Up at 0315 to meet Clifford our driver. He drove us the 1-hour to Umkomaas and to Oceanworx which specialises in shark diving ... without cages!
I won't bore you with the details BUT Tim was ill (from the moment we hit the Ocean), James was ill (during the shoot) and I was ill (from ingesting a mouthful a "chum" which is made of fish oil, guts and blood). So - we were ALL ill! Not a pleasant experience on the slightly rough Indian Ocean!
ANYWAY - I did dive with Black Tip Sharks, Dusky Sharks and Tiger Sharks. The first two were playful and lovely ... the last one was - erm - well - scary! Below is a short explanation of each shark .. here's an excerpt from the Tiger Shark ...
"Second only to the great white shark in number of recorded attacks on humans, the tiger shark is considered, along with the great white, bull shark and the oceanic whitetip shark to be one of the sharks most dangerous to humans. This may be due to its aggressive nature and frequency of human contact as it often inhabits populated waters."
There were SIX Tiger Sharks around me at one stage!
Anyway, I am still alive ... with no visible bite marks ... have just had a fabulous massage (3rd this week), will now have room service and pop off to bed ...
A BIG day tomorrow ...
Pelagic Black Tip Sharks (Carcharhinus limbatus)
These sharks are common to coastal tropical and subtropical waters around the world, including brackish habitats. Genetic analyses have revealed substantial variation within this species, with populations from the western Atlantic Ocean isolated and distinct from those in the rest of its range. The blacktip shark has a stout, fusiform body with a pointed snout, long gill slits, and no ridge between the dorsal fins. Most individuals have black tips or edges on the pectoral, dorsal, pelvic, and caudal fins. It usually attains a length of 1.5 m (4.9 ft).
Swift, energetic piscivores, blacktip sharks are known to make spinning leaps out of the water while attacking schools of small fish. Their demeanor has been described as "timid" compared to other large requiem sharks. Both juveniles and adults form groups of varying size. Like other members of its family, the blacktip shark is viviparous; females bear 1–10 pups every other year. Young blacktip sharks spend the first months of their lives in shallow nurseries, and grown females will return to the nurseries where they were born to give birth themselves. In the absence of males, females are also capable of asexual reproduction.
Tiger Sharks (Galeocerdo cuvier)
This shark is a solitary hunter, usually hunting at night. Its name is derived from the dark stripes down its body, which fade as the shark matures.
The tiger shark is a predator, known for eating a wide range of items. Its usual diet consists of fish, seals, birds, smaller sharks, squid, turtles, and dolphins. It has sometimes been found with man-made waste such as license plates or pieces of old tires in its digestive tract and is often referred to as "the wastebasket of the sea".
This shark may be easily identified due to its dark stripes which are similar to a tiger pattern. It also has dorsal fins that are distinctively close to its tail. These sharks are often large in size and may encounter humans because they often visit shallow reefs, harbours and canals.
Second only to the great white shark in number of recorded attacks on humans, the tiger shark is considered, along with the great white, bull shark and the oceanic whitetip shark to be one of the sharks most dangerous to humans. This may be due to its aggressive nature and frequency of human contact as it often inhabits populated waters.
Dusky Sharks (Carcharhinus obscurus)
This species of requiem shark, family Carcharhinidae, occurring in tropical and warm-temperate continental seas worldwide. A generalist apex predator, the dusky shark can be found from the coast to the outer continental shelf and adjacent pelagic waters, and has been recorded from a depth of 400 m (1,300 ft). Populations migrate seasonally towards the poles in the summer and towards the equator in the winter, traveling hundreds to thousands of kilometers. One of the largest members of its genus, the dusky shark reaches 4.2 m (14 ft) in length and 347 kg (765 lb) in weight. It has a slender, streamlined body and can be identified by its short round snout, long sickle-shaped pectoral fins, ridge between the first and second dorsal fins, and faintly marked fins.
Adult dusky sharks have a broad and varied diet, consisting mostly of bony fishes, sharks and rays, and cephalopods, but also occasionally crustaceans, sea stars, bryozoans, sea turtles, marine mammals, carrion, and garbage. This species is viviparous with a three-year reproductive cycle; females bear litters of 3–14 young after a gestation period of 22–24 months, after which there is a year of rest before they become pregnant again. Females are capable of storing sperm for long periods, as their encounters with suitable mates may be few and far between due to their nomadic lifestyle and low overall abundance. Dusky sharks are one of the slowest-growing and latest-maturing sharks, not reaching adulthood until around 20 years of age.
Song of the Day: I'm free - The Soup Dragons
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yljbcRu3tiU
Weather: Fair ... choppy ...
0500 - still very dark!
Pre-dive! I am HAPPY!
Choppy waters
A Tiger zooms by at great speed!
Dive Master - Carl Elkington (my smile is totally put-on!)
