set to attract sharks
You see, the goal is not to provide a physical barrier to keep sharks away from the beaches, but rather to control shark populations by culling them. In many cases, the KZNSB places baited drumlines just outside the shark nets, which are designed to attract sharks in towards the beaches and kill them, either by biting the baited hooks on the drumlines or by entanglement in the nearby gill nets.

Continue reading...

To join the fight to remove these nets, visit Remove The Nets.

Tiger Shark Attacks Green Sea Turtle: The Photos

As this article points out, it's not uncommon for tiger sharks to attack green sea turtles. It's just not everyday you actually see it.

It happened at Maunalua Bay on east Oahu this past Monday.

With a shark this big, you can see why this did not go unnoticed by our viewer Augustus "Ogee" Santos and his crew.

They quickly jumped up, grabbed their camera and snapped this first shot (see below).

They heard a loud splash as this tiger shark estimated to be 14 feet long, emerged from the ocean making a direct hit on this helpless sea turtle.

In this second shot, a closer look at the ocean predator baring it's teeth during the attack. Crews estimate the turtle it was eating weighed about 200 pounds.

Just as quickly as it came, it went. The shark retreats into the depths as crews take a final snapshot of the tiger shark swimming away and heading back out to sea.

The moment, a part of the circle of life, but for the crew of the local Seabreeze Parasail Company, it's definitley (sic) an experience they say they will never forget.

Study: Scuba Divers Willing To Pay More To See Healthy Corals, Sharks, Sea Turtles

For those of us who scuba dive, this goes without saying... but someone had to say it.

Oceana released the results of a new study today that finds a strong economic incentive for protecting living ocean resources. Sea the Value: Quantifying the Value of Marine Life to Divers shows that scuba divers are willing to pay more to see healthy corals, sharks and sea turtles.

"Divers are personally invested in the oceans and truly understand the importance of safeguarding marine wildlife and habitats," said Suzanne Garrett, dive program coordinator at Oceana. "Divers are avid participants in ecotourism and show a great willingness to protect all that inhabits the oceans."

Scuba divers contribute more than $4.1 billion dollars to local coastal economies alone each year through dive-related vacations. As part of Sea the Value, conducted in collaboration with Duke University, scuba divers were asked the maximum amount of money they were willing to pay, in addition to their normal dive costs, for the increased likelihood of seeing a particular species. Information was obtained from more than 500 scuba divers from across the United States who responded to a 25 question, web-based survey.

Average additional amount scuba divers are willing to pay per dive to view wildlife and the total annual value (U.S. $) across all six million dives taken in the United States:

* Sea Turtles: $29.63 per dive (annual value: $177.8 million)
* Sharks: $35.36 per dive (annual value: $212.2 million)
* Healthy Corals: $55.35 per dive (annual value: $332.1 million)

Scuba divers find personal value in seeing healthy marine life when they explore the underwater world. Quantifying this value is important, in part because it provides economic justification for the protection of marine wildlife. In fact, divers are valuable participants in ecotourism and provide economic incentives for coastal areas to protect and preserve the oceans. Many non-coastal cities and states also are home to scuba divers and dive shops that rely heavily on healthy oceans, benefiting from the economic activities of the dive community.

"Divers are great advocates for the oceans because they see first hand what's happening in the water," said Elizabeth Griffin, marine wildlife scientist at Oceana. "Failure of ocean managers to decrease pressures from commercial fishing, pollution and climate change continues to threaten the health and future of the world's oceans."

When asked whether the U.S. government sufficiently protects its dive sites, most divers said no. Scuba divers saw pollution as the most damaging threat to ocean health, followed by unsustainable fishing, loss of habitat, loss of biodiversity and, finally, climate change. These are all areas where divers feel the U.S. should improve ocean conservation and management to help better protect marine habitats.

For more information on what you can do to help and to view a full copy of the report, please visit http://oceana.org/dive.

Rare Turtle Slaughtered in Gaza

This heart-breaking video of Palestinian fishermen slaughtering a rare and endangered Leatherback turtle (for superstitious reasons, no less) surfaced via Reuters today, and has been making waves across the country.

DISCLAIMER: The video contains elements graphic in nature and can be at times hard to stomach.

Palestinian fishermen catch and kill a giant sea turtle, thought to be a Leatherback, an endangered species.

The rare giant sea turtle caught on a beach near Gaza City was slaughtered and eaten by Palestinian fishermen who said its blood was an aphrodisiac, among other therapeutic qualities. A Reuters cameraman said the fishermen collected the giant turtle's blood and gave it to children suffering from trauma and adults with back problems.

But fear not, there is also good work coming out of the Middle East. This next video is a CNN/IBN report from last month, about Israeli vets caring for and healing endangered sea turtles.