tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79425692590507313472024-02-08T05:26:25.792-08:00Shark PicturesShark pictures and information about sharks and rays. Notes from the road, shark conservation rants and incoherent ramblingsAndy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-52822550367627239992015-08-26T08:24:00.000-07:002015-08-26T08:24:31.927-07:00TEN WAYS TO AVOID A SHARK ATTACK<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Statistically, you have a far greater chance of being injured while driving to the dive site than when you're bobbing around in the water surrounded by hungry sharks. However, it doesn't hurt to learn some basic shark diving etiquette in order to minimize the risks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RULE #1 BLACK IS BACK</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sharks are attracted to bright colors. Most sharks are fish eaters and fish tend to be silvery, yellow or a variety of other iridescent colors. Fortunately, modern wetsuit makers favor black neoprene but fin, snorkel and mask manufacturers delight in making brightly hued accessories. Although you may look great in pink fins, think like a ninja if you're attending a shark dive.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The same principle applies to exposed skin. Wear dark gloves to help the sharks distinguish between your hands and the bait.</span></div>
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<img alt="diver in black with a large oceanic whitetip shark" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Dress_for_dinner.jpg" height="400" width="600" /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">RULE #2 GET AWAY FROM THE SURFACE</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">If you're attending an organized shark feed, the sharks will likely hear the boat arriving and start circling long before the divers enter the water. In this case, its important to get underwater as soon as possible.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Objects floating at the surface tend to be either sick or dead animals or debris that host small fishes. All of these attract the attention of sharks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">If you have to stay on the surface, keep your head underwater at all times so that you can see what is approaching you from below.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">RULE #3 AVOID SHARK DIVING AT DUSK</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Although shark diving operators entice sharks to feed during the day, many sharks naturally start hunting at dusk. Once the sun begins to sink towards the horizon many species become more alert and agitated as they prepare for their nightly hunt. Shark attacks are far more likely at this time so its a good idea to get out of the water at least an hour before sunset.</span></div>
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<img alt="sharks are more likely to attack at dusk" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Lemon_Shark_631.jpg" height="400" width="600" /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">RULE #4 WATCH FOR WARNING SIGNS</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Not all sharks give warnings before they attack but some do. Watch for agitated behavior in the form of fast bursts of speed, jerky movements, lowered pectoral fins and exaggerated side-to-side head movements. These all indicate that a shark is feeling stressed. If you encounter this no matter how subtle it may seem, slowly back away and stop doing any activity that may make the shark feel threatened.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RULE #5 BECOME ONE WITH THE REEF</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Sharks respond to movement so it is a good idea to remain as still as possible. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Most shark feeds take place on the sea floor. Divers descend with a little more weight than they would normally wear so that they can kneel comfortably on the sand without bobbing around in the current or surge. Even better than sitting on the sand is to put your back against the reef but make sure you are not damaging any corals in the process.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">In blue water feeds such as when chumming for <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Smalltooth_Sawfish_Shark_Safari.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">oceanic whitetip sharks at Andros Island</span></a> in the Bahamas, the seabed may be more than 1000m below you. In this case, it is important to maintain neutral buoyancy. Invariably, the diver that descends deepest, gets the most attention from the attending sharks.</span></div>
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<img alt="diver and tiger shark next to the reef to avoid a shark attack" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Avoid_Tiger_Shark_attack.jpg" height="400" width="600" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RULE #6 </b></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">MAINTAIN EYE CONTACT</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">White sharks, tiger sharks and many types of reef sharks hunt by sneaking up on their chosen prey. They will often only attack if they have the advantage of surprise so if you make it clear that you can see the sharks around you, you have less chance that they will think of you as potential prey.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">RULE #7 NEVER CORNER A SHARK</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">If you see a shark in a cave or swimming close to a reef wall, avoid blocking its exit. A shark attack can take place simply because a shark is trying to escape but has nowhere to go except through the diver.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>RULE #8 AVOID MURKY WATER</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Diving in turbid water is asking for trouble. Not only is it harder to keep an eye on where the sharks are, they may have trouble differentiating between you and the food if their vision is obscured.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">RULE #9 BRING A BIG STICK BUT DON'T USE IT</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">During a shark feed, its quite normal for the attending sharks to approach all of the divers to see if they have any food. More often than not, they pass nonchalantly by but sometimes they give divers a little bump with their noses to see what get dislodged or just to see what we're all about - think of it as an exploratory prod from an animal that has no fingers. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">If you are uncomfortable with this level of contact, bring along a short length of PVC pipe (or better still a big camera) and hold it in the direction of the shark as it approaches. This is usually enough of an incentive to make the shark turn long before it makes contact.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Never jab the shark with the pole as this could cause an aggressive response.</span></div>
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<img alt="diver and hammerhead" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Great_Hammerhead_Diving_stick.jpg" height="400" width="600" /></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">RULE #10 DON'T TRY THIS AT HOME</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">It may be tempting to throw a bag of chum in your boat and head out to sea on your own but without proper training and experience this is asking for trouble. Attracting sharks that are not used to being fed is more dangerous because they will be extremely unpredictable.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Always go shark diving with a reputable, experienced operator. Each encounter is different, with its own unique variables and potential risks. Rather than learning the hard way, join a trip with a company that has a track record of safe encounters.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><img align="left" alt="shark photographer Andy Murch" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/AndyMurchSmall.jpg" height="168" width="120" /></span></div>
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Author: Andy Murch</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Andy is a professional big animal photographer and the founder of </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/">BigFishExpeditions.com</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Over the last two decades Andy has photographed more species of sharks than virtually anyone alive. His passion for sharks and their survival has led him to create the <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">elasmodiver.com</span></a> shark and ray field guide and <a href="http://predatorsinperil.org/"><span style="text-decoration: none;">PredatorsinPeril.org</span></a></span></div>
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Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-61157544226864223982015-03-09T18:36:00.002-07:002015-03-09T18:38:30.816-07:00A BIG YEAR FOR BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">When I last had time to write a newsletter I had just returned from an action packed trip to Tiger Beach. Since then, we have enjoyed so many incredible encounters that it is going to be tricky cramming them all into a few short paragraphs with enough space left to tell you about our brand new Big Fish Expeditions. But here goes:</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">AMAZING SHARK ACTION IN FALSE BAY </span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">The first stop on our back-to-back summer schedule was our annual South African Shark Safari. This year was our best yet: not only did we see spectacular aerial displays by multiple great white sharks at Seal Island, we also had intense activity around the cages, immersed ourselves in a kelp forest overrun with sevengill sharks and all manner of cat sharks and spent a day with 25+ blue sharks and four makos. Check out some of the pictures in the full trip report here: <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/False_Bay_Shark_Safari_2014.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">False Bay Shark Safari 2014 Trip Report</span></span></a></b></span></div>
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<img alt="Breaching great whte shark, False Bay, South Africa." border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/False_Bay_Shark_Diving_2014_009.jpg" height="400" width="600" /></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">BAIT BALL MAYHEM ON THE SARDINE RUN</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">After the False Bay Shark Safari, we drove east with some of our guests that wanted to experience more of South Africa. It was our first year on the Wild Coast and after this year's trip I can't wait to get back there. Between exploratory dives on the reefs, chumming sessions attended by beefy bronze whaler sharks, snorkeling sessions with humpbacks and better bait ball action that I could ever have anticipated, we definitely nailed it! Follow this link to all the action: <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sardine_Run_2014.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Sardine Run 2014 Trip Report</span></span></a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">BASKING SHARK BUST</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">I will always tell it like it is. We got completely skunked on our Scottish Basking Shark Expedition this summer. Next year we going a month later when the baskers should be there in force. Basking sharks are always tricky to find but we have the right boat, the right crew, the right attitude and the right intel to find these elusive giants in 2015. Our guests seem to think so too as we only have <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BaskingSharkDiving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">one spot left!</span></span></a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">SALMON SHARK SUCCESS!!!</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">This was a trip that I thought might be difficult but as soon as we arrived at the lodge we saw salmon sharks breaking the surface! Follow this link to read what an amazing adventure it turned out to be, with salmon sharks, salmon, great reef diving and spectacular topside vistas: <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Salmon_Sharks_2014.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Salmon Sharks 2014 Trip Report </span></span></a></b></span></div>
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<img alt="Salmon shark diving" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Salmon_Sharks_2014_003.jpg" height="400" width="600" /></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">WHALE SHARK WONDERLAND</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">July is always a month for big animal encounters in North America. After just 4 hours back in Canada after our salmon shark trips, I jumped straight back on a plane to fly to Mexico for our annual Whale Shark Expedition. From there I went immediately onto yet another trip so I didn't have time to write a 2014 Whale Shark Trip Report but as I have come to expect from Isla Mujeres, the whale sharks showed up in force and did not disappoint any of our guests! </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">For two weeks we had whale sharks every single day. There were also a few mantas here and there, schooling mobula rays and schooling cownose rays. Isla Mujeres is the undisputed Whale Shark Capital of the World! Join us in 2015 for what I am sure will be another great season: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">Whale Sharks 2015</span></span></a></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">WORLD CLASS BELUGA WHALE ACTION!</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">As our whale shark guests departed for home, I boarded a plane bound for Churchill, Canada. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Better known as the 'Polar Bear Capital of the World', Churchill also has the world's most accessible population of wild beluga whales. We spent one epic week bobbing around in Hudson Bay with curious and exceedingly playful white whales. True to its word, Churchill also delivered great topside polar bear encounters and we enjoyed surreal excursions into the tundra in search of other arctic wildlife. I can't wait to get back there next year for more time interacting with the 'canaries of the sea'. Read about our fantastic beluga adventure here: <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Beluga_Whales_and_Polar_Bears_2014.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Beluga Whale and Polar Bear 2014 Trip Report</span></span></a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">INTENSE MEXICAN CROCODILE ACTION!</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">After belugas I flew straight back to Mexico to lead two back-to-back crocodile expeditions to Chinchorro Atoll. Crocs are amazing players; as fearless as they are ferocious, we were able to snorkel right up to them for some amazing encounters. Plus, we got to see manatees on both trips. Read all about it:<b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Mexican_Crocodile_Expedition_Report_2014.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Mexican Crocodile 2014 Trip Report</span></span></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><b>BLUES, MAKOS AND LEOPARD SHARKS.</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">At the end of the summer we tried our luck down in California with the blues and makos. Although we got a mako fly-by and spent some quality time with a boisterous blue shark, it was unseasonably warm when we arrived so the action was not what we had hoped. Fortunately, after the trip, most of our guests were able to join us in San Diego for some fantastic encounters with inshore sharks. As it wasn't part of the trip I didn't write a report about it but if you want to see more images please follow us on Facebook. Everyday we try to upload an image or two from our latest adventures:<b><a href="http://www.facebook.com/bigfishexpeditions" style="color: yellow;" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Facebook.com/bigfishexpeditions</span></span></a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">THRESHER SHARKS ON DEMAND!</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">After some much needed down time, we headed to magical Malapascua Island in the Philippines. Monad Shoal (a 15 minute boat ride from tiny Malapascua) is the best location in the world to dive with thresher sharks.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">For six mornings we dove the shoal hoping to see pelagic threshers and six mornings in a row the threshers showed up for us!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">As well as threshers, we also found coral catsharks, banded bamboo sharks and all manner of otherworldly macro critters. I can't wait to repeat this trip <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Thresher_Shark_Diving_Malapascua.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">next year!</span></span></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Check out some of the images from this year's fantastically successful trip: <span style="font-weight: 700;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Thresher_Sharks_2014.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Thresher Sharks 2014 Trip Report</span></span></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><b>NEW TRIPS ON THE <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/schedule.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue;">BIG FISH CALENDAR</span></span></a>!</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">NILE CROCODILE EXPEDITION</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">At the end of the summer I finally had a chance to catch my breath and plan some new adventures. After two great weeks with American Crocodiles, a Nile Crocodile Expedition to Botswana was the only way to one-up that experience.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Nile crocs are not a species to be treated casually. Diving with them in relative safety requires a great deal of skill and expertise. Consequently, we have partnered with South African Big Animal Expert Walter Bernardis who has more time in the water with Nile Crocs that almost anyone alive.<br />We are taking a very small group of skilled divers that have racked up plenty of bottom time around big animals. Our first trip filled almost immediately so please keep an eye on our <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Nile_Crocodile_Diving_Okavango.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue;">Nile Crocodile Expedition page</span></span></a></b> for further dates.</span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">BLUES, MAKOS AND MOBULAS OF THE AZORES</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">I also wanted to add a new location for blues and makos. In the past we have run trips to Rhode Island and California. Both of those locations are great for shark action but why repeat the same trips when there are even more interesting places to chase these species!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">So, we are heading to the Azores - a remote (but easy to get to) group of islands in middle of the North Atlantic that belong to Portugal.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Why the Azores? Firstly, the Azorean island of Pico has a very healthy population of blue and mako sharks. Secondly, the Azores also provides access to world famous Princess Alice Banks - a deep reef far from shore inhabited by huge Pelagic Mobula Rays. Unlike smaller mobulas that bolt at the sight of divers, this species is extremely friendly and curious, allowing divers to swim next to them within touching distance. I have been looking forward to running a trip to Princess Alice Banks for many years. Join me there in 2016 on our first one: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Azores_Makos_Blues_Devil_Rays_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue;">Azores Shark Adventure</span></span></a>.</span></div>
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<img alt="Devil Ray Diving" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Devil_Ray_Princess_Alice_Diving3.jpg" height="400" width="600" /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: large;"><b>THE 2015 LINE UP:</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">The first half of 2015 is completely sold out but we have a few spots left if you are looking for a world class big animal encounter later in the year.</span></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/South_Africa_Shark_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Great Whites, Sevengill Sharks, Makos, Blue Sharks, 5 species of Catsharks and Spotted Gully Sharks in False Bay, South Africa."><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><img align="left" alt="Dive with Great Whites, Sevengill Sharks, Makos, Blue Sharks, 5 species of Catsharks and Spotted Gully Sharks in False Bay, South Africa." border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/SouthAfricanSharkDivingButton.jpg" height="80" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Two spots left in on our <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/South_Africa_Shark_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue;">False Bay Shark Safari </span></span></a>in June: Ten species of sharks in 5 days of diving plus a full day game drive to shoot the big five!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Expect, breaching great whites, lumbering sevengill sharks, a good variety of catsharks and blues and makos. You can't beat this trip!</span></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sardine_Run_Shark_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive the Sardine Run. Watch Sharks, dolphins, whales and sea birds devour Sardine Baitballs."><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Sardine_Run_Button.jpg" height="80" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Join us for the greatest shoal on earth. We have 4 spots left on our excellent <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sardine_Run_Shark_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue;">East London/Port Saint John Sardine Run Trip</span></span></a>. Between bait balls, we will also be chumming up bronze whaler sharks and other Wild Coast sharks that are attracted to our slick. Last year's expedition was amazing!</span></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BaskingSharkDiving.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Swim with Basking Sharks and dive the pristine reefs of Scotland."><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/BaskingSharkButton.jpg" height="80" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">One spot only on our <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BaskingSharkDiving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue;">Scottish Basking Shark Expedition</span></span></a>. If you want to dive with the second largest shark in the sea. Join us in the Inner Hebrides next July!</span></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Swim with hundreds of Whale Sharks in Isla Mujeres, Mexico"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/WhaleSharkDivingbutton.jpg" height="80" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Swim with the largest aggregation of whale sharks on planet earth in the warm, blue waters of the Mexican Caribbean. </span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">You may also see mantas, schooling mobula rays, cownose rays and even the occasional sailfish. You will definitely see whale sharks! 5 spots left for next July: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">Whale Sharks of Isla Mujeres</span></span></a></span></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Beluga_Whale_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Swim with thousands of Beluga Whales and explore the tundra in Churchill, Canada."><span style="color: black;"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Beluga_Whale_Diving_Button.jpg" height="80" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Join us on our second year of beluga whales. On our first trip we had exceptional encounters with both belugas and polar bears. Next year will be a trip to remember! </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: blue;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Beluga_Whale_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: blue;">Beluga Whales of Churchill</span></span></a><span style="font-weight: 700;">. </span></span><span style="color: black;">5 spots left!</span></span></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Diving_With_Crocodiles.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with American Crocodiles in the clear waters of Chinchorro Banks in Mexico."><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/American_Crocodile_Diving_button.jpg" height="80" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Three spots left on our <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Diving_With_Crocodiles.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">Mexican Crocodile Expedition.</span></span></a> This encounter is an amazing opportunity to get up close to American crocodiles in the wild. If you are looking for the ultimate in dramatic images, join our newest trip leader Pro Shooter Terry Steeley in Mexico next August. </span></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/GreatWhiteSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Great White Sharks at Guadalupe Island in Mexico."><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/GreatWhiteSharkDivingButton.jpg" height="80" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">This is your chance to enter the water with enormous <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/GreatWhiteSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">Great White Sharks</span></span></a>. Join me next September for a very close encounter that you will never forget! We leave for Guadalupe Island from Ensenada - just a few hours south of San Diego. 5 spots left!</span></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/HumboldtSquidDivingExpedition.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Humbodltsquidbutton.jpg" height="80" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Due to popular demand, we have added a second week to our <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/HumboldtSquidDivingExpedition.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">Midriff Islands Big Animal Safari</span></span></a>. Expect great reef diving in the Sea of Cortez plus encounters with pilot whales, baleen whales, whale sharks, humboldt squid, Mexican horn sharks and much more!</span></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Thresher_Shark_Diving_Malapascua.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Pelagic Thresher Sharks and Bamboo Sharks on the beautiful reefs of Malapascua Island in the Philippines."><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><img align="left" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Thresher_Shark_Button.jpg" height="80" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Join us next December in the <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Thresher_Shark_Diving_Malapascua.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: blue;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Thresher Shark Capital of the World</span></span></a></b>! Plus experience world class macro diving. Six days of threshers, bamboo sharks, octos and macro mayhem. Don't miss this awesome trip!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Overwhelmed? Me too, but life is too short to procrastinate. Join us in 2015 for a big animal adventure you will never forget!</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">See you down there.</span></div>
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<img alt="Andy Murch Trip Leader" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/AndyMurch5.jpg" height="224" width="160" /></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Andy Murch is a professional big animal photographer and the founder of <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: #000099;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">BigFishExpeditions.com</span></span></a></span></div>
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Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-16375258813850537472014-05-05T12:56:00.000-07:002014-05-05T12:56:32.714-07:00MORE WILDLY SUCCESSFUL BIG ANIMAL EXPEDITIONS!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: black;"><img alt="Whale shark at Roca Partida" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Socorro_Diving_2014_023.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">'Wildly Successful' pretty much sums up this year so far. Our 2014 expeditions have been wildly successful! As I mentioned in my last update, we found the </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Killer_Whale_Diving_Expedition_Norway_2014.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Killer Whales</span></span></a><span style="color: black;"> we were looking for in Norway, we had two amazing </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Great_Hammerhead_Diving_Expedition_2014.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Great Hammerhead</span></span></a><span style="color: black;"> weeks in the Bahamas and we swam with hunting </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sailfish_Diving_Expedition_2014.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Sailfish and False Killer Whales</span></span></a><span style="color: black;"> in Mexico. Since then. we've added two more great expeditions to our list of successes. Read on to find out more:</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">SOCORRO & ROCA PARTIDA</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">We enjoyed a great week of world class encounters at Socorro Island and Roca Partida<i> </i>aboard the<i> MV Southern Sport</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">Not only did we see Giant mantas, Galapagos sharks, scalloped hammerheads, silvertips and whitetips in abundance, this year we had an (out of season) whale shark circling Roca Partida to the delight of everyone on the liveaboard. All the action and some great images can be seen here: </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Socorro_2014.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">Socorro and Roca Partida 2014</span></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><img alt="Dive Socorro" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Socorro_Diving_2014_055.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">INSANE TIGER SHARK ACTION AT TIGER BEACH</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">This was our best year ever for tiger sharks at that infamous sand bank in the northern Bahamas that has come to be known as Tiger Beach. There were so many sharks that it was impossible to keep track of them all but at one point I counted at least 5 tiger sharks, a handful of nurse sharks, more than a dozen lemon sharks and countless Caribbean reef sharks. If you want to see the images of that crazy adventure, please follow this link: </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Tiger_Beach_Shark_Diving_2014.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">Tiger Beach 2014 Trip Report</span></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><img alt="Dive with three tiger sharks at Tiger Beach." border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Tiger_Beach_2014_Tiger_Sharks_076.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">PREDATORS IN PERIL BAJA 2014</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">After Tiger Beach we headed down to California and San Felipe in Northern Baja, Mexico. This was partly a scouting trip for California shark species and partly an opportunity for me to take more shark fishing pictures for the Predators in Peril Project.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">While in Long Beach, California, I went out chasing makos with expert shark tagger Keith Poe and Captain Chris Wade who will be our host for our California mako shark trip this September. The water was amazingly clear compared to other places where you can sometimes see makos and we saw at least ten different shortfin mako sharks in a single day. It was great trip and I'm looking forward to coming back for our </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/MakoShark&BlueSharkDiving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">Big Fish Expeditions California Mako Shark Adventure</span></span></a><span style="color: black;">. Join us in Long Beach this September!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><img alt="mako diving California" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/California_Mako_Shark_Dive.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">After California we continued into Baja. Mexican shark fishermen head out of sleepy San Felipe to gill nest for a number of different food fish. Unfortunately they inadvertently pull up a number of different sharks that they collectively refer to as Cazon or Tollos. The bycatch generally includes a number of smoothhound shark species plus Pacific sharpnose sharks, mall blacktips, juvenile hammerheads and tope (soupfin) sharks.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Some of these species are heavily fished and are in danger of depletion in parts of their range. Our intention was to find out what species they were catching and at what times of year. There is virtually no accessible catch data available so a field trip was the only way to gather this kind of information.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">As I have come to expect, the fishermen were cautious but approachable and I managed to talk my way onto one of the fishing boats to get a broader understanding of their efforts. While I was onboard I saw a number of grey smoothhound sharks come up in the nets. Sadly only one was still swimming and after a quick negotiation with the Captain I returned it to the ocean and took a few images as it swam off into the jade green waters of the northern gulf.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">We left San Felipe with the intel and contacts we needed to plan a second trip that will hopefully result in some images of new species and the release of far more sharks.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><img alt="Grey smoothhound shark San Felipe Mexico." border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Grey_Smoothhound_Predators_In_Peril.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">A BUSY SUMMER AHEAD!</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">May will be a busy month at Big Fish Expeditions HQ on Vancouver Island because at the beginning of June we launch into an insane summer season of back to back shark trips. Here is the run down if you are looking for a great adventure:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/South_Africa_Shark_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">FALSE BAY SHARK SAFARI </span></span></a><span style="color: black;">June 1-8. 1 SPOT AVAILABLE</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Flying Great Whites, Sevengill Sharks, Catsharks and Blues and Makos!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sardine_Run_Shark_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">THE SOUTH AFRICAN SARDINE RUN</span></span></a></b><span style="color: #000099;"> </span><span style="color: black;">June 8-18 4 SPOTS AVAILABLE</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Baitball action with Bronze Whalers, Blacktips, dolphins, feeding Brydes Whales and diving birds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BaskingSharkDiving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">SCOTTISH BASKING SHARKS</span></span></a></b><span style="color: black;"> June 22-28 SOLD OUT</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Migrating basking sharks around the Isle of Mull, Scotland.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/SalmonSharkDiving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">ALASKAN SALMON SHARKS</span></span></a><span style="color: black;"> July 6-12. 1 SPOT LEFT, July 12-18 2 SPOTS LEFT.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Salmon Sharks, Bear watching, Salmon dives and exploratory reef diving in pristine Alaska.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">MEXICAN WHALE SHARKS</span></span></a><span style="color: black;"> July 20-25 5 SPOTS AVAILABLE. July 25-30 SOLD OUT</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">The largest aggregation of Whale Sharks on Planet Earth.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Beluga_Whale_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">CANADIAN BELUGA WHALES</span></span></a></b><span style="color: black;"> August 3-9 2 SPOTS AVAILABLE</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Encounters with thousands of friendly Beluga Whales in Hudson Bay.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Diving_With_Crocodiles.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">MEXICAN CROCODILES</span></span></a><span style="color: black;"> August 17-23, 24-30. SOLD OUT</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Snorkeling with American Crocodile at Chinchorro Banks, Mexico.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/MakoShark&BlueSharkDiving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">CALIFORNIA MAKOS AND BLUES</span></span></a><span style="color: #000099;"> </span><span style="color: black;">August 31 - September 4. 6 SPOTS AVAILABLE</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Makos, Blue Sharks, Angel Sharks, Horn Sharks and More.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><b>THRESHER SHARKS OF MALAPSCUA</b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><img alt="thresher shark diving" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Pelagic_Thresher_Shark_008.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">As soon as the exhaustion has worn off from our summer expeditions, it'll be time to head to marvelous Malapascua Island in the Philippines. Monad Shoal (a 10min boat ride from tiny Malapascua) is the best location in the world to dive with thresher sharks.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Around Malapscua you can also find whitespotted bamboo sharks, banded bamboo sharks, coral catsharks and all manner of crazy macro critters like pygmy seahorses, blue ringed octopuses, mating mandarinfish and reefs ablaze with beautiful orange soft corals.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">As I write this, we have four spot left on the expedition. Join us there! <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Thresher_Shark_Diving_Malapascua.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: #000099;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">Thresher Shark Expedition.</span></span></a></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><img alt="Dive with bamboo sharks" border="0" height="346" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Whitespotted_Bamboo_Shark_Diving.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">LOOKING FAR, FAR AHEAD...</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">In 2015 we'll be back at many of these great locations, starting with another chance to </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/OrcaDivingNorway.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">swim with orcas in Norway</span></span></a><span style="color: black;">, cavort with </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Melonheaded_Whales_Nuku_Hiva_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Melonheaded Whales in French Polynesia</span></span></a><span style="color: black;"> and enjoy two back to back </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Great_Hammerhead_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: black;">Great Hammerhead trips in the Bahamas</span></span></a><span style="color: black;">. All of these are either full or almost full so please email us if you'd like to snag one of the last spots.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">There are opportunities to enjoy world class big animal dives with us throughout the year as we now have 20 expeditions on the schedule and more in the planning stages! To see what you can join and when, please visit our schedule page: </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/schedule.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS DIVE SCHEDULE</span></span></a></span></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/OrcaDivingNorway.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Swim with Killer Whales and dive in the fiords of Norway."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/OrcaDivingButton.jpg" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Melonheaded_Whales_Nuku_Hiva_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Swim with Melonheaded Whales and dive with mantas, hammerheads and explore the reefs of Nuku Hiva, French Polynesia."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Melonheaded_Whale_Diving_Button.jpg" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Great_Hammerhead_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Great Hammerheads and Bull Sharks at Bimini Island in the Bahamas."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Great_Hammerhead_Diving_Button.jpg" width="165" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/SailfishDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Sailfish attacking baitballs at Isla Mujeres, Mexico"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Sailfish_Baitball_Diving_button.jpg" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/HumpbackWhaleMantaDivingSocorro.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Giant Manta Rays, Hammerhead and Galapagos Sharks and watch Humpback whales breaching at Socorro Island in Mexico."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/GiantMantaDivingSocorro.jpg" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Tiger Sharks, Lemons, Caribbean Reef Sharks and Nurse Sharks at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/TigerSharkbutton.jpg" width="165" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/OceanicWhitetipSharkExpedition.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Oceanic Whitetip Sharks at Cat Island in the Bahamas."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/oceanicwhitetipsharkbutton.jpg" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/South_Africa_Shark_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Great Whites, Sevengill Sharks, Makos, Blue Sharks, 5 species of Catsharks and Spotted Gully Sharks in False Bay, South Africa."><span style="color: black;"><img alt="Dive with Great Whites, Sevengill Sharks, Makos, Blue Sharks, 5 species of Catsharks and Spotted Gully Sharks in False Bay, South Africa." border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/SouthAfricanSharkDivingButton.jpg" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sardine_Run_Shark_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive the Sardine Run. Watch Sharks, dolphins, whales and sea birds devour Sardine Baitballs."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Sardine_Run_Button.jpg" width="165" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BaskingSharkDiving.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Swim with Basking Sharks and dive the pristine reefs of Scotland."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/BaskingSharkButton.jpg" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/SalmonSharkDiving.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Salmon Sharks and salmon and explore the pristine reefs of Prince William Sound, Alaska."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Salmon_Shark_Button.jpg" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Swim with hundreds of Whale Sharks in Isla Mujeres, Mexico"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/WhaleSharkDivingbutton.jpg" width="165" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Beluga_Whale_Diving.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Swim with thousands of Beluga Whales and explore the tundra in Churchill, Canada."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Beluga_Whale_Diving_Button.jpg" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Diving_With_Crocodiles.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with American Crocodiles in the clear waters of Chinchorro Banks in Mexico."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/American_Crocodile_Diving_button.jpg" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/MakoShark&BlueSharkDiving.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Makos, Blue Sharks and Angel Sharks in Southern California."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/MakoDivingButton.jpg" width="165" /></span></a></div>
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<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/GreatWhiteSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Great White Sharks at Guadalupe Island in Mexico."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/GreatWhiteSharkDivingButton.jpg" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/HumboldtSquidDivingExpedition.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Humbodltsquidbutton.jpg" width="165" /></span></a><span style="color: black;"> </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Thresher_Shark_Diving_Malapascua.html" style="color: yellow;" title="Dive with Pelagic Thresher Sharks and Bamboo Sharks on the beautiful reefs of Malapascua Island in the Philippines."><span style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="80" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Thresher_Shark_Button.jpg" width="165" /></span></a></div>
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<b><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">INTRODUCING THE HUMPBACK WHALES OF THE SILVER BANKS</span></b></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">I am very excited to announce that in March 2016 we'll be spending a week swimming with humpback whales and their playful calves at the world famous Silver Banks in the Dominican Republic.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: black;">News of the trip has already got out so if you would like to enjoy a world class adventure in the company of whales, please let us know as soon as possible: </span><b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Humpback_Whale_Diving_Silver_Banks.html" style="color: yellow;"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #000099;">Humpback Whale Expedition 2016</span></span></a><span style="color: #000099;">.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><img alt="Humpback Whale snorkeling, Silver Banks, Dominican Republic" border="0" height="402" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Humpback_Whale_Diving_Socorro3.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">That's it from me. Time to break out my drysuit and enjoy some great Vancouver Island kelp forest diving while the visibility is still spectacular.</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">See you down there,</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Andy</span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><b>Andy Murch</b> is a professional big animal photographer and the founder of <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/" style="color: yellow;"><span style="color: #000099;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">BigFishExpeditions.com</span></span></a></span></div>
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Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-16138926795153642572014-03-11T22:59:00.000-07:002014-03-11T22:59:20.252-07:00PREDATOR HEAVEN!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b style="background-color: white; font-size: small; text-align: left;"> A KILLER START TO 2014!</b></h1>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Our first Norwegian Orca Expedition was a resounding success! We spent the first half of the trip scuba diving in the fiords while a storm raged offshore but as soon as the wind dropped we headed out to sea and found multiple pods of killer whales feeding on huge balls of herring. It was an experience I will never forget! Follow this link to the <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Killer_Whale_Diving_Expedition_Norway_2014.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">2014 Killer Whale Expedition Trip Report</span></a></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">HAMMERED IN BIMINI</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="Great hammerheads on a dive" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Bimini_Great_Hammerheads_2014.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">As soon as we made landfall in Kristiansund at the end of the Killer Whale Expedition, I flew straight to the Bahamas to meet our first group of hammerhead shark divers. For two glorious weeks we dove with Great Hammerheads, Bull Sharks, Nurse Sharks and even snuck in a reef dive with Caribbean Reef Sharks and Blacknose Sharks. The hammer action was world class. With thousands of great hammerhead images to choose from and some amazing videos submitted our guests, this trip report will definitely make you drool! Plus, you have to see what showed up on the Big Fish Deep Cam at 800ft!<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Great_Hammerhead_Diving_Expedition_2014.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">2014 Great Hammerhead Expedition Trip Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white;">ALLIGATOR SNAPS</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">On the way home from the Bahamas we stopped in South Florida for a couple of days to decompress. What better way to do that, than to spend some time playing in the swamp with alligators :) It was also a great warm up for our <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Diving_With_Crocodiles.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">American Crocodile Expedition</span></a> in Chinchorro Mexico later this summer</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white;">SAILFISH SURPRISE!</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">After only three days back in Canada I was back on a plane for our Sailfish Expedition in Cancun, Mexico. After a slow start, the sailfish finally showed themselves and we spent many hours finning manically after sardine bait balls being decimated by sailfish.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="A large group of hunting sailfish" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Sailfish_Baitball_Diving_Mexico.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">It was great to see so many healthy predators hunting in the wild but on our last day we also encountered a large aggregation of feeding mantas and mobulas and then a completely unexpected super pod of False Killer Whales appeared. It doesn't get much better than that! Read the trip report here: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sailfish_Diving_Expedition_2014.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">2014 Sailfish Expedition Trip Report.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="Swimming with false killer whales" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/False_Killer_Whale_Diving.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white;">INTRODUCING THE MIDRIFF ISLANDS - A GREAT NEW EVENT ON THE BIG FISH SCHEDULE!</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">In September 2015, join us aboard the Rocio Del Mar for a week long expedition to the Midriff Islands in the northern Sea of Cortez. The Midriffs are a seldom visited group of islands with dramatic reefscapes, numerous whale species and schooling humboldt squid. Get ready for adventure!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Not only is this a world class destination, it is also affordable and extremely easy for North Americans to get to: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/HumboldtSquidDivingExpedition.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Whale and Humboldt Squid Adventure</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="Humboldt Squid Diving" border="0" height="341" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Humboldt_Squid_Encounter_5.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white;">LAST MINUTE SUMMER OPENINGS:</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">SOCORRO</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">If you're reeeeeally quick, we have one cancellation on our yearly Socorro Trip. The boat leaves Cabo San Lucas on March 19th... <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/HumpbackWhaleMantaDivingSocorro.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Socorro Manta Adventure</span></a></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">THE SARDINE RUN</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">We have a few spots left if you'd like to join us in South Africa this June. The yearly Sardine Run is one of the most spectacular events in the sea. If you haven't done this epic adventure. Join us! <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sardine_Run_Shark_Diving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Sardine Run and Wild Coast Shark Safari.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="Blacktips hunting on the sardine run" border="0" height="295" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Sardine_Run_3.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">SALMON SHARKS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Just a couple of spots open on our Salmon Shark Adventure in Prince William Sound, Alaska. As well as chasing salmon sharks, we'll be diving Alaska's pristine reefs and bear watching along the shores of Fidalgo Inlet. Join us for an adventure on a grand scale! <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/SalmonSharkDiving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Salmon Shark Adventure</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="Salmon Shark Diving" border="0" height="355" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Salmon_Shark.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">ISLA MUJERES GREAT WHALE SHARK </span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>ADVENTURE</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Nowhere in the world can you see this many enormous whale sharks in one place. So if you have time in the summer, don't miss this epic event: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">The Great Whale Shark Fiesta</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">BELUGAS IN </span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>CANADA</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Just four spots open on our Beluga Whale Expedition. Plunge into Hudson Bay among thousands of friendly Beluga Whales: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Beluga_Whale_Diving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Beluga Whale Expedition</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white;">MAKO MADNESS</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Join us in September aboard the Sea Watch and dive with mako and blue sharks in the crystal clear waters of Southern California. Then drift along a reef with angel sharks and other Pacific shark species:<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/MakoShark&BlueSharkDiving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Mako Shark Adventure</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Shortfin_Mako_Shark_345.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">SWIM WITH THRESHER SHARKS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Then in November join us on beautiful Malapascua Island in the Philippines to dive with Pelagic Thresher Sharks. Malapascua is a real tropical paradise and the diving (both big animal and macro) is extraordinary. Don't miss this amazing trip: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Thresher_Shark_Diving_Malapascua.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Thresher Shark Diving Malapascua</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="thresher shark diving" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Pelagic_Thresher_Shark_008.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">NO MORE BULL SHARKS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">To be candid, we had a Bull Shark Expedition scheduled for November but there were so many bulls on our <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Great_Hammerhead_Diving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Bimini Hammerhead Trip</span></a> that we feel a dedicated bull shark trip would be redundant. So, if you want to see bull sharks up close and personal, join us in Bimini next February!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="diving with a bull shark" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Bimini_Bull_Shark_Dive.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">I guess that's enough temptation for now. If like me you live in the northern hemisphere, enjoy the spring and get ready for a long hot summer. If you live down south and its starting feel kinda cold in your neck of the woods, maybe you should fly up here and join one of our action-packed big animal adventures.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Never hang up your fins,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Andy</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><b>Andy Murch</b> is a professional big animal photographer and the founder of Big Fish Expeditions.</span></div>
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Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-67734622201828788722014-03-11T14:27:00.000-07:002014-03-11T14:27:03.478-07:002014 EXTREME SHARK AND WHALE DIVING<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;"><b> CHAS</b></span><b style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">ING BIG FISH MIGRATIONS</span></b></h1>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">It will be hard to top last year's amazing expeditions but we're going to give it a try. Our 2014 calendar is even more action packed with classic expeditions and brand new off-the-beaten-path adventures. Why? Because life is too darn short to NOT fill it with amazing memories whenever you can!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">I love the planning and execution of new adventures. As I research new big animal destinations, one theme reoccurs over and over; if you want to see big pelagic predators, you need to follow the mass fish migrations that occur all around the world at different times of the year.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Some events are hard to predict and some frustratingly occur at the same time on opposite sides of the planet. But it seems as though there is always a sardine run, or a herring run, or a tuna spawning event going on somewhere. My job is to make sure that we're in the right place at exactly the right time to enjoy world class encounters with the ocean's heavy weights. Your job is to meet me there are enjoy the adventure of a life time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white;">STARTING 2014 WITH AN EXTREME ADVENTURE!</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">In a few days I am flying to Rorvik in Norway to lead our first Orca Diving Expedition. This is one of those encounters that is highly unpredictable but we have partnered with the absolute best Norwegian Orca Diving Operator. The news from Norwegian Killer Whale researchers is extremely promising. Apparently the North Sea Herring Run is in full swing right now and there are hundreds of orcas and whales coming in to feed up and down the coast. Expect a trip report as soon as we return.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">We have chartered the boat again for the 2015 killer whale season and it is already filling up! If you didn't have a chance to come this year, join us for the <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/OrcaDivingNorway.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">2015 Norwegian Orca Expedition</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="Orca diving" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/OrcaDivingNorway2.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">GREAT HAMMERHEAD </span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>SEASON</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">As soon as we make landfall after our killer whale expedition, I am flying directly to Bimini in the Bahamas for two back to back Great Hammerhead Expeditions. The hammers have already started showing up so 'hammer season' should be at its peak by the time our guests arrive. Its amazing to think that the most sought after shark species in the Bahamas has been congregating right off of coast of South Bimini Island without anyone having a clue until the researchers at the Bimini Shark Lab noticed them a few short years ago. Personally, I can't wait for the chance to share the water with multiple great hammerhead sharks! Grab the last spot on our Feb 8-14 trip: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Great_Hammerhead_Diving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Great Hammerhead Diving</span></a></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">SAILFISH</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Later in February I'll be down in Mexico for our yearly sailfish expedition. This is another encounter that is timed around a mass migration. Each year between January and March, millions of sardines migrate along the east coast of Mexico. The fish form a river of life on the sea bed. Thousands of sailfish head to the shores of Cancun to take advantage of this annual bounty. In groups of 20-50, the sailfish corral large swathes of sardines and herd them to the surface so that they can pin the hapless fish against the barrier of air and pick them off one by one. Witnessing the action first hand is an experience you'll never forget! We have one spot left if you would like to join us: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/SailfishDivingIslaMujeres.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Sailfish Diving</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white;">INTRODUCING THE BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS DEEP CAM</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">When you're diving in that tantalizingly shallow strip of ocean reachable on scuba or snorkel, do you ever wonder what is down deeper? I ALWAYS DO! So, I have built a deep cam to bring on all our future expeditions so that we can film the marine life 1000ft down while we're enjoying our big animal dives. Being a shark fanatic, I am hoping that I will eventually be able to film deep water sharks but any life hundreds of feet below the surface is fascinating as this first attempt (shot during our striped marlin expedition) demonstrates:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Follow this link if you cant see the video: <a href="http://vimeo.com/81466843" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">ATTACK OF THE SQUAT LOBSTERS</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://vimeo.com/81466843">Attack of the Squat Lobsters</a> from <a href="http://vimeo.com/andymurch">Andy Murch</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com/">Vimeo</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">From this point on, I will try to bring the deep cam on every trip where there is deep enough water. For those of you that are on our sold out <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/HumpbackWhaleMantaDivingSocorro.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Socorro</span></a> and <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Tiger Beach</span></a> trips in March and April, you'll be the first to witness this brand new dynamic on our trips!</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">NOTHING BEATS THE SHARK DIVING IN SOUTH AFRICA!</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">The place I am most excited about returning to this summer is South Africa! There are a number reasons:</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><b>Firstly</b>, the shark diving in False Bay (near Cape Town) is the best I have ever done. Up to 10 species of sharks in a week of diving including flying white sharks! Plus, we manage to cram in a terrestrial game drive to shoot the big five, and other topside excursions to see African penguins and all sorts of other exotic African wildlife. If you've never dove South Africa, this is the trip for you: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/South_Africa_Shark_Diving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">South African Shark Diving Safari</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><b>Secondly</b>, straight after our Cape Town Shark Safari, we are heading east to the Sardine Run. This is an event that occurs each year when millions of sardines migrate along the South African coastline pursued by thousands of dolphins, sharks, whales and diving birds. When the weather, sardines, and big animals all come together, the South African Sardine Run is probably the most visually spectacular event in the ocean.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Added to this, Big Expeditions Sardine Run trip will have some exciting twists. Each afternoon when the other boats are heading back to land, we'll either be chumming offshore to bring in bronze whalers and other pelagic predators, or we'll conduct exploratory dives on the beautiful inshore reefs of the Wild Coast where few humans have had the chance to dive. Two spots left if you'd like to join this amazing expedition: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sardine_Run_Shark_Diving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Dive the Sardine Run</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><b>Thirdly</b>, South Africa has incredible shark diversity. As I mentioned in my rant about the Cape Town Shark Safari, you can expect to see up to 10 species of sharks in False Bay (7 species on just one dive!) but there are even more sharks lurking below recreational diving limits and this year we'll have the deep cam with us and a big bag of bait. Who knows what species will show up to take a nibble!</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">SCOTTISH BASKING SHARKS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">After spending three weeks in South Africa, we are heading back to the Isle of Mull to take another crack at the annual basking shark migration. Last year the warm water arrived a month later that expected which was a tragic blow to our first expedition. There was no way anyone could have known that would happen because the previous five years had enjoyed the best encounters exactly during our expedition window. This year we will try again and I expect that this year we will have an epic week of basking shark encounters! Just one spot left on the boat if you'd like to join us: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BaskingSharkDiving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Basking Shark Adventure</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" height="399" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Basking_Shark_Diving5.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">ALASKAN SALMON SHARKS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">In July we have our first trip to see the salmon sharks of Alaska. Think of them as mini great whites! These stocky bullets arrive in Prince William Sound each summer to feast on another migratory phenomenon; the great Alaskan salmon run. Notoriously shy, we will attempt to slip into the water with these sharks as they chase salmon into the river mouths in the northern reaches of the sound. This will be an amazing trip filled with diversity. As well as salmon sharks, we will also snorkel with the salmon themselves as they congregate in the shallows and we will do some exploratory dives on virgin shorelines where few (if any) divers have ever taken the plunge. And then there's the spectacular topside scenery plus eagles and grizzly and black bears foraging along the shores. We have just one spot left on each week:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/SalmonSharkDiving.html"><span style="background-color: white; text-decoration: none;">Alaskan Salmon Shark Adventure</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="diving in alaska" border="0" height="337" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/AlaskaDiveBoat.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">THE GREAT WHALE SHARK FIESTA</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Its going to be a busy summer! After two weeks in Alaska, I arrive home to Vancouver Island early in the morning and leave again that afternoon for sunny Isla Mujeres (near Cancun).</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">At that time, whale sharks arrive from all over the Caribbean and the Gulf of Mexico to gorge themselves on the eggs of spawning tunny - a small species of tuna. Nowhere in the world can you see this many enormous whale sharks in one place. So if you have time in the summer, don't miss this epic event: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">The Great Whale Shark Fiesta</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/WhaleSharks_2013_015.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">BELUGAS IN THE BAY</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Three days after whale sharks, we're heading to Churchill on the banks of Hudson Bay to swim with migrating beluga whales. This is the most accessible place on the planet to enjoy close up encounters with the world's only white whale. Known as 'the friendly whales', pods of curious belugas eagerly approach delighted snorkellers. Expect very close encounters!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">After our morning beluga encounters we will drive along the shore to shoot migratory birds and beautiful tundra vistas. Although polar bears can be illusive in the summer months, hopefully we'll also get to see some cooling off in the bay.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Our first boat filled very quickly so we have chartered a second zodiac, making room for five more divers on this unique trip. : <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Beluga_Whale_Diving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Beluga Whale Expedition</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Beluga_Whale_Diving001.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">THE CROCODILES OF CHINCHORRO BANKS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">As soon as we're back from belugas, I am flying straight back to Cancun to pick up our guests for our 'off the beaten path' American Crocodile Expedition. Two spots left on this trip for anyone feeling adventurous enough to follow me into the water with large crocs. Expect close encounters in clear Caribbean water. This one will be fun! Two spots left: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Diving_With_Crocodiles.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">The Crocodiles of Chinchorro Banks</span></a></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">CALIFORNIA MAKOS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Early September is a great time to dive in Southern California. Its an even better time to dive with shortfin mako sharks on a dedicated mako and blue shark trip! Witness the fastest fish in the sea in clear blue water and dive with blue sharks, angel sharks and explore the reefs surrounding the Santa Barbara Islands for swell sharks and horn sharks. All this in a quick 3 day, 4 night adventure! Join us if you can: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/MakoShark&BlueSharkDiving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Mako Shark Adventure</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Shortfin_Mako_Shark_Diving.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">THE THRESHER SHARKS OF MALAPASCUA ISLAND</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">In November we went on a scouting trip to Malapascua Island in the Philippines to look for Pelagic Thresher Sharks. What we found was a tropical paradise in every sense of the word. The diving is extraordinary. Each morning we visited Monad Shoal where hundreds of thresher sharks make their way up from the inky depths to visit the cleaning stations. I watched one shy thresher circle me multiple times at a distance of a few meters. Finally deciding I wasn't a threat, the 10ft shark closed the gap and stalled in the water column right in front of me and then dropped its tail to signal the cleaner fish to swim over and start work.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">I expected a few fleeting glimpses of this illusive species but the operator we are working with has a thresher sighting rate around 98%! That alone would be enough to warrant a guest trip but the marine life on the surrounding reefs is breath taking in its diversity. Expect pygmy sea horses, blue ringed octopuses, white spotted and banded bamboo sharks, mating mandarinfish, incredible soft coral reefs, multiple cuttlefish and squid species, ornate ghost pipefish, giant frogfishes and wrecks drenched in hard and soft corals. Malapascua is simply spectacular! Join us this November on our first guest trip:<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Thresher_Shark_Diving_Malapascua.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Thresher Shark Diving Malapascua</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="A thresher shark on the reef" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Pelagic_Thresher_Shark_060.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">BULL SHARKS AND CENOTES</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">At the end of November, we are heading to sunny Mexico for the Bull Run. A stone's throw from Playa del Carmen, there is a patch of ocean patrolled by scores of beefy bull sharks. Each morning we will slip below the waves with the most experienced professional shark wranglers in Mexico. Expect very close encounters with extremely large bull sharks. The photo opportunities will be amazing!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Each afternoon, we will dive one of the thousands of ancient cenotes that pepper the jungles of Quintana Roo. Expect beautiful cave formations and exotic freshwater fishes and turtles, and if we're lucky maybe even an illusive Morolets Crocodile or two. BTW, you do not need any special certifications or experience to dive the cenotes (unless you want to go deeper into the underground labyrinths). This is the finest cavern diving in the world! Join us there: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BullSharkDivingMexico.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Mexican Bull Sharks and Cenotes</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="feeding bull sharks" border="0" height="322" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Bull_Shark_060.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Cenote_Diving1.jpg" width="300" /><img border="0" height="200" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Cenote_Diving2.jpg" width="300" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">So far that's it for 2014 but in 2015 the action continues...</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">THE GREAT WHITE SHARKS OF GUADAULPE ISLAND</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">The best place in the world to see Great White Sharks in crystal clear water is Guadalupe Island off the west coast of Northern Baja where hundreds of apex predators congregate each fall to feed on seals and sea lions. Feel the raw power of these incredible behemoths as they swim by, within touching distance. This is an experience that every avid shark diver must have at least once! Join us in September 2015 for an encounter you will never forget: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/GreatWhiteSharkDivingExpedition.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">The Great White Sharks of Guadalupe</span></a>.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/GreatWhiteShark204.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">There are so many more trips to tell you about on the 2015 schedule but its time for me to sign off and start packing for Norway. I look forward to diving with you all on our adventures. We couldn't do this without you!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">See you down there,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Andy</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/AndyMurch1.jpg" width="178" /></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><b>Andy Murch</b> is a professional big animal photographer and the founder of Big Fish Expeditions.</span></div>
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Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-51023673214335847512014-03-11T14:19:00.000-07:002014-03-11T14:19:39.207-07:00Unexpected Big Animal Diving<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">UNEXPECTED BIG ANIMAL DIVING</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">WHALE SHARKS AND UNEXPECTED MANTAS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This year's Whale Shark Expedition to Isla Mujeres was off the chart. On a good day during whale shark season we generally see scores of whale sharks feeding at the surface. This summer except for one slightly slow day, we spent everyday in the presence of hundreds of whale sharks! But that's not all. This year, mixed in with whale sharks were hundreds of feeding manta rays. Where they came from and why they showed up this season is anyone's guess but it was wonderful to spend three weeks surrounded by the biggest sharks and the biggest rays on the planet! Lets hope the mantas come back for our <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Whale Shark Expeditions in 2014</span></a>. Follow this link to the full trip report and some amazing images: </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDiving2013.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Whale Sharks 2013 Trip Report</span></span></a></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">BETWEEN BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">After Isla Mujeres, we embarked on a shark diving road trip down to California. We came home with some great new shark pics for <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/sharks_and_rays.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Elasmodiver.com</span></a> including these <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Tope_Shark.htm"><span style="text-decoration: none;">images of tope sharks</span></a>. We also tried to find prickly sharks off of Monterey. Night diving in deep, murky, cold water in the red triangle was a little creepy but its the only known place to shoot this deepwater species without using a submersible. Next year we will try again!</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">NEW ENGLAND MAKOS, BLUES AND 50+ SPINY DOGFISH SHARKS!</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">In September, Big Fish Expeditions went to Rhode Island. The seas were sometimes rough (as you would expect in New England) and we had a few boat problems but we all got to encounter blues and makos. And... our experimental chumming on an inshore wreck was a huge success! We had around 50 spiny dogfish sharks show up to the shark feed and managed to get some great images. Read more here: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/NewEnglandSharkSafari2013.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">New England Shark Safari 2013 Trip Report</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white;">NEXT UP, THE PHILIPPINES!</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">We are heading off on a scouting trip to the Philippines in October. Hoping this will become a Big Fish Thresher Shark Expedition next year so stay tuned!</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">MARLINS AND MEXICAN HORN SHARKS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">In December we have a sold out trip to dive with striped marlin in Baja. It should be an awesome adventure.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Before the guests arrive, I'll be heading north to Loretto to see if I can find the illusive Mexican horn shark. I've seen their eggs on some of the deeper dive sites around that area of the Sea of Cortez so I know they're around. Perhaps the colder winter water will be the key. Wish me luck!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white;">KILLER WHALES</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">After Striped Marlins, Big Fish is heading to Sri Lanka to chase blue whales (sold out) and then to Norway to swim with Killer Whales. That trip has been so popular that I am running a second trip in 2015. Space is very limited so if you want to swim with these amazing animals and dive on Norway's pristine reefs, please let me know as soon as possible!<b> <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/OrcaDivingNorway.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">KILLER WHALES 2015</span></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white;">BIMINI GREAT HAMMERHEADS</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">One spot has opened up on our Bimini trip so jump in if you relish the thought of close encounters with enormous<b> <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Great_Hammerhead_Diving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">great hammerhead sharks</span></a>. </b>I am heading to Bimini straight from Norway. I'm sure I'll get some interesting looks going into The Bahamas in my snow parka and winter boots :)</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">MEXICAN SAILFISH</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Two spots left on our 2014 Sailfish Trip. Here is a reminder of the epic action you can experience when the sailfish are attacking a bait ball, check out this year's video:</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">WORLD CLASS DIVING AT SOCORRO</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Just three spots left on our Socorro trip next March. Socorro is one of the most well rounded destinations that you'll ever have the pleasure of diving. And, its a quick hop down to Cabo to catch the boat. Expect mantas, hammerheads, silkies, galapagos sharks, whales, dolphins, turtles, octos and more. You'll probably see ALL of these species in a week at Socorro. Come see for yourself: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/HumpbackWhaleMantaDivingSocorro.html"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">SOCORRO EXPEDITION 2014</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="Humpback Whale Diving Socorro" border="0" height="402" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Humpback_Whale_Diving_Socorro3.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="background-color: white;">TIGER BEACH, SOUTH AFRICA, SCOTLAND AND BEYOND...</b></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">TIGER BEACH</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">We have another sold out trip to <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">TIGER BEACH</span></a> in April. We're booking spots in 2015 already so if you can plan that far ahead we look forward to hearing from you!</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">SOUTH AFRICAN SHARK SAFARI</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Then we fly back to Cape Town to dive with more shark species than you can find on any other dive trip that I know of. One spot just came open so please let me know if you want to dive with great white sharks (cage diving), makos, blue sharks, sevengill sharks, spotted gully sharks, pyjama sharks, leopard catsharks, yellowspotted catsharks, brown shysharks, puffadder shysharks and natal shysharks. Then there's penguins, fur seals and a game drive to see elephants, cape buffalo, cheatahs, rhinos and all the other terrestrial animals that Africa is famous for. Don't miss this action packed <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/South_Africa_Shark_Diving.html"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">WEST CAPE SHARK SAFARI</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Then we have our very unique <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sardine_Run_Shark_Diving.html"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">SOUTH AFRICAN SARDINE RUN AND WILD COAST SHARK SAFARI</span></a>and then its time to fly back to Scotland to <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BaskingSharkDiving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">SWIM WITH BASKING SHARKS.</span></a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">SALMON SHARKS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">In July we're going to Alaska to dive with Salmon Sharks and to snorkel with the salmon as they head upriver. One spot left!<b> <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/SalmonSharkDiving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">SALMON SHARK EXPEDITION</span></a></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="salmon snorkeling" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/SalmonAlaska.jpg" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b style="background-color: white;">MEXICAN CROCODILES</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">And then we head back to Isla Mujeres to <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">SWIM WITH WHALE SHARKS</span></a>. I'll have my drysuit with me in Mexico so that I can zip up to Churchill, Manitoba to lead our new <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Beluga_Whale_Diving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">BELUGA WHALE EXPEDITION</span></a></b> and then fly straight back to Cancun to lead the <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Diving_With_Crocodiles.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">MEXICAN CROCODILE EXPEDITION</span></a></b>. My good friend Rodrigo Friscione just came back from Chinchorro Banks with some fantastic shots and reports of great crocodile encounters. I can't wait to get down there and run this trip!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b style="background-color: white;">TWO KILLER NEW TRIPS ON THE 2014 SCHEDULE!</b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>CALIFORNIA</b></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> MAKO SHARK SAFARI</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Don't get me wrong, New England is a great place to dive with blues and makos but there are lots of other destinations to dive with them too. For a change of pace, next year Big Fish is heading to sunny California where the water is blue and the sharks are plentiful!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">As well as free diving with blue and mako sharks we will be scuba diving around some of Southern California's Channel Islands where we can find Pacific angel sharks, horn sharks and a number of other shark species. This is going to be an amazing adventure: four days on a liveaboard chasing sharks in the sharkiest state in the USA. Join us there! <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/MakoShark&BlueSharkDiving.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">CALIFORNIA MAKO SHARK SAFARI.</span></a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">MEXICAN BULL SHARKS</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Each November, many large bull sharks congregate off the beaches of Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Many of them are pregnant females that stay in the area until early March and then head into shallow bays to pup before disappearing until the next season. By late November the bulls have reached their maximum strength; sometimes up to 20+ bull sharks on a dive.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">This is a thrilling encounter that will impress the most jaded shark diver. Join us next November in Playa del Carmen; the playground of Mexico: <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BullSharkDivingMexico.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;">2014 BULL SHARK EXPEDITION</span></a></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">MEET THE TEAM</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">A few years ago I ran my first trip to Tiger Beach. It was such a fun trip that I decided to run it again the following year and I added a whale shark trip. Three years later, Big Fish Expeditions has 18 different trips on the schedule and there are more on the way!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Its been an amazing adventure and I will continue to lead most of the expeditions but I'm very happy to announce that Big Fish has some new Expedition Leaders to share the fun with. Meet the team: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/diveteam.html"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS DIVE TEAM</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">See you down there,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Andy Murch</span></div>
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Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-55469411471015715942014-03-11T13:57:00.000-07:002014-03-11T14:13:44.496-07:00AFRICAN SHARKS AND CANADA'S ICONIC WHITE WHALES<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: large;">& CANADA'S ICONIC WHITE WHALES</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">SOUTH AFRICA WAS AMAZING!</span></b><img alt="Diving with sevengill sharks" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Diving_with_Sevengills.jpg" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">I<span style="font-size: x-small;">ts been a month since I returned from our first South African Shark Safari and I still can't get that incredible experience out of my head. With the possibility of fourteen species of sharks I knew that it would be a good trip but I had no idea how good. Cape Town is a shark diver's paradise! On one memorable dive we slipped into a beautiful kelp forest amid a handful of broadnose sevengill sharks and then swum amongst five species of catsharks that were hunting on the reef. A couple of shy spotted gully sharks also made a brief appearance making a total of seven species on one dive alone! That would be enough to set the West Cape apart from almost every other dive site in the world but just a few kms away from the reef is Seal Island where you can also dive with hunting great white sharks and still be back in time to watch African penguins waddling along the beach in the afternoon sun.</span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/South_Africa_Shark_Diving_2013.html" style="background-color: white;">SEE THE SHARK IMAGES AND READ THE FULL REPORT HERE</a></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">By the end of that amazing week, I was so impressed by South African shark diving that I immediately booked dates for 2014. Join me in Cape Town next year if you can: </span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/South_Africa_Shark_Diving.html">2014 WEST CAPE SHARK SAFARI</a></span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;">. After sharing a few pics on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Fish-Expeditions/137036396347314" target="_blank">Big Fish Expedition's Facebook Page</a> this trip is already almost full so please contact me asap if you'd like to come!</span></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">A NEW BIG FISH EXPEDITION: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sardine_Run_Shark_Diving.html">THE SARDINE RUN</a></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">With so much world class diving on offer, it would be crazy to go all the way to South Africa for just one adventure. So, next year after the Cape Town Shark Safari, Big Fish Expeditions is staying in South Africa for the world famous Sardine Run. For most people the Sardine Run needs no introduction but for anyone that has been living in a bubble, the Sardine Run occurs each year when cold upwellings force millions of sardines to the surface. The resulting river of bait-fish is so enormous that sharks, dolphins, whales, diving birds and huge schools of tuna congregate off the Wild Coast of South Africa in record numbers to feast on the oil rich fish. The bait-ball action that sometimes occurs at this time is one of the most spectacular oceanic events on the planet. Join me in the thick of it!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="Dolphins attacking sardines on the Sardine Run" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Sardine_Run_2.jpg" height="311" width="600" /></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Just on its own,The Sardine Run would be an epic event but to make our expedition even more special, I am combining the Sardine Run with some exploratory chumming dives for endemic catsharks on the inshore reefs of the Wild Coast and with offshore, blue water, baited dives for bronze whaler sharks, oceanic blacktips and any other shark species that show up to feed. Join me on the <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sardine_Run_Shark_Diving.html">2014 SARDINE RUN AND WILD COAST SHARK SAFARI</a> </b>Just one spot left!</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">ANOTHER NEW BIG FISH EXPEDITION: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Beluga_Whale_Diving.html">CANADIAN BELUGA WHALES</a></span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">I'm very excited to bring you this new trip! Each summer, thousands of Beluga Whales congregate in Hudson Bay to feed, breed and socialize. Join me on a ground breaking expedition to swim with and photograph these iconic white whales in their natural environment. We will spend four mornings swimming among large pods of belugas. These are extremely curious animals so it is likely that they will approach us very closely.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">In the afternoons we'll drive into the tundra and look for topside wildlife such as polar bears that forage on berries during the arctic summer. And then on our final day, we will trade in our zodiac for a proper tour of the tundra on the world famous tundra buggy. This is an adventure that you will remember forever! Join me in Churchill, Manitoba for the <b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Beluga_Whale_Diving.html">CANADIAN WHITE WHALE MIGRATION</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;">WHAT ELSE IS BUBBLING...</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">BASKING SHARKS WITH COLD FEET</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Last week we were in Scotland searching for basking sharks. Scotland was ruggedly beautiful but because of a very late spring that brought unseasonably cold weather, the sharks did not arrive as predicted. We saw a couple of sharks breach but there was no opportunity for in-water encounters. It was tough luck but if you go on enough trips this will inevitably happen sooner or later. We had a great group so everyone had a good time anyway and we did get to dive with seals and other Scottish marine life and explore some interesting reefs around Tobermory. Next year we'll be back there to finish what we started!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><b>WHALE SHARK SEASON IS FINALLY HERE!</b><br />Next week we begin our whale shark season in Isla Mujeres, Mexico. I'm happy to report that the sharks have already arrived in their hundreds so we're expecting some great encounters over the next few weeks. We have just two spots open from August 2-7. So if you want to swim with the world's biggest fish please drop me an email.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">While we're in Isla Mujeres, I am hoping to put together a film about this unique aggregation of enormous animals and the problems that they are facing. I'll let you know how that went after this year's trip.</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">BACK ON THE HUNT FOR RARE SHARKS & ILLUSIVE TORPEDO RAYS FOR ELASMODIVER.COM</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/">Big Fish Expeditions</a> would not exist if it wasn't for the popularity of <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/sharks_and_rays.html" target="_blank">Elasmodiver.com</a>. The Elasmodiver database remains one of the largest collections of shark and ray images on the internet and is an unbiased source of shark diving information. The images on Elasmodiver are frequently used by conservation groups to help push through regulations and treaties aimed at protecting sharks and rays (aka elasmobranchs) around the world.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">After our whale shark trips, I am heading to California to look for a very illusive deepwater shark and to try to add some other elasmos including the Pacific torpedo ray to the Elasmodiver database. If you happen to see any along the southern California coast in August, please drop me a line!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Then at the end of August I'm back in Rhode Island for a sold out <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/MakoShark&BlueSharkDiving.html">Blue/Mako/Dogfish Shark Safari</a>. After the charter I'll be shore diving for a few days around Rhode Island and Massachusetts to hunt for more endemic sharks and rays. Specifically, I'd like to track down an Atlantic torpedo ray so if you're diving up that way and know where they're hanging out this year, please email me with info!</span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">MARLIN MADNESS IN MEXICO</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">We are planning a quick trip to Argentina to chase illusive sharks in November and then in early December I have an exciting Big Fish Expeditions trip to Baja for a week of chasing striped marlin, whales, mola mola and sharks. When the sardines are running, Baja's west coast is a dynamic place to dive where anything can show up to feed. Join me there for a week of adventure!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white;"><img alt="Striped Marlin Diving and feeding" border="0" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Striped_Marlin_Diving_NM004.jpg" height="424" width="600" /></span></div>
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<b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">2014 ORCA OPENING!</span></b></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Finally, I have one spot that opened up on my Killer Whale trip to Norway in January. If you want to swim with one of the largest predators in the sea, this is your chance!</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">See you down there,</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: x-small;">Andy Murch</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;">READ MORE BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS BLOG POSTS:</span></div>
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<b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Are_Crocodiles_the_new_Sharks.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white;">Are Crocodiles the new Sharks?</span></span></a></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Diving_With_Great_Hammerheads_Blog.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white;">Diving with Swords and Hammers</span></span></a></b></div>
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<b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Shark_Diving_All_Year_Long.html"><span style="text-decoration: none;"><span style="background-color: white;">Nothing But Shark Diving All Year Long!</span></span></a></b></div>
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Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-22096041514458315222013-07-13T18:27:00.000-07:002013-07-13T18:27:54.658-07:00CROCS ARE THE NEW SHARKS!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">ARE CROCS THE NEW SHARKS?</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">It was inevitable that sooner or later I would start running crocodile trips. Collectively, crocs, alligators, caimans and gharials have that same primal allure as sharks, and what they lack in sleekness they make up for in sheer prehistoric gnarliness!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Our first crocodilian trip will be next August to Chinchorro, Quintana Roo, Mexico to encounter American Crocodiles. Chinchorro is part of a marine biosphere. Consequently, it is one of the few places in North America where there is still a relatively abundant population of crocs. Because the islands are 20 miles off shore, there is no river run off so the water in the lagoon where the crocodiles live is clear enough for in-water encounters. And, its not just going to be crocs. The expedition includes a mangrove to find and dive with West Indian manatees and we're even planning a morning chumming for sharks. For more pics, a great video by Pelagic Life and all the logistical info, follow this link:<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Diving_With_Crocodiles.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">American Crocodiles of Chinchorro Banks</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">THREE AWESOME BACK TO BACK TO BACK EXPEDITIONS</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Over the last few weeks I have led trips to Socorro Island, Tiger Beach and Cat Island. All three trips were hugely successful. Read on for all the highlights:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">SOCORRO AND ROCA PARTIDA EXPEDITION</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">At Socorro we had manta encounters and more sharks than I have ever seen in the Revillagigedo Archipelago. This year the weather cooperated and we were able to dive Roca Partida. The schools of hammers, ledges filled with photogenic whietip sharks and enormous yellowfin tuna schools swimming around that lonely monolith made this trip extremely special. Read the <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Socorro_2013.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">Socorro 2013 Trip Report</a> for more images and reports from the trip.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">ANOTHER AWESOME TIGER BEACH EXPEDITION</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Tiger Beach was full of sharks from start to finish with countless lemon sharks and four tigers at once on the most memorable dive. We also had a pod of 20+ spotted and bottlenose dolphins come and play with us for hours and some great opportunities for killer split frame shots at the back of the boat. Follow this link for all the good stuff: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/TigerBeachSharkDivingApril2013.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">Tiger Beach Trip Report</a>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">A RECORD BREAKING OCEANIC WHITETIP EXPEDITION</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The oceanic whitetip shark expedition to Cat Island was so sharky that against all I have said about trying to run new trips, I am going back again next year :)</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">We had somewhere around 15 oceanics on our best dive plus we saw a blue marlin, some mahi mahi, and dusky and silky sharks. Cool pictures and more about the trip here: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/OceanicWhitetipSharkDiving2013.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">Oceanic Whitetips 2013 Trip Report</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">ONWARD TO AFRICA</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Next week, Big Fish Expeditions is heading to South Africa. This is my first shark safari in southern Africa and I couldn't be more excited. We have the possibility to see around 14 species of sharks. Some of these I have not photographed before so if all goes well there should be some new species pages added to the shark and ray database on <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/sharksandrays.html" style="color: #ffcc00;" target="_blank">Elasmodiver.com</a> over the next few months.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">This is a land based trip so assuming I can find a wifi connection, I'll try to load a new shark onto the Big Fish Facebook Page everyday of the trip. If you want the images to show up in your Facebook Feed, please go here: <b><span style="background-color: #003399;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></span><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Big-Fish-Expeditions/137036396347314" style="color: #ffcc00;" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: #003399; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: white;">BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS ON FACEBOOK</span></span></a><span style="background-color: #003399;"><span style="color: white;"> </span></span></b> and give us a like!</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">BASKING SHARKS, WHALE SHARKS THEN BLUES AND MAKOS.</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">After two weeks in South Africa I'll have just enough time to get home to Canada before heading off again to swim with Basking Sharks in the Inner Hebredes in western Scotland. This is another exciting new trip that should result in some great opportunities for big animal images. I'm hoping for encounters with puffins and gray seals underwater too so expect a full report when I blog again (probably in July) or come with me on the trip! There are two spots left on the basking shark trip if any tropical divers out there think they can handle donning a 7mm in order to swim with the second biggest fish in the world. Go to the <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BaskingSharkDiving.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">basking shark expedition page</a> or email me for details!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">After that, we're in Isla Mujeres for an entire month of whale sharks. Only three spots left now so please jump on those quickly if you want to swim with an even bigger fish than a basking shark: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">whale shark diving adventure</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">And finishing up our summer season we're heading to Rhode Island to shoot makos and blue sharks before the Gulf Stream moves away from the coast taking the sharks along with it. This will be another experimental trip that includes a day of chumming for dogfish sharks on the inshore wrecks. As always, I'll let everyone know how we do!</span></div>
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<b>ONTO WHATS BUBBLING:</b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>BACK TO THE BEACH!</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">In October I'm leading yet another great trip to dive with Tiger Sharks at Tiger Beach. Join me on the<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">Tiger Beach Shark Safari</a> for more epic tiger shark encounters.</span></div>
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<img alt="Tiger Shark diving with Andy Murch" border="0" height="400" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Andy_Murch_Tiger_Beach.jpg" width="600" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>STRIPED MARLIN ACTION</b><br />And then in December I have a brand new striped marlin expedition to Baja. This is another great billfish encounter that everyone should try before they hang up their fins. Join me this December for a unique <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Striped_Marlin_Diving.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">Striped Marlin Expedition</a>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">A NEW PREDATORS IN PERIL EXPEDITION IS IN THE WORKS</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Then at the end of the year, there's <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Blue_Whale_Diving_Sri_Lanka.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">blue whales in Sri Lanka</a>, <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/OrcaDivingNorway.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">Orcas in Norway</a> and <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Great_Hammerhead_Diving.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">Great Hammerheads in Bimini</a>. But, before I run those guest trips, its time to put some of my air miles to good use. In November I'm flying all the way down to Punta Arenas to look for another new catshark species. This one is called a narrowmouth catshark and (like most small deepwater sharks) there are virtually no images of it. So, I'm meeting up with Eduardo Sorensen from Oceana Chile to see if we can find and document one or two while there are still some left. It will be a complicated trip involving us flying tanks and weights all the way to the end of the Americas and then braving the Humboldt Current for as long as time and finances permit.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">After the catshark dives in Southern Chile, I'll be traveling with my partner Laura up the coast of Argentina to record as many endemic Argentinean elasmobranches (sharks and rays) as we can find. I'm sure that it will be as exhausting as it is rewarding. More on this expedition as it approaches.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">2014</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Next year get ready for more new trips as well as some of the classics from years past. Apart from the American crocodile trip to Chinchorro, there are at least two more exciting new big animal trips that I am working on. Please keep an eye on the website for more info but for starters, how would you like to swim through an emerald ocean filled with friendly white whales?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">See you down there,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Andy Murch</span></div>
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Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-12211618804989609762013-07-13T18:21:00.002-07:002013-07-13T18:25:05.666-07:00SWORDS AND HAMMERS<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<b><span style="font-size: medium;">SWORDS AND HAMMERS</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Our January Sailfish Adventure to Cancun, Mexico delivered some epic encounters. Here is a fun little video with some of the action:</span></div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="338" mozallowfullscreen="" src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/61154199?portrait=0&color=ffffff" webkitallowfullscreen="" width="600"></iframe></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Check out the rest of the sailfish trip report and images here: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Sailfish_Diving_2013.html" style="color: #ffcc00;"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">Sailfish Adventure 2013</span></a>.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">BASKING SHARKS</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Next stop is Socorro for some quality time with giant mantas and then Tiger Beach, Cat Island for Oceanic Whitetips and down to South Africa. All sold out trips which is a great endorsement for Big Fish Expeditions!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Still a couple of spots left on the Basking Shark Adventure in Scotland. No doubt the water temps have scared a few shark divers away from this encounter but this will be an amazing trip with basking sharks, grey seals, puffins and who knows what else, so if you want to dive with the second biggest fish in the sea, get in touch! Here are some pics from last season:</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">The July Whale Shark Expeditions are all sold out so I've decided to add an early August trip for anyone else that wants to go. The Isla Mujeres summer aggregation is the largest recorded whale shark gathering in the world. Personally, I am more than happy to have to stay in sunny Isla Mujeres for one extra week of whale shark diving! :) <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">Whale Shark Diving</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">RHODE ISLAND MAKO & BLUE SHARK WEEKEND</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Then in late August we have two back-to-back <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/MakoShark&BlueSharkDiving.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">Mako and Blue shark weekends</a> with Joe Romeiro up in Rhode Island. The first weekend is sold out but I have some room on the second weekend. Between trips I'll be staying in the area and shore diving for torpedo rays and new skate species so anyone that is coming on the trips is welcome to join me on that off the beaten path quest if they have extra time.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">STRIPED MARLIN EXPEDITION</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">After Rhode Island I have a second <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">Tiger Beach Adventure</a> in October and then.......(drum roll).... Big Fish Expeditions is heading to Baja to chase Striped Marlin. This will be a similar trip to the sailfish encounter but with larger and stripier billfish. Pacific marlin/baitball diving is a little more hit and miss than diving with sailfish so as well as chasing marlins we have a great back-up plan. Check out the<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Striped_Marlin_Diving.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">Striped Marlin Diving Expedition</a> page for more info.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">GREAT HAMMERHEAD ADVENTURE</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">And last but far from least on the new trip front, in February 2014 we're heading to Bimini for 5 days of diving with Great Hammerheads. I planned to run a hammer trip this year but there were certain logistical issues and ethical concerns that I wanted to deal with to make this trip the best it could be. Everything has come together nicely for next year and I'm glad I waited because this is going to be a<i>great</i> hammerhead trip as well as a great deal! <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Great_Hammerhead_Diving.html" style="color: #ffcc00;">Bimini Great Hammerhead Diving</a></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: x-small;">MARINE LIFE PICS .COM</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">In other news, a few weeks back I was on a magazine assignment in the Ryukyu Archipelago in southwestern Japan. It was an interesting trip with scalloped hammers, unusual sea snakes and lots of fish that I've never seen before. The highlight for me were these hummingbird bobtail squid. Bare in mind that these little guys are about the size of a pea :)</span></div>
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<img border="0" height="200" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Hummingbird_Bobtail_Squid_007.jpg" width="300" /><img border="0" height="200" src="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/images/Hummingbird_Bobtail_Squid_015.jpg" width="300" /></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">These images and around 10,000 more of my marine life pics can now be found on a new website that I just loaded onto the world wide web. Feel free to check out the new site and give me feedback:<b><a href="http://www.marinelifepics.com/" style="color: #ffcc00;" target="_blank">MARINELIFEPICS.COM</a></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">There's a corresponding Marine Life Pics Facebook Page that you can 'like' if you want to know what has been added to the website each week.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">One more thing, lots of people have asked me for more info about the 2015 Antarctic Trip but I haven't had time to load a page yet. I'll get on it soon! That's it for now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">See you down there,</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Andy Murch</span></div>
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Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-85336933924017073342013-02-14T15:31:00.000-08:002013-02-14T15:31:35.449-08:00Nothing but Sharks, all year long...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Its been an amazing year; from enormous <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDiving2012.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">whale shark aggregations</a> in Isla Mujeres to epic <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/SocorroDivingMarch2012.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">giant manta encounters</a> in Isla Socorro. After all the guest trips were over, I managed to sneak in an Elasmodiver Expedition to Central Chile. Chile may not be everyone's idea of a shark diving mecca but I was after a rarely photographed little catshark that lives in Chile's shallow bays and wraps its eggs around stunted kelp trees. I'm happy to say that it was a successful trip. Follow this link for more </span><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Redspotted_Catshark.htm" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Redspotted Catshark Info.</span></a></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">LOOKING AHEAD TO 2013</span></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Next year is shaping up to be the biggest year so far for shark trips. unofficially, the shark season kicks off at Socorro Island during our <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/HumpbackWhaleMantaDivingSocorro.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Manta Trip</a>. I expect that we'll bump into at least 3 species of sharks at Socorro but the first dedicated shark expedition will be at Tiger Beach in April. Shark magnet and award winning film maker Joe Romeiro will be joining me on the boat; adding some extra magic to the shark encounters. We'll be visiting all the best spots like Tiger Beach, Fish Tales and other sharky reefs and probably exploring some new ones. Grab the last spot if you'd like to join us: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Tiger Beach Expedition</a> or join our second Tiger Beach trip next October.</span></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">OCEANICS</span></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">After one day back in Florida, BFE's final oceanic whitetip expedition starts in Cat Island, Bahamas. <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/OceanicWhitetipSharkDiving2012.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">This year's oceanic expedition</a> was outstanding with more oceanics than anyone 'needed' and silky sharks mixed in just for fun. Plus, we had some unique split frame photo ops with the nurse sharks right in the marina.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">With so many new adventures on the books, this will be our last chance to dive Cat Island for a while (sad but true) so join me if you can: </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/OceanicWhitetipSharkExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Oceanic Odyssey</span></a></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">SOUTH AFRICA</span></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Then, Big Fish Expeditions heads to South Africa for a sold out Shark Safari of epic proportions. 14 species in 11 days. Now that's an expedition!</span></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">BASKING SHARKS</span></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Two weeks later, we will be in bonnie Scotland chasing basking sharks. We have an amazing week planned in the Inner Hebredes swimming with giant sharks and diving with grey seals. Incidentally, if you've already signed up for this one, I'm staying for an extra day at the end of the trip to visit a puffin colony. Contact me if you want to come: </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BaskingSharkDiving.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Basking Shark Expedition</span></a></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Here is a fantastic video shot by Simon Spear in the area where we'll be heading:</span></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">WHALE SHARKS</span></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I'd like to stay longer in Scotland and shoot some little British catsharks but the Whale Sharks will be waiting for us. Next year's Isla Mujeres whale shark boats are almost full. If you want to swim next to the biggest fishes in the sea, this is your chance. Don a mask and fins and jump into an encounter that you'll never forget: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Whale Shark Encounter</a>.</span></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">RHODE ISLAND BLUES, MAKOS AND </span></b></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>SPINIES</i></b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Then in August, a well established shark encounter with an interesting new twist! Big Fish is running a mako and blue shark trip with Joe Romeiro in Rhode Island. That alone would be a great adventure but on our third and final day we're planning to tie up to one of New England's fish filled wrecks and lay down a chum slick for smoothhounds and spiny dogfish sharks. Spear-fishermen regularly complain about being harassed by dogfish on their wreck dives so imagine what will happen when we bring a little shark attractant of our own :) Join the trip and find out what happens: </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/MakoShark&BlueSharkDiving.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Rhode Island Shark Safari</span></a></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">THRESHER SHARKS</span></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">And finally, next December I'm putting together a thresher shark trip. I've wanted to photograph threshers for a very long time but I've been put off by the no-flash photography rules and dwindling encounters at Malapascua in the Philippines.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Fortunately, there is a new hotspot for thresher sharks. After fairly consistent reports of sightings at 'Brothers Reef' in the Red Sea I have decided that it is worth an exploratory liveaboard trip. I don't have a page on BigFishExpeditions.com for this trip yet but I can tell you that we'll be heading there next December and its a surprisingly affordable place to dive. Email me if you'd like more info: </span><a href="mailto:info@bigfishexpeditions.com" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">info@bigfishexpeditions.com</span></a></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">2014 WHALES</span></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">In Jan 2014 I have an already sold out Blue Whale Expedition to Sri Lanka. If that sounds like a dream trip, well... it probably will be. If you'd like to join the waiting list let me know.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">And, I have one cancellation on the Jan 2014 Killer Whale trip. Let me know if you're coming!</span></i></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">2015!!!!</span></b></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">I know its a long way off but this is a big ticket trip: Join me in February 2015 in Antarctica!</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Don't let your gills dry out over Christmas!</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">See you down there,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Andy Murch</span></i></div>
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Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-58434594182942958502012-09-29T19:17:00.002-07:002012-09-29T19:17:41.953-07:00SWARMS OF WHALE SHARKS + PREDATORS IN PERIL<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: #ff9933; font-size: large;"><b><i>Swarms of Whale Sharks and Predators in Peril</i></b></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Its been an insanely busy summer. There were lots of great moments but the highlight was probably the incredible whale shark aggregations that we encountered near Isla Mujeres in Mexico. As I said in one of my Facebook posts, there were so many whale sharks that I felt sorry for the plankton. To read this year's trip report and to enjoy a short video from the expedition please follow this link: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDiving2012.html" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Whale Shark Trip Report 2012</span></a></span></i></div>
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<b><i>PREDATORS IN PERIL</i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Big Fish Expeditions has some awesome new trips penciled in for 2013 and 2014 but before I launch into that, I'd like to share some news about the <span style="text-decoration: none;">Predators in Peril Project</span>. I recently traveled to Guerrero Negro on the west coast of Baja to document the gill net fishery and in particular the amount of shark and ray bycatch that is caught in the halibut fishery. This trip resulted in some very graphic images that hopefully capture the essence of the problem.</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">It was a tough expedition for me personally because I was exposed to some tragic scenes but at least I had the opportunity shoot a video about the expedition. The video is called BYCATCH. It has some very disturbing footage but I believe that it is important to show everything that I witnessed in order to shine a light on this issue. You can see more images from the trip and watch the video at PIP's new home: </span><a href="http://predatorsinperil.org/" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">predatorsinperil.org </span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;">To jump straight to the video please visit:</span><a href="http://predatorsinperil.org/videos.htm" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">Predators in Peril Videos</span></a><span style="font-weight: 700;"></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-weight: 700;">Please, please share BYCATCH on your social networks!</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Next stop for PIP is Chile. In November I am heading to the wild west coast of South America to try to document the endemic shark population. Some Chilean species such as the speckled smoothhound shark are already listed by the IUCN as near threatened but the shark fishery continues to decrease their numbers further. Hopefully (if I actually get some images) we will be able to generate some interest from Chilean conservation groups that want to help reduce the fishery.</i></span></div>
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<i>Ok, onto upcoming <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">Big Fish Expeditions</span></a>:</i></div>
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<b><i><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/OrcaDivingNorway.html" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">KILLER WHALES!</span></a></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>In 2014 we're going to Norway to dive with hunting orcas. I knew this trip was going to be popular but I didn't realize how popular! The same day that I loaded the orca free diving trip onto the Big Fish Expeditions website, it sold out. Consequently, I'm wondering if I should run two trips back to back because I certainly wouldn't mind an extra week chasing killer whales. So if you are interested in a freezing cold adventure in the middle of winter to northern Norway to chase orcas and night dive on pristine sponge and coral reefs in Norway's rugged fiords, please let me know as soon as possible and I'll work on a second boat.</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>But before then, we have a lot of other amazing encounters to enjoy...</i></span></div>
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<i><b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/SailfishDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">SAILFISH BAITBALL DIVING</span></a></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"> sold out months ago but a couple of guests just informed me that they can't go so there are two spots open. This is a great opportunity to jump in with huge aggregations of hunting sailfish attacking baitballs. It'll be intense and exhausting free diving probably in bumpy seas but if you want an adventure don't miss this! Oh, and if we get any storm days we'll be heading down to Playa del Carmen to dive with bull sharks!</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>There are also a few spots left on the </i></span><i><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/HumpbackWhaleMantaDivingSocorro.html" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">SOCORRO GIANT MANTA</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> EXPEDITION. This is a world class dive destination 200 nautical miles south of Baja that attracts some of the friendliest and largest mantas in the world, plus lots of sharks and curious pods of wild dolphins. It is an especially good place to find black mantas like the one pictured here:</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Then, b</i></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">y popular request, I am running another </span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">TIGER SHARK PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> at world famous Tiger Beach in the Bahamas next October. If you haven't dove Tiger Beach yet, it is probably the best place in the world to learn the ins and outs of shark photography. Tiger sharks, lemons, reef sharks, nurse sharks (and occasionally other shark species such as great hammers) create the perfect subjects to practice different techniques. Apart from obviously photographing tiger sharks, one of my favorite techniques is shooting over/unders of lemon sharks at sunset from the swim step:</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">There are also just two spots left on my </span><b><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/OceanicWhitetipSharkExpedition.html" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Cat Island Oceanic Whitetip Shark trip</span></a></b><span style="font-size: x-small;">. This year was amazing with more oceanic whitetips than anyone expected. Next year is the last chance to join me at Cat Island because I need to make room for some new adventures in 2014 so I hope that you can make it!</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Then in July its </i></span><i><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BaskingSharkDiving.html" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none;">Scottish Basking Sharks</span></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"> time! The first week is full but I have 4 spots left on the second trip. I talked to the captain recently and he told me that this year they had basking sharks everyday of the season except two. That is an amazing success record! Nowhere else has such reliable sightings so I am very excited for next year.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">And then.... it just keeps getting better but I'll save some announcements for the next newsletter. If you made it this far, thanks for reading :)</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">See you down there,</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Andy Murch</span></i></div>
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Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-10481271407446212682012-06-06T06:26:00.000-07:002012-06-06T06:26:02.041-07:00The SECOND Biggest Fish in the Sea<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Its been an awesome year so far but before I talk about the action on the last few trips, lets talk about the second biggest fish in the sea:</span></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><b>BASKING SHARKS!</b></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Next June/July I have organized a very unique adventure. Join me on the Isle of Mull off the west coast of Scotland to dive with feeding basking sharks. Although there are other locations like Cornwall and the Isle of Man that get sporadic sightings, nowhere is as reliable as the seas around the Isle of Mull. As well as the frequency of encounters, the visibility this far north is far superior as well, making this the ideal location for serious shark hunters.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>We will also dive with friendly grey seals, photograph any whales and dolphins that we see and generally soak up the atmosphere of the Inner Hebredes in a fun filled week on the water.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>At night we'll either be staying in a stone cottage in the quaint village of Tobermory or camping on the outer islands right where the sharks are. To me, this sounds like an awesome adventure. Apparently I'm not alone because the first trip sold out the day I posted it on <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Big Fish Expeditions</a>. The second week has four spots open so jump in while you can! Check out the images, info and an awesome video by Film Maker Simon Spear about the amazing wildlife around the Isle of Mull: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/BaskingSharkDiving.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Basking Shark Expedition</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">MANTAS, TIGERS & OCEANIC WHITETIPS</span></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Building on the success of seeing smalltooth sandtigers at Malpelo, our next adventure was in Rugged Socorro which is 200 miles south of the tip of Baja. The manta action at the islands was off the hook. We encountered giant mantas on virtually every dive but unlike many other places around the world, the mantas at Socorro actually crave the company of divers. Many times, a manta would find us and hang out for the entire dive playing in our bubbles. It was a fantastic experience for everyone that went. Read more in the <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/SocorroDivingMarch2012.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_top">Socorro trip report.</a></span></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>After Socorro I led back-to-back trips to Tiger Beach and Cat Island. Of course Tiger Beach was non-stop shark action everyday but Cat Island far exceeded my expectations. Stuart Cove bought one of his boats over to the island especially for this trip and although the persistent wind made the surface a bit bumpy, we simply submerged into the tranquility of the underworld surrounded by oceanic whitetip sharks on every dive. On our first (and best) day we had 12 big oceanics surrounding our small group of divers! There are some great pics from the trip in the <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/OceanicWhitetipSharkDiving2012.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Cat Island Oceanic Expedition Trip Report.</a> I've booked back to back dates again next year and not surprisingly the boats are already half full.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>WHALE SHARK AGGREGATIONS</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Next up on the Big Fish Calendar is whale sharks at Isla Mujeres in July. This should be a lot of fun. The world's biggest fishes aggregate off of Isla Mujeres each July to feed and we'll be there to play with them! There are two spots left on the second trip. If you've never dove with a whale shark don't miss this opportunity:<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Whale Shark Expedition</a></span></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="whale shark trips" border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/WhaleSharkDiving.jpg" width="600" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Less than a week after returning from Whale Sharks at Isla Mujeres, its time for Sharkfest. As I write this there is one spot left on the trip which I'm sure will be gone in no time. Sharkfest is a fun filled weekend with three days of diving with Sandtiger Sharks, a night where we screen the best recent shark films and a cook out on the last night. This is the third annual Sharkfest and although its a bit of a monster to organize, I don't think I can break tradition now. So, if you can't come this year then please pencil it into your calendar for next August: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/sharkfest.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">SHARKFEST</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">THE SEA OF CORTEZ WHALES AND HUMBOLDTS EXPEDITION</span></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Then its time for my last guest trip of the season. This will be my second year in the Sea of Cortez diving with whales, sea lions, humboldt squid and sharks. By far the most diverse trip on the Big Fish Itinerary, if you're looking for an adventure </span></i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>with lots of diving plus marine mammal encounters, you can't go wrong in the<a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/HumboldtSquidDivingExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Sea of Cortez</a></i></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="sea of cortez diving" border="0" height="380" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/SeaofCortez2011.jpg" width="600" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>PREDATORS IN PERIL</i></b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This fall, I have purposely avoided scheduling any Big Fish Expeditions. I love running guest trips but there is work to be done. I am planning two trips to Mexico to work with researchers and fishermen to try to document more of the endemic shark species that divers do not normally get the chance to encounter. In particular, there are a number of smoothhound shark species that need some time in the spotlight. Hopefully, by the end of the year I should have at least one or two documented but I'm hoping for more. If you've never seen a smoothhound shark, this image shows a Gulf of Mexico Smoothhound; an animal that lives in deep water in a tiny pocket of ocean in the northern Gulf and is therefore extremely vulnerable to depletion.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="gulf smoothhound" border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Gulf_Smoothhound_Shark_005.jpg" width="600" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">While I'm on the subject of Predators in Peril, you may remember that last year I had the opportunity to photograph deep sea gulper sharks with Edd Brooks from Cape Eluethera Institute. Since then Edd has moved into the next phase of the project which involves monitoring activity and species composition on the actual sea floor rather than bringing sharks up to the surface. Here is a link to a video about his recent work: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4ecOlFVoSE&feature=share" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4ecOlFVoSE&feature=share</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>2013 EXPEDITIONS</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Next year's schedule is getting ridiculously busy already. In January we'll be in Mexico for the sailfish migration. Divers can see up to 40 or 50 sailfish attacking enormous bait balls; a spectacular sight! (Just three spots left).</span></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="diving with sailfish" border="0" height="402" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/SailfishDivingRodrigo-1.jpg" width="600" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Then in February, we're heading to French Polynesia on a shark safari of epic proportions. First stop will be Moorea to dive with sicklefin lemon sharks. Then we are heading to Fakarava 'where it rains sharks' to dive with 5 species including hundreds and hundreds of grey reef sharks. In my entire shark diving career I have never seen this many sharks in one place. Join me in paradise for an amazing shark filled adventure: <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Fakarava_Shark_Diving.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">French Polynesia Shark Safari</a></span></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="tahiti diving" border="0" height="600" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Grey_Reef_Shark_081.jpg" width="400" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Then a brand new experimental trip. In late Feb, Great Hammerheads congregate in an area near the island of Bimini in the Bahamas. Great hammerheads are usually extremely difficult to see (as many frustrated photographers will tell you). But, in this one small area, Great hammers have been reliably documented by the shark researchers that are based on Bimini. This year, Stuart Cove took his boat over to to try to chum up the sharks and he was extremely successful. At one point he had a 4 or 5 great hammers around the bait. That is the best encounter I have ever heard of so I have asked Stuart to bring his boat back next year to try to repeat the excitement. If you're an experienced diver and you've been waiting for the chance to add a great hammerhead to your life list, this is the trip:</span><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Great_Hammerhead_Diving.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Great Hammerhead Expedition</span></a></i></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="600" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/Great_Hammerhead_Diving.jpg" width="600" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Beyond the hammer trip we're taking another shot at the mantas in Socorro and then its time for Tiger Beach, Cat Island, Scotland and South Africa. To see our entire Big Fish Expeditions Schedule for next year. Please follow this link:</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/index.html#BigFishExpeditionCalender" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Big Fish Expeditions Schedule 2012/13</span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">See you out there!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>For the oceans,</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Andy Murch</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Andy Murch" border="0" height="74" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/Andy_Blog.jpg" width="70" /></div></div>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-1886237743398309352012-01-14T21:42:00.000-08:002012-01-14T21:42:14.796-08:00DIVING POLAR SEAS AND THE SOUTH AFRICA SHARK SAFARI<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div align="center" style="color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="color: #ff9933;"><i>DIVING POLAR SEAS AND THE SOUTH AFRICA SHARK SAFARI</i></span></b></div><div style="color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>HOW THE POLAR SEAS EXPEDITIONS WERE BORN</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I am lucky enough to live on Vancouver Island in western Canada. Believe it or not, the island is warm. We get a little snow some years (not this year) but so does Texas. Its a great place to live and play.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Salish Sea which separates the island from the mainland is considered 'temperate' but virtually everyone that dives here picks up a drysuit sooner or later. A wimp like me wouldn't be caught dead diving wet in our local waters.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A lot of divers that I meet in the tropics tell me that they'd love to see a giant pacific octopus or dive with a tumbling gang of adolescent steller sea lions but they just don't relish diving in the restrictions of a drysuit.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://pinnacledive.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img alt="dive with steller sea lions" border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sea_Lion_Pictures/Steller_Sea_Lion_144.jpg" width="600" /></span></a></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Adolescent Steller Sea Lions off Vancouver Island</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I get it. Diving is about freedom as much as it is about seeing the wonders of the ocean. Its about that feeling of underwater flight. No restrictions. No boundries. Traditional inflexible drysuits took away that freedom and left divers feeling clumsy and confined. And then, Whites Manufacturing changed everything by designing the Fusion - a stretchy , form fitting drysuit that feels like you're diving in a wetsuit. My fusion has made such a profound difference to my cold water diving that I've started looking at the world's 'non-tropical' diving destinations very differently.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Recently, I was sitting in Whites office raving like a lunatic about my Fusion and talking about all of the places I'd like to dive in it. Instead of slapping a restraining order on me, Whites Brand Manager Justin Balaski suggested that Whites and Big Fish Expeditions team up to create a series of Polar Seas Expeditions to the world's most amazing cold water destinations. Sometimes the focus would be on big animals and sometimes it would be on diving the world's best cold water wrecks and reefs (wrecks tend to stay better preserved in colder water).</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>We would promote the trips together. I would lead them and White's would send me off with some extra Fusions for anyone that wanted to find out how comfortable it is diving in one. I jumped at the idea and started looking for destinations worthy of both companies.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Combining the best of Big Wrecks and Big Animals, our first Polar Seas Expedition will be in July of this year to Newfoundland, Eastern Canada. The <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Bell_Island_Wrecks_Diving.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Bell Island Wrecks</a> consist of four 400ft long merchant ships that were sunk by U-boats in 1942. Think of Bell Island as Truuk Lagoon with Icebergs!</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>For the hardcore big animal divers, on the days that we are not diving on Bell Island's world class wrecks, we will have the opportunity to jump in with friendly humpback whales that cruise up and down the coast of Newfoundland during their summer migration. It'll be epic. Join me if you can. Click on the pic for more info:</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/Bell_Island_Wrecks_Diving.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="425" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/BellIslandWrecksMontage.jpg" width="600" /></span></a></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>SOUTH AFRICA SHARKOHOLICS EXPEDITION</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Yep, we're heading to South Africa to shoot sharks. 14 different species if all goes to plan: great white sharks (breaching and underwater), mako sharks, tiger sharks, Bull Sharks, Dusky Sharks, Ragged Tooth Sharks, Blue Sharks, Blacktip Sharks, Broadnose Sevengill Sharks, Spotted Gully Sharks, Puffadder Cat Sharks, Dark Shy Sharks, Pajama Sharks and Leopard Cat Sharks. That pretty much sums it up except to say that we'll likely see lots of other stuff too like Cape fur seals, lots of pelagics, African penguins and a whole bunch of land based critters like lions and cheatahs because the trip also includes a big game drive. Click on the Pic for more info:</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/South_Africa_Shark_Diving.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="0" height="366" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/SouthAfricaSharkDiving015.jpg" width="600" /></span></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>KICKING OFF THE 2012 EXPEDITION SEASON</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The 2012 expedition season is about to kick off at <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/MalpeloHammerheadDiving.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Isla Malpelo</a> which is famous for its wild pelagic shark action. I couldn't be more excited as (like most divers) I have never seen a smalltooth sandtiger shark and there's a very good chance we see some there. If we nail the shots there will be one more shark listed on Elasmodiver.com and many new pics of old favorites like schooling hammerheads, silkies and Galapagos sharks.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I'll post a trip report as soon as we get back to land so keep an eye on this blog page and on <a href="http://www.facebook.com/Elasmodiver" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Elasmodiver's Facebook Page</a> for updates.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>CONSIDER THIS A STANDING REQUEST FROM ELMODIVER: LOOKING FOR HELP FINDING NORTH AMERICAN SHARKS AND RAYS</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>To keep Elasmodiver growing I need to keep shooting new species. In the big picture I've barely made a dent in the total number of sharks out there but you'd be surprised how hard it is to find new species once you have shot the standard elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) that divers regularly see.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Right now I am focusing on finishing up the North American Elasmos. There are three main areas that I need help with: Skates in Alaska, Smoothhound sharks in California and Baja, and some of the more elusive species from the Gulf of Mexico such as finetooth sharks, smalltail sharks, night sharks and Atlantic Angelsharks or 'sand devils'.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>If you know where or how to find any of these critters (whether diving or fishing) please let me know and I may plan an expedition based around that info.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Remember, the rarer they are, the more we need images to make sure the world knows about them. Invisible animals don't get protected.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Scoophead_Shark_026.jpg" width="600" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">First live images of a scoophead shark. Shot in Panama in 2011. Only on Elasmodiver!</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>For the oceans,</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Andy Murch</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="74" hspace="6" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/Andy_Blog.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;" vspace="6" width="70" /></div></div>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-58928092799365997872011-12-11T19:08:00.000-08:002011-12-11T19:08:32.216-08:00New Sharks, New Ideas and a Fin Free Canada<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: orange;"><b><i>New Sharks, New Ideas and a Fin Free Canada</i></b></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Big Fish Expeditions" border="0" height="241" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/BigFishHumboldtSquidDivingBanner.jpg" width="600" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>BREAKING THE MOLD OF TRADITIONAL EXPEDITION COMPANIES</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Most companies that run expeditions, find their niche. Its easier to run trips if you go to the same places each year. Thats not why I started <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Big Fish Expeditions</a>. As I've said many times before: life is short, especially for divers! So rather than taking the easy route (even if its to amazing locations) I'm planning to look for new adventures with new animals every season. The only exception will be <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Tiger Beach</a>. Its the perfect place to run shark photography workshops and after eight years I still feel that I have lots more to shoot there.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>So, for anyone that has been thinking of joining me on one of the adventures listed on <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">BigFishExpeditions.com</a> , be warned! Most of those trips are now a one time opportunity.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>In 2013 there will be a brand new selection. Some will be well known destinations like the South African Sharkoholic Tour that I have planned, and some will be so 'off the beaten path' that you may not even recognize the name of the destination.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I can't spill the beans on too many trips yet but in 2013 you can expect expeditions in and around Southern Africa, South America, French Polynesia and the arctic. As the trips take shape, I'll be blogging about each one between now and 2013 So bookmark this page!</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>NEWS FROM ELASMODIVER: THE DEEP SHARK SHOOT</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>If we're friends on Facebook: <a href="http://www.facebook.com/andymurch" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.facebook.com/andymurch</a> then you've probably already seen the new shark species on Elasmodiver.com. For the rest of you, a couple of months ago I had the chance to join researcher Edd Brooks from the Cape Eleuthera Institute on an abyssal shark tagging project. It was a great trip that I will talk more about at a later date but from a photography standpoint, I got to jump in with three deepwater shark species and swim them down to depths where they could more easily get back to the abyss. The resulting images are of free-swimming animals that have rarely (if ever) been photographed by a diver. It was a fascinating shoot. You can read the new species accounts and see some of the resulting images here: <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Gulper_Shark.htm" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Gulper shark</a>, <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Cuban_Dogfish.htm" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Cuban dogfish</a> and <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Bigeye_Sixgill_Shark.htm" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Bigeye sixgill shark</a>. Watch out for stories about the project in a couple of forthcoming magazines.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Gulper Shark" border="0" height="397" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Gulper_Shark_045.jpg" width="600" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">A deep sea Gulper Shark from the Cape Eluethera shoot.</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>2012 EXPEDITIONS</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Malpelo</i></b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Many of next year's trips are sold out or almost full. There are two spots left on the <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/MalpeloHammerheadDiving.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Malpelo Shark Safari</a> in February. Malpelo will be extraordinary - big sharks and lots of species including schooling hammers, Galapagos sharks, whitetips, silkies and possibly other requiem shark species and pelagics like whale sharks and giant mantas. Plus we're going at the right time of year to see smalltooth sandtigers which you won't see anywhere else. Here's a great pic of a smalltooth shot at Malpelo last year:</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Smalltooth Sandtiger Shark" border="0" height="338" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/SmalltoothSandtigerTomasKotouc.jpg" width="510" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Socorro</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The March <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/HumpbackWhaleMantaDivingSocorro.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Socorro Humpback and Manta Expedition</a> has just one spot open. All the info about the humpback whale encounters and the amazing manta and shark diving around Socorro is listed on <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">BigFishExpeditions.com</a> but to make the trip that little bit more special, I've arranged a couple of days diving and accommodation at Cabo Pulmo before we board the boat to Socorro. Cabo Pulmo is a sleepy little village in southern Baja that has the best mobula ray encounters in the world. At that time of year, mobulas school in their hundreds (sometimes thousands) and jump out of the water in acrobatic courting displays.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This isn't actually part of the trip but most of the guests have decided to join me at Cabo Pulmo to chase these dynamic creatures:</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Mobula ray jumping" border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/MobulaRay035.jpg" width="600" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Cat Island</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The are two spots left on the <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/OceanicWhitetipSharkExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Cat Island Oceanic Shark Expedition</a> in April. This is unquestionably the best spot in the world for oceanic whitetip shark encounters. As well as scuba diving with oceanics in bottomless blue water, we're going after reef sharks and other inshore species such as tigers and lemons. That will make this a really well rounded trip but the operator recently told me that he has a spot where he thinks we can find silky sharks too. If we get them all, this will go down as one of the most diverse locations for shark diving in the Bahamas. It sounds crazy, but this is my last trip to Cat Island!</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Silky sharks" border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/SilkyShark026.jpg" width="600" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Silky Sharks are very curious open ocean sharks.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>Isla Mujeres</i></b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>In July we're heading to Isla Mujeres in Mexico to play with whale sharks. Four spots left right now. I've been amid scores of whale sharks in Holbox which is just down the road from there but I wanted a location with clear blue water, nice hotels, and easy living. If you want to relax and have a world class big animal encounter, this is the place. <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Whale Shark Expedition</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Big whale shark and diver" border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/WhaleSharkDiving.jpg" width="600" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Sharkfest </i></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">2012</span></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Sharkfest was featured in the November issue of Scuba Diving Magazine. That generated a lot of interest so the boat is getting full already. This year's film list is looking good too with films from Africa, England, the Bahamas, Hawaii, Indonesia and more. If you haven't been to Sharkfest yet you really need to come sandtiger shark diving in North Carolina with us and enjoy talking sharks and watching brand new shark films with the rest of the shark junkies.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/sharkfest.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">http://bigfishexpeditions.com/sharkfest.html</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Sea of Cortes</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>If you want to see <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/HumboldtSquidDivingExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">HUMBOLDT SQUID AND FINBACKS, PILOT WHALES & SPERM WHALES</a> all in the same week long expedition, this is your chance. The Sea of Cortez Expedition was amazing last year so I'm running it again. We got to see everything we hoped for plus schooling hammers, whale sharks, hundreds of sea lions and some beautiful Mexican reefs. I've been so busy since this year's trip that I haven't had the chance to load the humboldt squid pics onto Elasmodiver.com until now. But if you want to get a better idea of these magnificent 2m long creatures, follow this link: <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Humboldt_Squid_Pictures.htm" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Humboldt Squid Pictures</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="Humboldt Squid" border="0" height="397" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Octopus_Pictures/Humboldt_Squid_039.jpg" width="600" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Isla Guadalupe</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I've added a new trip to the 2012 rosta! Guadalupe Island is so famous among shark divers that it really needs no introduction from me. In September we are going to the best place in the world to see huge great white sharks. Crystal clear blue water, enormous sharks (by September the big females have arrived) and a spectacular backdrop with Guadalupe fur seals and Northern elephant seals. This is going to be a very special trip. The <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/GreatWhiteSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Up Close With Great White Sharks Expedition</a>.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img alt="White shark trip" border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/GreatWhiteShark204.jpg" width="600" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How close do you want to get?</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Saving Sharks</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Lastly, I wanted to chime in on the shark fin debate in Canada which is where I live. Our Prime Minister Steven Harper recently stated that he is not opposed to the import of shark fins as long as they are killed humanely. That's a very naive opinion expressed by a politician that is either ignorant of the facts or cares more about votes than doing the right thing.<br />
As brutal as shark finning is, the real issue is that we're running out of sharks, not that they're killed in a wasteful, barbaric manner.<br />
Many shark species are on the brink of commercial extinction or have already crossed that line. This is not just a protectionist opinion. Drastic declines in shark numbers have been clearly documented by numerous well respected researchers and independent monitoring agencies around the world.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This is a call to arms to support FIN FREE CANADA. We can't all be banner waving activists but we can all vote for change. Please sign this petition to ban the importation of shark fins into Canada:</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://unitedconservationists.org/what-we-do/fin-free-campaign/sign-the-petition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">http://unitedconservationists.org/what-we-do/fin-free-campaign/sign-the-petition.html</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="188" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/Finfree-promotion.jpg" width="600" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Also, a personal message can got a long way. Mr Harper understandably does not want to ostracize our large oriental community in Canada. However, he needs to be reminded how many votes he'll lose if he doesn't change his stance on this critical subject.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>If you're Canadian, please let him know that he will lose your vote over this issue. If you're not, please tell him that the world is watching and is not impressed. Remind him how endangered sharks are and that any fins coming into Canada are not coming from sustainable fisheries regardless of how 'humanely' they are fished.<br />
Please email Mr Harper with your message: <a href="mailto:pm@pm.gc.ca" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">pm@pm.gc.ca</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>For the sharks as always,</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Andy Murch</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="74" hspace="0" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/Andy_Blog.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(192, 192, 192); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;" width="70" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">P.S. Expect another blog post very soon with a great new 2012 location. Get ready for the cold when Big Fish Expeditions partners with Whites Manufacturing!</span></i></div></div>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-41652066862440932862011-11-13T17:44:00.000-08:002011-11-13T17:44:52.340-08:00Big Fish, Big Whales and Big Squid!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div align="center" style="color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #ff9933;"><b><i>Big Fish, Big Whales and Big Squid</i></b></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="380" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/SeaofCortez2011.jpg" width="600" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>W</i></span></b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>HALES AND HUMBOLDTS TRIP REPORT</i></b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I've been home for 3 weeks from this year's Sea of Cortez Expeditions and I'm still reliving the highlights in my mind. It was an incredible adventure with great people and great encounters.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Over a two week span, we spent time in the water with absolutely every big animal that we had hoped to see. From voracious humboldt squid to enormous sperm whales, the ocean just kept delivering us new and amazing animals.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>To give you an idea of how diverse it was, we managed to cram humboldt squid diving, a pod of sperm whales, a twenty meter solitary bull sperm whale, a few finback whales, multiple pods of pilot whales, schooling scalloped hammerheads, schooling mobula rays, playful sea lions, scores of reef dives and three whale shark encounters into two weeks at sea.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The shooting opportunities ranged from challenging to great to epic but now I am faced with the daunting task of wading through thousands of images of fish, squid, whales and reefs. The best will be loaded onto Elasmodiver when I have the chance except for the ones that are saved for magazine articles. Every time I open a new folder of pics, I am transported back to that particular dive or encounter. Its a great way to relive the adventures between trips but no substitute for actually being there.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>For me this was a very experimental trip and I was not sure if it would all work out. By the time we arrived back in La Paz, I had dates nailed down for next August's squid run so if you'd like to join me next year please let me know:<a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/HumboldtSquidDivingExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">2012 Sea of Cortez Expedition</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>NEW TRIPS</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I've also added two more epic trips to next year's Big Fish Expeditions line up:</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/HumpbackWhaleMantaDivingSocorro.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Dive with humpback whales and mantas at Socorro Island."><img align="left" alt="Humpback whale diving and manta diving in Socorro." border="0" height="120" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/HumpbackMantaDivingSocorroButton.jpg" vspace="2" width="120" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>In March I am running a Humpback Whale and Manta Expedition to world famous Socorro Island. Socorro breaks the surface 200 miles south of the Baja Peninsula and is reached by liveaboard from Cabo San Lucas. It is probably most famous for the amazing manta encounters that take place there. The rays are some of the biggest that you are ever likely to dive with. They are known for interacting with people at the islands and allowing divers to swim within inches of them (perhaps enjoying the feeling of the divers exhaust bubbles rolling over their skin). Interestingly, the mantas at Socorro have been shown to be able to identify individual divers which they return to time after time for more attention.</i></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The islands are also known for excellent reefs and sharks! Resident species include Galapagos sharks, silkies and whitetips but hammers and other species can also be seen.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>But, like all Big Fish Expeditions, the Socorro Expedition is timed to deliver the maximum amount of big animals so we are visiting Socorro during the humpback whale migration. Late March is an excellent time to encounter female humpbacks with new calves. The calves are very curious and they have a reputation for closely approaching divers and snorkellers before being steered away by their more cautious mothers.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Each day between dives, we will head around the islands and jump in with any whales that we see. Between humpback whales (and possibly other whale species), mantas, sharks, dolphins and other pelagics, this should be an epic adventure. <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/HumpbackWhaleMantaDivingSocorro.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Socorro Humpback and Manta Expedition</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><img align="left" border="0" height="120" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.jpg" vspace="1" width="120" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I also have a new Whale Shark Trip to Isla Mujeres on the tip of Mexico's beautiful Yucatan Peninsula. Over the last few years, this area has become renowned for enormous aggregations of whale sharks. The number of animals that gather in the area is unprecedented making encounters virtually guaranteed. Combined with warm, blue Caribbean water, and the chance of encounters with other pelagics like sailfish and schooling cownose rays, this is a great place to interact with whale sharks.</i></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This is also the perfect trip for those that want to encounter the largest fish in the sea in style! We will be staying at a beautiful beachfront hotel within walking distance of the center. No crowds, no hassle, just wake up to the sounds of the sea and be whisked away to the whale sharking grounds directly from the hotel. Then jump in and swim with giants all day before returning back to the comfort of the hotel. Wow, I sound like a travel brochure but after some of the hard 'off the beaten path' adventures that I sometimes go on in search of strange shark species, this expedition sounds just fine! <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/WhaleSharkDivingIslaMujeres.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Isla Mujeres Whale Shark Expedition</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>SPEAKING OF OFF THE BEATEN PATH</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Its been a while since I had the chance to chase new sharks but in a few days I am heading off to Cape Eleuthera which is one of the lesser known outer islands in the Bahamas Chain. For the next two weeks I will be documenting the work of the Cape Eleuthera Institute while they conduct a survey of abyssal sharks that live in their waters. Once they take measurements and DNA samples from the deep water species, I will have the chance to jump in and photograph the released sharks. This will be a golden opportunity to nail some shots of species that divers would normally never see. The work that is being done on the island is very unique and I am looking forward to telling you all about it after the trip. And hopefully, bringing you some very interesting pics.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>THE BIG FISH EXPEDITIONS 2012 LINE UP</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>2012 is looking pretty amazing and the trips are filling up. Of the first three shark diving expeditions, Malpelo is sold out, Tiger Beach has just two spots left and our Cat Island Oceanic Whitetip adventure has 4 spots open so jump in while you can!</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>You can now see an Expedition Calendar with all the expedition dates we have planned here:</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/index.html#BigFishExpeditionCalender" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/index.html#BigFishExpeditionCalender</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/sharkfest.htm" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" title="Dive at Sharkfest with sandtiger sharks and then party into the night at Sharkfest"><img align="left" alt="Sharkfest Sandtiger Shark Diving" border="0" height="120" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/SharkfestSandtigerDiving-1.jpg" width="120" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Last but far from least, its a long time until Sharkfest but if you are interested in joining me for a great weekend of brand new shark films, shark diving with sanftigers and generally partying with a group of likeminded shark junkies, please consider joining us next August. Also, if you're a budding film maker (or a seasoned professional) and you have a short shark film that you would like to air at the festival, please send me an email!</i></span></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>More on Sharkfest here: <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/sharkfest.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/sharkfest.html</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>See you out there,</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Andy Murch</i></span></div></div>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-88450940448606411272011-11-13T17:42:00.000-08:002011-11-13T17:42:34.831-08:00Life is Short (especially for divers).<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div align="center" style="color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #ff9933; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Life is Short (especially for divers).</i></b></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>August 19th 2011</i></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/BlueSharkRhodeIsland.jpg" width="600" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Life is short. For divers it seems even shorter because we have more to explore and experience. Therefore, we have less time to dedicate to each amazing place or animal encounter. So, I try to cram as much into every trip as I possibly can.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>As an example, I have just returned from a two week adventure along the eastern seaboard of the United States. It started with a two day <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Big Fish Expeditions</span></a> Trip to see blue and mako sharks in Rhode Island. Then I nipped up to Massachusetts with Film Maker Joe Romeiro and photographer Tom Burns to track down and swim with some enormous basking sharks. </i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/BaskingSharkCapeCod.jpg" width="600" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>After that I snuck in a day of shore diving with some New England skate species and other local critters which gave me one free day for an impromptu trip back out to play with the blues and makos. All this was followed by a hell for leather, thousand mile drive to North Carolina to host <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/sharkfest.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Sharkfest</a>.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/SandtigerAtlasWreck.jpg" width="600" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>After a fantastic long weekend with new friends, diving with sandtiger sharks, watching shark films and generally having a good time, I jumped back in my rental car and drove a thousand miles back to Rhode Island in time to join friends at a NOAA lab to shoot some scientific shots of shark embryos.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Finally, exhausted but ecstatic with all those sharky experiences, I boarded a string of flights back to the west coast and spent one day at home on Vancouver Island. Phew....</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Far from recovered, I dumped all my hard drives and drove west to Tofino which is one of the most beautiful places in the world. <a href="http://pinnacledive.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Pinnacle Scuba Adventures</span></a> had arranged a three day dive trip in Clayoquot Sound and in the scheme of things, sleep came a poor second compared to diving on the rugged west coast of Canada.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/ClayoquotSound2.jpg" width="600" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/ClayoquotSound1.jpg" width="600" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/ClayoquotSound3.jpg" width="600" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I remember the super endurance I felt as a youth, when stopping to rest was for mere mortals. But sadly it turns out that I am human after all and so with blurred vision and nursing a raging throat infection, I then spent four gloriously slow days at home with my girl recuperating.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Which brings me (chronologically speaking) to the plane that I am currently sitting in while writing this blog. I am on a red eye flight to Baja to join 18 likeminded souls that think that racing through the Sea of Cortez in search of fin and pilot whales and chasing humboldt squid is a fine way to spend their vacations.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>All the guests appear to appreciate how short life is too, which is why we are planning to dive on all the reefs that we can cram into our trip and try to hit a sea lion colony or two to boot. And for good measure, the liveaboard operator has agreed to let me chum now and then to see if we can bring in a few sharks. Now that is an action packed itinerary!</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I will be home in early September. As the water temps decline in the North Pacific, so does the plankton which leads to great visibility. The steller sea lions will have migrated in too and I can't wait to spend some quality time with them. Stellers are so enormous that they remind me of underwater grizzlies. Fortunately they are rather more playful than your average land carnivore so its possible to float along underwater while they contort and pirouette in front of your camera.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>By the end of September I'll be back on the road. Bound for Cape Eleuthera to document a deep water shark tagging project. Expect some cool new shark species on Elasmodiver after that trip.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Looking ahead to what's bubbling...</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>There are only two spots left on the <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/MalpeloHammerheadDiving.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Malpelo Shark Safari</span></a> in Feb. Its going to be an epic trip filled with lots of different sharks and extraordinary reef life. Top of the bill if we find them will be the illusive smalltooth sandtiger sharks. More on this adventure on the Big Fish Expeditions Site.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>We're going back to <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: none;">T</span></a><a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">iger Beach</span></a> in April for my yearly shark photography workshop. This time we'll be dedicating a day to swimming with spotted dolphins. I've always wanted to dive with them but I've never been able to tear myself (or the group) away from the sharks. This time its officially a 'shark and dolphin' trip. The boat is about half full already so jump in if you want to come. Its far more about sharks than shooting, so non shooters will have just as much fun. At Tiger Beach the pool is always open so expect endless shark encounters every day.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Straight after Tiger Beach I'm running another trip to Cat Island to shoot <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/OceanicWhitetipSharkExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Oceanic Whitetip Sharks</span></a> (and reef shark species closer to shore). This is the best place in the world to dive with threatened oceanics! Space is very limited.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Then in July I'm organizing a trip to Isla Mujeres on Mexicos beautiful Yucatan Peninsula to dive with the masses of whale sharks that migrate into the area at that time. There are more whale sharks at this location than anywhere else on the planet. Sometimes there are so many that aerial footage makes them look like a cloud of krill milling around on the surface. And the water is warm and blue!</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I'll build a page for this trip on Big Fish soon but space will be limited so if you want to ensure a spot on the boat please let me know asap.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I'm sure there will also be more blue and mako trips to Rhode Island but I'll figure those out in the spring.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Even further ahead is <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/sharkfest.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;">Sharkfest 2012</span></a>. I am chartering the Olympus for next year which holds 24 divers. The Midnight Express (Olympus Dive Center's other ship) is simply getting too small for our yearly festival. I actually tried to charter both boats but I couldn't find a weekend when both were available. Maybe we'll get both for 2013. Imagine that - 40+ shark junkies congregating in one place to shark dive, watch shark films and party. Now that's gonna be fun!</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Its a long way off but this year the Sharkfest boat filled up in two weeks so if you want to come and enjoy the fun please drop me a line.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>See you out there,</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Andy Murch</i></span></div></div>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-55074324521729448622011-11-13T17:39:00.000-08:002011-11-13T17:39:57.835-08:00Oceanic Overload and some Awesome New Diving Adventures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div align="center" style="color: white; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="color: #ff9933; font-size: medium;"><b>Oceanic Overload and some Awesome New Diving Adventures</b></span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">May 27th 2011</span></i></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">RHODE ISLAND BLUES AND MAKOS</span></b></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Blue_Shark_250.jpg" width="600" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Before I get stuck into the Oceanic Whitetip Trip Report, I'd like to let everyone know that I'm heading to Rhode Island to dive with blue sharks and makos on July 30-31. There are only a couple of spots open on the trip which is being run by mako magnet Joe Romeiro. Its $325 a day. If you want to come out and play with some beautiful east coast sharks, please let me know asap: elasmodiver@gmail.com</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">THIS YEAR'S OCEANIC WHITETIP EXPEDITION</span></b></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_166.jpg" width="600" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">We had an awesome week on Cat Island in the Bahamas. The oceanic whitetip shark images that you see here represent a tiny slice of what we encountered. If you want to see a larger selection of images from the trip please follow this link: <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_Pictures.htm" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Oceanic Whitetip Shark Pictures</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">It was a very productive trip with hours and hours of photo opportunities. The great thing about oceanics is that when they arrive, they generally stay for the whole day. Some days we had sharks virtually from the minute we arrived. To be fair, we had a couple of slow days too but you have to expect to sit and wait sometimes when you're looking for sharks in the open ocean.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">When oceanic whitetip sharks catch the scent trail, they are definitely not shy. This was my first experience with oceanics and I was extremely impressed with their boldness and their beautiful lines. In comparison with other species, their personalities are somewhere between makos and blue sharks; inquisitive and bold like a mako but laid back and nonchalant like a blue shark at the same time.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">All in all it was a great week. Next year I'll be running another Cat Island Oceanic Expedition with a few small tweaks to make it even better. One of the things we noticed this year was that if the current takes you away from shore the oceanic action is good but if you drift into shore other species come in too. So we'll spend at least one day chumming exclusively on the reef so that we can swim with all the other species that Cat Island has to offer. If you want to join me, here's the info: <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/OceanicWhitetipSharkExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">2012 Oceanic Whitetip Expedition</a></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_322.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_322_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_322.jpg" /></a><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_353.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_353_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_353.jpg" /></a><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_351.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_351_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_351.jpg" /></a><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_394.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_394_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_394.jpg" /></a><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_104.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_104_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Oceanic_Whitetip_Shark_104.jpg" /></a></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">AN EXCITING SUMMER AHEAD</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The blue and mako weekend in Rhode Island marks the start of a manic summer schedule both for me and for Big Fish Expeditions. After playing with the blues and makos, I'll have just enough time to hunt for some new elasmobranchs on the shores of New England (hoping to add some Atlantic Torpedo Ray images to Elasmodiver) and then Sharkfest kicks off in Morehead City, North Carolina.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Sharkfest boat is full but if you happen to be diving in the area, please swing by Olympus Dive Centre or the lodge. We'll be airing some awesome short shark films on Saturday night August 6th and we'll have our Sharkfest BBQ on the docks on the 7th. Come one, come all.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">After Sharkfest I'll be racing home to Vancouver Island to join an exploratory diving expedition in Nootka Sound which is on the wild west side of the island. The trip is being run by Pinnacle Scuba Adventures. We'll be visiting some brand new dive sites with the possibility of Giant Pacific Octopuses, sixgill sharks (unlikely but you never know) and a whole whack of other Pacific Northwest critters. Space is limited but the trip hasn't been advertised yet so there is still room if you're a not so tropical diver...</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">After barely a week on the island its Baja time. We'll be reef diving on two week long trips specifically looking for fin whales, pilot whales, sperm whales and humboldt squid as well as plenty of regular reef dives and hopefully some good sea lion encounters. The first trip is sold out except for one spot for a female diver. The second trip still has a bit of room but its getting a lot of interest so please sign up asap if you would like to join me.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">As usual, I'll be coaching anyone that brings a camera if you want help. These will be great trips with a huge amount of diversity.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">SALMON SHARK EXPEDITION</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Here's a unique idea, any true shark fanatics reading this blog will be aware that there's a healthy population of Salmon Sharks in Alaska in the late summer. You may not know that they also congregate much further south in our accessible Vancouver Island waters. With that in mind, I'm trying to put together a salmon shark chumming trip for early September aboard one of our local liveaboards. It will be very experimental but not crazy expensive for a week on a BC liveaboard. More on this if I manage to pull everything together in time.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">PREDATORS IN PERIL PROJECT</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">By the time October rolls around I'll be ready to head out looking for new rare shark species for the Predators in Peril Project. This time I'll be working with researchers in the Bahamas that are bringing up deep sea sharks to measure and tag them. Their motives are to assess abundance and to find out which species inhabit great depth in the Bahamas tropical seas. I'll be documenting their work in pictures and slipping into the water to shoot each species as it is released. Its a very exciting project that should yield some great images.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">BULL SHARKS IN MEXICO</span></b></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="409" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/BullShark027.jpg" width="600" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">On my <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">Big Fish Expeditions Website</a> I have a Bull Shark trip listed for December in Playa Del Carmen but there are no exact dates because I'm still sitting on the sidelines waiting to see what happens this year. Last season, after the sharks had congregated to attend the shark feed, they were captured and killed by shark fishermen from the surrounding villages. As a conservationist, I can't participate in a feed this year if the sharks are likely to meet the same fate. So, the trip is on hold until I hear that the locals have found a way to protect the sharks.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>MALPELO SHARK SAFARI</b></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="340" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/MalpeloHammerhead1.jpg" width="510" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="113" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/MalpeloDiving9.jpg" width="170" /><img border="0" height="113" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/MalpeloDiving8.jpg" width="170" /><img border="0" height="113" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/MalpeloDiving7.jpg" width="170" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="113" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/MalpeloDiving5.jpg" width="170" /><img border="0" height="113" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/MalpeloDiving4.jpg" width="170" /><img border="0" height="113" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/Malpelo_Smalltooth_Sandtiger_Shark4.jpg" width="170" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="338" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/Malpelo_Smalltooth_Sandtiger_Shark1.jpg" width="510" /></div><div align="left" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">MALPELO SHARK SAFARI</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Looking even further forward, I have chartered the Inula which is a liveaboard catamaran that sails out of Panama to Malpelo which is a small volcanic island deep in the Eastern Tropical Pacific. If you haven't heard of Malpelo, imagine world famous Cocos Island but with even more shark diversity. Malpelo has schooling hammers in relatively shallow water, silky sharks, Galapagos sharks, whitetips (not the oceanic kind), occasional whale sharks, mantas and in February (which is when we'll be going) Smalltooth Sandtiger Sharks which are the regular sandtiger's oversized cousin. The smalltooths live in very deep water and swim up to the 50-60 meter range at Malpelo for a short time each year. The pics from this year's trip (taken by accomplished photographer Tomas Kotouc) show how impressive and accessible these animals are at the island.</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">With six full days at Malpelo and two extra dive days on Panama's excellent off shore reefs on the way there and back, the Malpelo Shark Safari will be an amazing adventure. More info on Big Fish: <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/MalpeloHammerheadDiving.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Malpelo Shark Safari</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">TIGER BEACH PHOTO WORKSHOP 2012</span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dates are up! The Tiger Beach Experience stands alone. I hope you can make it next year: <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">2012 T</a><a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">iger Beach Photo Workshop and Shark Safari</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">ELASMO TEES</span></b></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/ElasmoT-BLU3.jpg" width="233" /><img border="0" height="350" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/ElasmoT-BLK3.jpg" width="233" /></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="350" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/ElasmoT-BLU1.jpg" width="232" /><img border="0" height="350" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/ElasmoT-GRY1.jpg" width="232" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">And finally, by popular demand I have a new batch of Elasmo Tees hot off the printing press. This time they have logos front and back and come in three colours. Support Elasmodiver and Predators in Peril with a stylin' new elasmo-tee (or two, or three...)</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Men's fitted and women's fitted cap sleeved are available. Get 'em while you can, I'm running out already. Ordering info here: <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Shark-T-Shirts.htm" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Elasmo Tees</a></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">For the sharks,</span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Andy Murch</span></div></div>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-28014764209408209122011-06-01T20:38:00.000-07:002011-06-01T20:38:28.692-07:00Shark Diving with a Human Energy Concealment System Wetsuit.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Palatino, 'Palatino Linotype', Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19px;"></span><br />
<div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;">As a shooter that spends a lot of time around sharks, I was recently given a HECS suit to play with.</div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;">HECS stands for Human Energy Concealment Systems. The wetsuit (designed by HECS LLC and manufactured at this point by Xcel) masks up to 90% of electromagnetic fields emanating from the human body.</div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;">Sharks are able to detect even very small electromagnetic fields. They use EM fields to find prey when they are in turbid water or when their desired food is hiding under the sand.</div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;">I test drove the suit on my last Tiger Beach Expedition. I thought it would help me get close to shy sharks but at Tiger Beach thats never the problem.</div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;">When I was amid scores of reef, tiger and lemon sharks it was more important to keep the sharks calm.</div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;">The HECS wetsuit seemed to offer a slight edge over my regular suit. When I positioned myself right next to the bait crates it felt like the sharks were paying me less attention than they have on previous trips.</div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;">It could be a case of me seeing what I wanted to see rather than what actually occurred but it certainly felt like the sharks were very relaxed around me.</div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;">Its a subjective measurement of course and it wasn't helped by me waiving around chunks of fish in order to keep the sharks interested in our little group. But, it seemed to be effective and whether it worked or not, I have a slick looking and very comfortable new suit :)</div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;">Thanks to Jack Polanen for this video of me shark diving in the HECS suit. Judge for yourselves!</div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;"><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DWZmgcE_2k" rel="nofollow" style="color: #0076a3; font-size: 1em; position: static !important; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2DWZmgcE_2k</a></div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;"><br />
</div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;">Andy Murch</div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;">Trip Leader / CEO at <a href="http://bigfishexpeditions.com/">Big Fish Expeditions</a></div><div style="font-size: 1em; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0.4em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px; position: static !important;">Creator of the <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/">Elasmodiver Shark and Ray Database</a></div></div>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-86704861352616887842011-04-17T17:33:00.000-07:002011-04-17T17:33:10.917-07:00Scoophead Sharks, Alligators and Tiger Tales<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: white; font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/OceanicWhitetipSharkExpedition.html" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><i>LAST MINUTE S</i></b></a><b><i><a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/OceanicWhitetipSharkExpedition.html" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">PECIAL!!! Cat Island Oceanic Whitetip Expedition May 8-14 $1995</a></i></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #ff9933; font-size: medium;"><b><i>Scoopheads, Alligators and Tiger Tales</i></b></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="399" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Tiger_Shark_575.jpg" width="600" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>TIGER TALES</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I have just returned from a Big Fish Expeditions trip to Tiger Beach and I have to say that Tiger Beach is no longer the best tiger shark dive in the world.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Don't get me wrong, Tiger Beach is as sharky as it always has been with scores of lemon sharks ready to play as soon as the boat drops anchor and plenty of tiger shark action including regular visits from Smiley the resident tiger shark that has a damaged jaw leaving her with a permanent one sided grin.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>But there is a new site close to Tiger Beach that is even better for shark action especially if you're looking for dramatic backdrops for your shark portraits.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The reef is named Fish Tales but that's a bit generic for such a great shark diving spot so I'm calling it Tiger Tales for the tiger sharks that regularly wander by.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The site consists of a healthy coral reef in 40ft of clear blue water. It is overrun with packs of bold Caribbean reef sharks and a few resident nurse sharks. There are always some lemons swimming around also and it doesn't take much effort to swell their ranks and bring in the tigers that inhabit the area.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>It was normal for us to see all four species of sharks on each dive and we even had a few flybys from one or two large great hammerheads but the hammers were too timid to approach the divers.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>All in all, it was a phenomenal week and I can't wait to go back next year. With such great photo ops it was hard to decide what to include in this overview but here are few scenes from that week to give you an idea of how intense the action was:</i></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Tiger_Shark_601.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Tiger_Shark_601_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Tiger_Shark_601.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Tiger_Shark_589.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Tiger_Shark_589_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Tiger_Shark_589.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Tiger_Shark_587.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Tiger_Shark_587_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Tiger_Shark_587.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Tiger_Shark_579.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Tiger_Shark_579_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Tiger_Shark_579.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Tiger_Shark_502.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Tiger_Shark_502_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Tiger_Shark_502.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_220.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_220_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_220.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_196.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_196_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_196.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_252.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_252_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_252.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_243.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_243_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_243.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_276.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_276_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Caribbean_Reef_Shark_276.jpg" /></a></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Lemon_Shark_618.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Lemon_Shark_618_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Lemon_Shark_618.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Nurse_Shark_133.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Nurse_Shark_133_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Nurse_Shark_133.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Nurse_Shark_128.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Nurse_Shark_128_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Nurse_Shark_128.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Lemon_Shark_595.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Lemon_Shark_595_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Lemon_Shark_595.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Nurse_Shark_135.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Nurse_Shark_135_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Nurse_Shark_135.jpg" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>AMERICAN ALLIGATORS</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Even before setting sail for the Bahamas, I was already in shooting mode. I spent a few days chasing American alligators in the swamps of South Florida with Film Maker Joe Romeiro.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>As I have no experience shooting big reptiles, I was pretty nervous being around the lizard king and wondered if I should have bought a pole cam with me to put a little distance between me and the gators but even the big animals were reasonably well behaved.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The images (shot with a fisheye lens) are an interesting addition to any shooter's portfolio and after posting them on my Facebook page I was asked if I planned to lead gator trips. Its an intriguing idea but I'll stick with big ocean animals for now.</i></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Lizard_Pictures/American_Alligator_045.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/American_Alligator_045_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Lizard_Pictures/American_Alligator_045.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Lizard_Pictures/American_Alligator_173.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/American_Alligator_173_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Lizard_Pictures/American_Alligator_173.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Lizard_Pictures/American_Alligator_122.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/American_Alligator_122_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Lizard_Pictures/American_Alligator_122.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Lizard_Pictures/American_Alligator_068.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/American_Alligator_068_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Lizard_Pictures/American_Alligator_068.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Lizard_Pictures/American_Alligator_037.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/American_Alligator_037_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Lizard_Pictures/American_Alligator_037.jpg" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>SCOOPHEAD SHARKS</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>In March I spent some time in the Darien jungle talking to fishermen about the endemic shark species that live in the area. After a lot of hunting, I was finally able to get the first in-water images of a scoophead shark. This is one of the smaller hammerhead species that has eluded photographers for so long.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Scoophead sharks are far too timid to approach a diver (no matter how much chum is in the water) so to get the shots I spent a lot of time in a small panga shadowing the fishing boats as they pulled in their nets. The scoophead in my images came up on the last day of the trip and after a short negotiation involving the promise of a bottle of rum, the fishermen allowed me to release the ailing shark.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Global shark populations are dwindling and inshore endemic species like the scoophead that have limited ranges are particularly vulnerable to gill netters. Obtaining representative images for conservation initiatives is extremely important.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Its sad to say, but in some ways my expeditions to shoot the world's most illusive and endangered sharks, are my way of recording archival footage of species that may soon be gone.</i></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Scoophead_Shark_041.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Scoophead_Shark_041_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Scoophead_Shark_041.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Scoophead_Shark_065.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Scoophead_Shark_065_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Scoophead_Shark_065.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Scoophead_Shark_058.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Scoophead_Shark_058_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Scoophead_Shark_058.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Scoophead_Shark_048.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Scoophead_Shark_048_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Scoophead_Shark_048.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Scoophead_Shark_043.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Scoophead_Shark_043_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/Scoophead_Shark_043.jpg" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>THE OCEANIC WHITETIP SHARKS OF CAT ISLAND, BAHAMAS.</i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Another shark that has seen better days is the oceanic whitetip. Virtually eliminated from the Gulf of Mexico, there are few places left where oceanics can be reliably found. One of those places is Cat Island on the eastern edge of the Bahamian chain. In May of this year, I will be joining 7 guests on a week long, land based expedition to dive with these ocean ocean predators and a handful of other shark species that call Cat Island home.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="0" height="116" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/oceanicwhitetipshark4.jpg" width="174" /><img border="0" height="116" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/oceanicwhitetipshark1.jpg" width="174" /><img border="0" height="116" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/oceanicwhitetipshark5.jpg" width="174" /></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>With just a few weeks to go and one spot still open, I am running a last minute special for one lucky diver - $1995. Includes 5 days of boat diving and beach house accommodation on Cat Island. Email me if you want to come: <a href="mailto:info@bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">info@bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com</a></i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Summer trips and beyond....</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/sharkfest.html" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">SHARKFEST 2011 - Morehead City August 5-7</a></i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>On the first weekend of August.... Sharkfest is back!</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>If you missed the action last year there is a <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkfest2010.htm" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">trip report</a> on the epic shark diving that we enjoyed, plus film screenings and fun. This year we're stepping it up by adding a night dive with the sandtiger sharks on our first day. Space on the boat is limited and right now there are only five spots left so sign up now if you want to come. 3 days of shark diving, dorm accommodation, BBQ, film screenings, and a Sharkfest Tee Shirt $640.</i></span></div><div align="center" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/images/SharkfestPosterBlue.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" height="66" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/SharkfestPosterBlue_small1.jpg" width="100" xthumbnail-orig-image="images/SharkfestPosterBlue.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_307.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_307_small3.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_307.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_278.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_278_small1.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_278.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_186.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_186_small4.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_186.jpg" /></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_177.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_177_small2.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_177.jpg" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/HumboldtSquidDivingExpedition.html" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">SEA OF CORTEZ WHALES AND HUMBOLDT SQUID EXPEDITION</a></i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Later in August we'll be chasing humboldts and whales in the Sea of Cortez (only 4 spots left). This will no doubt be the most eclectic trip of the year. In a nut shell, we'll be diving Baja's best reefs each day while we cruise north to Loretto. Between dives we'll be scouting for fin whales, sperm whales and pilot whales to jump in the water with. Once we get to Loretto we'll be diving by day and jigging up humboldts in the evenings and hopefully getting in the water to shoot free swimming humboldt squid if everything goes to plan.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>As if reefs, whales, squid and sea lions wasn't enough, the operator has agreed to let me try chumming for sharks at some locations. This is a bit of a wild card and we are not sure what species (if any) will show up but I can't go all the way to Baja without looking for sharks.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>MALPELO ISLAND FEBRUARY 2012</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>There are no links or images on the Big Fish Expeditions Website for this one yet so I'll blog about it more in the next update. But to give you a brief idea, at Malpelo (a day's boat ride off the coast of Panama) you can expect to see schooling scalloped hammerheads, silky shaks, Galapagos sharks, random sightings of mantas and whale sharks, and many other pelagic visitors as well as reefs crawling in morays and large stingrays.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>But in February and March on the deeper reefs around the rocky island, there is the chance to see enormous Smalltooth Sandtiger Sharks (Odontaspis ferox) which are the sandtiger's big cousin from the depths.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>If you think you've seen it all you have to dive Malpelo.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>We'll be on the liveaboard Inula. Although I have barely talked to anyone about this trip there are already only 6 spots left so please send me an email if you want more info.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://www.pinnacledivecharters.com/" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank">PINNACLE SCUBA ADVENTURES</a></i></span></b></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Between expeditions, I'll be enjoying the diving around Vancouver Island with Pinnacle Scuba Adventures. Pinnacle is southern Vancouver Island's newest and most versatile dive charter operator. We'll be diving some of the best sites on the south end of the island and exploring new locations each week throughout the summer. Join us if you're up this way.</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/images/PinnacleScubaAdventures.jpg" style="color: cyan; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/PinnacleScubaAdventures_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="images/PinnacleScubaAdventures.jpg" /></a></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>For the sharks,</i></span></div><div style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Andy Murch</i></span></div></div>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-55319152353141417672010-08-22T13:50:00.000-07:002010-08-22T13:50:59.176-07:00Big Fish Diving and Photography Expeditions<div align="left" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: white; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="color: #ff9933; font-size: medium;"><b>GROWING ELASMODIVER & OUR NEW SHARK DIVING EXPEDITIONS</b></span></div><div align="center" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; color: white; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>KEEPING ELASMODIVER GROWING</i></span></b></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Last year, more than a million people spent some time clicking through Elasmodiver's 400+ pages of information and shark images. Hopefully, some of them took away a little more knowledge and respect for our world's endangered Elasmobranchs.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>It is important to me to keep expanding the <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/sharks_and_rays.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">shark and ray field guide</span></a>, but as I slowly tick off the few remaining shark and ray species that are relatively easy to dive with and photograph, I find myself planning increasingly more abstract expeditions, often working with researchers and sometimes even commercial fishermen.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>There are parts of the world like Southern Africa that I have been purposely avoiding. I could probably find a dozen new species in a week or two of diving around Cape Town but before I take off to such exotic locations, there are a number of elasmos from North America that still need some time in the spotlight. There are a couple of hammerheads from the Pacific slope that are virtually unknown and a number of Central American smoothhound sharks that are heavily targeted by the artisanal shark fishing fleets. Those species come first.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The latest shark species that was added to the Field Guide (a few weeks ago) was the <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/dusky_smoothhound.htm" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Dusky Smoothhound</span></a>. Smooth dogfish (as they are called in New England) are very common sharks but they are rarely encountered by divers.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Getting these images involved a trip back to visit my shark diving buddy Joe Romeiro in Rhode Island. Although we did everything we could to try to shoot a dusky smoothhound in the wild, we eventually gave up our fruitless search and found an aquarium that would let us shoot in their tank. A natural encounter would have been better but sometimes, this is the only way to get the shot.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>A big thank you to <a href="http://biomescenter.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Biomes Marine Biology Center</span></a> for letting us work in their excellent facility.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/duskysmoothhound002.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/duskysmoothhound002_small1.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/duskysmoothhound002.jpg" /></span></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/duskysmoothhound001.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/duskysmoothhound001_small1.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/duskysmoothhound001.jpg" /></span></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/duskysmoothhound009.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/duskysmoothhound009_small2.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/duskysmoothhound009.jpg" /></span></a></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>SHARKFEST 2010</i></b></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>After many months of planning, a boat load of Shark Fanatics finally descended on Morehead City, North Carolina, for our weekend of shark diving, film screenings and good times. The whole event could not have gone better so we are planning to do it all over again next year - with a few very cool changes. Check out some of the great shark photos that came out of Sharkfest 2010 and find out what we have in store for next year: </i></span><b><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkfest2010.htm" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">SHARKFEST 2010 TRIP REPORT</span></a></i></span></b></div><div align="left" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_307.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_307_small1.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_307.jpg" /></span></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_291.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_291_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_291.jpg" /></span></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_200.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_200_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_200.jpg" /></span></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_198.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_198_small1.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_198.jpg" /></span></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_186.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_186_small1.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_186.jpg" /></span></a> <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_177.jpg" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;"><img border="2" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_177_small.jpg" xthumbnail-orig-image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_177.jpg" /></span></a></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="left" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><i><b><span style="font-size: x-small;">BIG FISH DIVING AND PHOTOGRAPHY EXPEDITIONS</span></b></i></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>If you know your way around Elasmodiver, then you'll have noticed that there are a lot of new links pointing to <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Big Fish Photography Expeditions</span></a>. This is our brand new expedition website that showcases all of the trips that you can join me on to meet the world's top predators on their own ground.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>These are not your average wildlife expeditions. They are one of a kind adventures tailored to adventurous people that want to enjoy up-close, in-water encounters with apex predatory sharks, whales, dolphins and even giant squid.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Our first expedition kicks off in February next year in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico. Playa has recently become a hot spot for bull shark encounters and the Bull Shark Feed that takes place there from November to March is second to none.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I am timing our <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/bull_shark_diving_expedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">bull shark diving adventure</span></a> to overlap with a scientific shark tagging expedition which is being conducted by Dr Mauricio Hoyos who is Mexico's leading Great White Shark Specialist. Mauricio and I worked on a white shark film together a couple of years ago and he has agreed to do a talk about his white shark research on Guadalupe Island and explain what he hopes to learn about the bull sharks in Playa.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I have some great ideas for creating the perfect shooting environment and if the sharks cooperate I expect that we will return with some amazing images.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>In April I will be running a second <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/TigerSharkDivingExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Tiger Beach Photography Workshop</span></a>. This year's trip was a bit hit with scores of lemon sharks and 24/7 tiger shark action, not to mention encounters with reef sharks and nurse sharks too. For some people it was their first introduction to shooting big animals. For others it was a chance to hone their skills. I'm looking forward to getting back there and doing it again in 2011. Next year's boat is already half full so if you're interested in joining us please let me know as soon as possible.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I am also running trips to Cat Island in the Bahamas to shoot <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/OceanicWhitetipSharkExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Oceanic Whitetip Sharks</span></a> (only one spot left) and an amazing week long adventure, diving and shooting on the reefs of the Sea of Cortez which will include <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/HumboldtSquidDivingExpedition.html" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">encounters with whales and giant humboldt squid dives</span></a></i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>I guess that's more than enough bragging about expeditions. The ones we have scheduled so far are all listed on the <a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: black;">Big Fish Photography Expeditions</span></a> website. I'll update you on new expeditions that I intend to run, as soon as they come together.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div align="center" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/" style="font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px;" target="_blank" title="Shark diving and photography expeditions with Andy Murch"><img align="left" border="0" height="79" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/SharkDivingPhotographyExpeditions.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px;" width="476" /></a></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
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</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i>WHATS BUBBLING...</i></b></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>This year is quickly getting away from me. Fortunately, late summer is the time when things start to get interesting here on Vancouver Island so I am dedicating the next month to the <b>Pacific North West Elasmo Hunt.</b></i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Next weekend I will start by working on the wild west coast in an area called Barkley Sound which is a great place to track down sixgill sharks. I already have some sixgill shots but I'm hoping to improve them and get a much better variety that really capture the bluntnose sixgill's enigmatic personality. We have our bait crates ready to go and a boat rented for this very purpose. If any local divers want to join us on the hunt, there may be a few spots up for grabs.</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Late summer is also when deepwater skates start making their way into the shallows to feed on crustaceans and other benthic invertebrates, so I'll probably be spending a fair bit of this month swimming around in muddy featureless bays, hoping to encounter a skate or two. Wish me luck!</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>For the sharks,</i></span></div><div style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; font-family: Arial; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 10px; margin-top: 0px;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Andy Murch</i></span></div>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-61265257650265465272010-08-13T21:52:00.000-07:002010-08-13T22:00:30.305-07:00Sharkfest 2010 Trip Report<table style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); border-right: 1px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); border-width: 1px; border-top: 1px solid rgb(255, 255, 255); padding: 0pt; border-collapse: collapse;" id="AutoNumber1" cellpadding="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr><td bordercolor="#FFFFFF" align="justify" bgcolor="#ffffff"><p style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" align="center"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/SharkFest.jpg" style="text-align: center;" alt="Sharkfest 2010" border="0" width="425" height="295" /></p><p style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" align="center"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/SharkfestFun2010.jpg" alt="Sharkfest Collage" border="0" width="504" height="315" /></p></td> </tr> <tr> <td bordercolor="#FFFFFF" align="justify" bgcolor="#ffffff"> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <h1 style="text-align: center; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> <b><span style="color:#000000;"><i>SHARKFEST 2010 TRIP REPORT</i></span></b></h1> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>I must admit that I was a little nervous about putting together a shark diving / film screening event like Sharkfest but it worked out better than I could have imagined. For a while it was looking as though Tropical Storm Colin would upset our plans to dive the sharkiest wrecks on the Outer Banks of North Carolina but Colin fizzled out just in time. Our first day out was delayed by a few hours because of fierce offshore winds that were punishing any vessels crazy enough to head to sea but by the afternoon the gale had calmed down to a gentle breeze so we set sail for a couple of inshore wrecks - The Titan and The Indra.</i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>I was dubious about our chances of shark action so close to the mainland but the shark gods smiled on us. Both wrecks had unusually good visibility and more importantly they had enough sandtiger sharks for us to play with all afternoon. In fact, the Indra had such friendly sharks that I was able to swim around with them to my heart's content:</i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_121.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_121_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_121.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_273.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_273_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_273.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_253.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_253_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_253.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_241.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_241_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_241.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_198.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_198_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_198.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_186.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_186_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_186.jpg" border="2" /></span></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>That night, while our images downloaded, we set up a projector in Olynmpus' Dive Lodge and screened our collection of short shark movie submissions. The standard of the films was truly world class and I am flattered that so many well known film makers went to the effort of submitting their work.</i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>After the screenings we talked about sharks into the early hours and after little more than a nap, dragged ourselves back to the dive boat for another day of shark diving. </i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>With clear skies and flat seas we made straight for the wreck of The Spar which lays in 110ft of water about 1.5 hours from shore. The Spar is famous for the amount of sharks that frequent its decks and I could see the first enormous sandtigers hovering above the conning tower of the 200ft long wreck as I over-armed down the mooring line.</i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>Although it was a little dark down on the sand, the visibility above the thermocline was excellent and we spent two glorious dives framing image after image of sandtigers doing what sandtigers do best; swimming slowly around defying gravity and looking far more menacing than they really are. I tried to capture as many diver / shark interactions as possible and the images below tell the tale of great <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Shark%20Diving%20Hotspots.htm">shark diving</a> encounters with approachable sharks:</i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_233.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_233_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_233.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_313.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_313_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_313.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_318.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_318_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_318.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_307.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_307_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_307.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_332.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_332_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_332.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_100.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_100_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_100.jpg" border="2" /></span></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>Once back on terra firma we grabbed a bite and settled in to try to get through as many more shark movie submissions as we could. After a long sun-swept day at sea I was surprised that so many people stayed up to watch them all. Thank you to everyone that attended and helped to turn an idea into a real mini film festival.</i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <i><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;">After much deliberation the crowd favorite turned out to be </span> <span style="font-size:130%;color:#000000;"> <b>Requiem</b></span><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"> by Joe Romeiro and Bill Fisher / 333 Productions.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <i><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"> closely followed by Lesley Rochat's excellent, award winning shark conservation film </span> <b><span style="font-size:130%;color:#000000;">Sharks in Deep Trouble</span><span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;">.</span></b></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>Joe and Bill will receive a girt cert from H2O Photo Pros who sponsored the event.</i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/H2Obanner.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" border="0" width="728" height="90" /></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>The next morning we returned to The Spar and enjoyed two more dives with many extremely cooperative and tolerant sandtiger sharks. The weather remained perfect and the sharks posed in just about every angle:</i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_178.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_178_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_178.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_315.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_315_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_315.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_218.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_218_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_218.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_216.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_216_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_216.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_173.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_173_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_173.jpg" border="2" /></span></a><span style="color:#000000;"> </span><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/sandtiger_shark_134.jpg"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/sandtiger_shark_134_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/sandtiger_shark_134.jpg" border="2" /></span></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>After the diving, a few Sharkfesters were forced to take off back to the real world but the rest of us threw together a BBQ on Olympus Dive Center's dock and talked about exotic shark locations and our crazy shark encounters long into the night. As we said our farewells the next morning the inevitable question was raised: Will there be a Sharkfest 2011?</i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>It was a lot of work to put <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/sharkfest.htm">Sharkfest</a> together but we had such a good time that I have decided to do it again. So, save a little space in your shark diving calendars next August. Sharkfest 2011 is going to be bigger and even more fun than 2010.</i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>Thank you again to everyone that attended, thank you to Olympus Dive Center for hosting the event and thank you to everyone that submitted their short films!</i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#000000;"><i>This year's Sharkfest submisions (in no particular order):</i></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> <span style="color:#000000;"> <br /> <b>The Great White Shark Song</b> – Andy Brandy Casagrande<br /> <b>Death of a Deity</b> – Joe Romeiro & Bill Fisher / 333 Productions<br /> <b>Elegance in Black and White</b> – Richard Theiss / RTSea Productions<br /> <b>Friends Found</b> – David Ulloa<br /> <b>The Way It Used to Be</b> – David Vik<br /> <b>A lateral Line</b> – Joe Romeiro & Bill Fisher / 333 Productions<br /> <b>Who Patrols These Waters</b> – Barbara Lloyd / Stella Luna Productions<br /> <b>Sharks in Deep Trouble</b> – Lesley Rochet<br /> <b>Big Fish Utila</b> - Johannes Leichtle & Dan Cain<br /> <b>The Shark Con</b> – Rusty Armstrong / Endless Perseverance.<br /> <b>Island Of the Great White Sharks</b> – Richard Theiss / RTSea Productions<br /> <b>Shark Divers</b> – Danny Mauro / Sport Diver TV</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> <span style="color:#000000;"><b>Walter and the Tigers</b> – Jason Perryman</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> <span style="color:#000000;"><b>Requiem</b> - Joe Romeiro & Bill Fisher / 333 Productions<br /> <b>Shark Business</b> – Danny Mauro / Sport Diver TV</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> <span style="color:#000000;"><b><span style="font-size:180%;"> <a href="mailto:elasmodiver@gmail.com?subject=SHARKFEST%202011"> <span style="color:#ff0000;">SIGN UP FOR SHARKFEST 2011</span></a></span></b></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> <span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-size:85%;">(Dates in August 2011 to be arranged)</span><br /> </span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;" align="center"> <a target="_blank" title="Shark diving and photography expeditions with Andy Murch" href="http://bigfishphotographyexpeditions.com/"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/SharkDivingPhotographyExpeditions.jpg" style="border: 1px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);" border="0" width="476" height="79" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> </td> </tr> <tr> <td border style="border: 1px solid rgb(255, 255, 255);color:#ffffff;" align="justify" bg> <blockquote> <p style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" align="center"> <b style=""> <span style="font-family: Arial;"> <b><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/elasmodiver_home.htm"> <span style="font-family:Arial;color:#000000;">HOME</span></a><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="font-family:Arial;"> -</span> </span><span style="font-family:Arial;"><span style="color:#000000;"> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/sharks_and_rays.html"><span style="color:#000000;">THE FIELD GUIDE</span></a> - <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/sharkive%20index.htm"> <span style="color:#000000;">SHARK PICS</span></a> - </span> <a href="mailto:elasmodiver@gmail.com"> <span style="color:#000000;">CONTACT</span></a></span></span></b></span></b></p><p style="margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;" align="center"> </p><p align="center"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/SharkFest.jpg" style="text-align: center;" border="0" width="425" height="295" /><!-- Start of StatCounter Code --> <script type="text/javascript" language="javascript"> var sc_project=1423995; var sc_invisible=1; var sc_partition=12; var sc_security="4a6f4beb"; </script><noscript></noscript><!-- End of StatCounter Code --></p><p align="center"> </p></blockquote></td></tr></tbody></table>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-64011981275700127922010-05-13T08:49:00.000-07:002010-05-13T08:58:03.054-07:00Dive in strange places long enough and you'll eventually see strange sharks and rays...<p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 153, 51);"><b>Dive in strange places long enough and you'll eventually see strange sharks and rays...</b></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I spend a lot of time blogging about my future shark photography plans which can be fun, but its so much better to be able to write about successful adventures!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">After shooting three new species of deep water skates in Rhode Island (see previous post), I flew down to West Palm Beach to meet up with a group of keen shark photographers that were accompanying me on the Tiger Beach Shark Photography Workshop.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The expedition was a huge success. Tiger Beach always has a healthy supply of lemon sharks (usually around 40 or 50 once the chum gets going) but the tigers themselves can be hit and miss. Its important to have a solid player - a shark that isn't afraid of cameras, swims close to the group and stays around long enough for everyone to get the shots they want. Fortunately, that is exactly what we had. Other sharks came and went but one respectably sized tiger shark stayed with us for the entire week. I think that everyone got more tiger shark shots than they knew what to do with.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/TigerShark468.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/TigerShark468_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/TigerShark468.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/TigerShark423.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/TigerShark423_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/TigerShark423.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/TigerShark411.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/TigerShark411_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/TigerShark411.jpg" border="2" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I wanted everyone to come home with great shots, a better knowledge of workflow (Bridge, Photoshop, etc) and some amazing stories about close up encounters with big sharks. I think everyone learned a lot and had a great time and I'm really looking forward to doing this again next year!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/LemonShark511.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/LemonShark511_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/LemonShark511.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/TigerShark479.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/TigerShark479_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/TigerShark479.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/TigerShark486.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/TigerShark486_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/TigerShark486.jpg" border="2" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">As well as lemons and tigers we had one little nurse shark that kept skirting the action. He was pretty brave to get as close as he did with all the huge carcharanids milling about but the poor guy never made it to the food.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/NurseShark102.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/NurseShark102_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/NurseShark102.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/NurseShark103.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/NurseShark103_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/NurseShark103.jpg" border="2" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">We spent the entire week exploring all the different photography opportunities that Tiger Beach has to offer except for one afternoon that we snuck off to a deeper site to chase Caribbean reef sharks. After the big lumbering lemons it was great to play with some zippy little sharks for a few hours. Everyone hunkered down next to the reef and snapped away while the sharks buzzed back and forth above us perfectly framed against the clear blue Bahamian water.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/CaribbeanReefShark130.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/CaribbeanReefShark130_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/CaribbeanReefShark130.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/CaribbeanReefShark121.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/CaribbeanReefShark121_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/CaribbeanReefShark121.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/CaribbeanReefShark112.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/CaribbeanReefShark112_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/CaribbeanReefShark112.jpg" border="2" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">We returned to Tiger Beach to find our super model tiger shark still in residence and continued looking for the perfect shot until it was time to pull anchor and head back to Florida.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">After bidding farewell to a boat load of new friends, I packed up my cameras and took a flight to Honduras.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Steve Fox (Owner of the luxurious <a target="_blank" href="http://www.deepblueutila.com/">Deep Blue Resort</a> in Utila) had graciously invited me to come and photograph a couple of deep water shark species that local fishermen sometimes encounter on the deep coastal plains around the island.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Both species we were after are rarely if ever photographed and both are data defficient according to the IUCN Red List. They are caught incidentally in other fisheries and like many deep sea species they are probably in decline. Sadly, if you chase rare sharks you have to expect to strike out now and then and on this trip the sharks eluded us.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /> Cutting my losses, I spent the next week snorkeling in a muddy lagoon looking for a rare stingray called the <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/ChupareStingray.htm"> chupare stingray</a> (aka Caribbean whiptail stingray). </span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Steve (who has a cutting British wit) ribbed me relentlessly during the week when I wasn't able to find one. He was adamant that they were all over the place if only I'd open my eyes, but trying to shoot one in the low visibility environment was an extremely challenging mission.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Through a combination of luck and stubbornness, I finally cornered a ray in a pocket of mangrove and fired off a fusillade of shots while the ray kicked up more and more silt until there was nothing left to see.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Although I didn't get the quality of images I would have liked, I did take some usable ID shots so the trip was officially a success. One more species for the Elasmodiver <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/sharks_and_rays.html">Shark and Ray Field Guide</a>.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/CaribbeanWhiptailStingray005.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/CaribbeanWhiptailStingray005_small1.jpg" image="Sharkive images/CaribbeanWhiptailStingray005.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/CaribbeanWhiptailStingray003.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/CaribbeanWhiptailStingray003_small1.jpg" image="Sharkive images/CaribbeanWhiptailStingray003.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/CaribbeanWhiptailStingray002.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/CaribbeanWhiptailStingray002_small1.jpg" image="Sharkive images/CaribbeanWhiptailStingray002.jpg" border="2" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Tired of swimming around in lukewarm tea all day, I decided to take a break and head out to see some of Utila's beautiful reefs with the sensible divers. Deep Blue Resort has a seamless system for delivering divers to wonderful environments and encounters: After a leisurely breakfast, you simply stroll onto Deep Blue's private dock and get whisked off to a stunning and dramatic wall dive somewhere then climb back on board and slip out of your dive gear while the crew find you some whale sharks to play with.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Then you jump in, snorkel with the sharks (which are conveniently feeding at the surface on baitballs) and pop back onto the boat once the sharks move too deep. This is repeated time and again until the guests get tired of 'whale shark jumps' and ask to be taken to another pretty dive site.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/DeepBlueResort5.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/DeepBlueResort5_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/DeepBlueResort5.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/DeepBlueResort2.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/DeepBlueResort2_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/DeepBlueResort2.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/DeepBlueResort1.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/DeepBlueResort1_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/DeepBlueResort1.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/DeepBlueResort4.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/DeepBlueResort4_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/DeepBlueResort4.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/DeepBlueResort3.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/DeepBlueResort3_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/DeepBlueResort3.jpg" border="2" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">After a pleasant lunch back at the lodge, guests are then invited to head back out on the boat for more absurdly easy diving or enjoy a shore dive on the house reef. After a week of paradise they all fly home feeling ten years younger. It's painfully easy.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I'm not jealous - really I'm not. But how come my dive trips more often involve squeezing onto a Central American school bus jammed full of locals that are carrying hundreds of chickens to some far away market. And then, sleeping on a grubby panga in the middle of the ocean with a bunch of fishermen that I can barely understand while waiting for a hapless shark to swim by. I think it's time I reconsidered my shooting strategy :)</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/Utila001.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Utila001_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/Utila001.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/Utila005.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Utila005_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/Utila005.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/Utila004.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Utila004_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/Utila004.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/Utila003.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Utila003_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/Utila003.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/Utila006.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Utila006_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/Utila006.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/Utila002.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Utila002_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/Utila002.jpg" border="2" /></a> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Its been so long since I did any 'recreational diving' that at first I couldn't remember what I was supposed to look at. After a while, I settled in and started shooting pretty sponges and coral formations but it still felt kind of weird not being on a shark photography mission. The whale shark jumps were much more familiar and I was happy to have the chance to snorkel (if only briefly) with a couple of big animals.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/Whaleshark500.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Whaleshark500_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/Whaleshark500.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/WhaleShark364a.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/WhaleShark364a_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/WhaleShark364a.jpg" border="2" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">What was more unexpected was the pod of rough-toothed dolphins that we encountered. I am far from a marine mammal expert and I confess that I'd never even heard of rough-toothed dolphns. Apparently they encounter them on Utila fairly regularly and these ones were surprisingly playful. I was the only one free diving so the dolphins gave me a lot of attention and I came away with some very respectable images. I'd like to share them here but they are earmarked for a future publication. Here's one that didn't make the cut:</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/RoughtoothedDolphin039.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/RoughtoothedDolphin039_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/RoughtoothedDolphin039.jpg" border="2" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Having got my fix of big aquatic animals, I decided to head back into the lagoon for one more crack at the Caribbean whiptail rays. The vis had improved enough to see the mangrove forest in all its glory but the rays were nowhere to be found. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/AndySwamp.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/AndySwamp_small1.jpg" image="images/AndySwamp.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/OysterBedLagoon004.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/OysterBedLagoon004_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/OysterBedLagoon004.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/OysterBedLagoon003.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/OysterBedLagoon003_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/OysterBedLagoon003.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/OysterBedLagoon002.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/OysterBedLagoon002_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/OysterBedLagoon002.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/CoastalImages/OysterBedLagoon001.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/OysterBedLagoon001_small.jpg" image="CoastalImages/OysterBedLagoon001.jpg" border="2" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">What I did stumble upon was a urolophid ray (round stingray family) that I can't positively identify. It was probably just a yellow spotted stingray but rather than the usual tiny yellow spots on a pale background this little ray was jet black with vividly contrasting orange/yellow spots. I've never seen this color variation before but then again I've never spent a week snorkeling around a Honduran lagoon.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/YellowSpottedStingray300.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/YellowSpottedStingray300_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/YellowSpottedStingray300.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/YellowSpottedStingray304.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/YellowSpottedStingray304_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/YellowSpottedStingray304.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/YellowSpottedStingray303.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/YellowSpottedStingray303_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/YellowSpottedStingray303.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/YellowSpottedStingray301.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/YellowSpottedStingray301_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/YellowSpottedStingray301.jpg" border="2" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Tallying up the elasmobranchs from the entire trip, over a 5 week period I managed to shoot nine species of sharks and rays and saw two more species distantly swimming along. Not a bad first adventure for the new decade. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Future plans...</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I'm hoping to attend the American Elasmobranch Meeting in July in Providence, RI. If any of you sharkafiles will be there please let me know. After that, my next big trip will be <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/sharkfest.htm">Sharkfest</a>. Sharkfest is three days of sandtiger shark diving with a mini shark film festival attached. It's my humble attempt to bring together a whole bunch of shark divers to dive, watch movies, tell stories and have some fun. If you would like to attend there are 3 spots left on the boat. <a href="mailto:elasmodiver@gmail.com?subject=SHARKFEST">Email me for details</a>.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">For now I'm back on Vancouver Island cleaning up pics, writing stories, diving with local species and plotting. I may be running an underwater photography workshop here in Victoria over the summer so if you're up in the Pacific North West and want to learn the basics of DSLR photography let me know!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">For the sharks,</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Andy Murch</span></p>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-68550024106573493102010-04-13T07:24:00.000-07:002010-04-13T07:28:05.916-07:00An Incoming Tide of Adventure<p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Like a stingray stranded on a mud flat, I have been stuck on land for way too long. I spent the winter working in other fields to raise a shooting budget for 2010 and with that taken care of, its time to embark on a six week expedition through New England, Florida, The Bahamas and Honduras. The plan as always, is to shoot as many new species of sharks and rays as possible.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Right now I am in Rhode Island. Home to makos, blues, threshers, the occasional white shark and lots of deep sea skates. For those that don't know, skates are a type of ray and are therefore closely related to sharks. One big difference between skates and other rays is that skates lay eggs. They are also very specious. If fact, they are the largest of all shark or ray families and because most live in very deep inaccessible areas, scientists are still finding new species on a fairly regular basis.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I am particularly interested in shooting barndoor skates which Greenpeace International recently added to its Seafood Red List. Greenpeace's red list is a list of fish that are commonly sold in supermarkets around the world, and which have a very high risk of being sourced from unsustainable fisheries. On the other hand, NOAA recently downgraded the barndoor on its 'species of concern' scale but the continuing directed fishery and high by-catch levels make it an ever-vulnerable species.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">You can't dive with deep sea skates in their natural environment unless you happen to own a research submersible. Sadly, a sub is out of my budget this year but I have a buddy named Brian Raymond who works on a fishing trawler that often plies the waters of The Georges Bank where barndoor and other skate species are fairly common. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">You may think that its odd for a conservation minded shark photographer to be hanging out with a fisherman but Brian is no ordinary fisher. After 5 years in the industry he is very tired of being part of the problem. This summer he is quitting his job and going into business with Shark Film Maker Joe Romeiro. They will be running eco-friendly blue and mako viewing trips out of Rhode Island so if you're up this way and want to get in the water with some beefy New England sharks, give them a call: </span> <span style="font-size:85%;"> <a target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=263352793183&ref=ts"> 333 Blue and Mako Shark Expeditions</a></span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The boat that Brian works on mostly trawls for squid but trawling is an indiscriminant form of fishing so the by-catch levels are often horrendous. Recently, they have been dragging in 1000ft where there are a number of vulnerable skate species so we worked out a plan to try a catch and release photo shoot with some of the skates that he rescued from the nets. It should have been a simple way to nail some shots of never before photographed species but the best laid plans can go awry.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">While Brian was returning from his last fishing trip, I flew in, stashed my stuff at Joe's place and got ready to start shooting. Brian and his girlfriend Jen met me at a local beach and Brian pulled a tote of slowly flapping skates out of the back of his truck. When I found that he had managed to bring not one but three deep sea skate species I was as happy as a kid at Christmas.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The plan was for me to swim out to clear water and release the animals on the sand and rocks where I could get some usable ID shots before they swam away. I was petrified that they would bolt before I could get any images but that turned out to be the least of my problems. </span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">R.I. is recovering from the worst flood in 200 years which has thrown millions of gallons of dirty water into inshore coves like the one we were shooting in. To make matters worse, the day we chose to release the animals, the weather was far from ideal. Strong winds, lashing rain and turbulent seas made the whole swim out from shore rather daunting. I went out for a test run just with my camera and found the going pretty tough. It didn't help that I was nursing a fever and a throat infection and apparently my drysuit had somehow gained a lot of extra buoyancy over the winter :) leaving me considerably underweighted.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Unperturbed, I kicked back to shore, found some scrap iron on the beach and strapped it to my tank. Then, I filled my pockets with rocks and ventured out again, this time with my camera in one hand and a lobster trap full of deep sea skates in the other.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Clutching such a voluminous object in rough seas put me in an unexpected position. I found myself at the mercy of the rip which dragged me out of the bay into an area that was churning like a washing machine. Looking down, the visibility was so bad that I couldn't see my camera dangling at my side, let alone photograph marine life. I tried retreating but I could barely make any headway back to the beach and I was slowly drifting sideways onto a patch of submerged rocks that was throwing extra large waves in my direction.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/AndyBrian.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/AndyBrian_small.jpg" image="images/AndyBrian.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/Kings-Beach.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Kings-Beach_small.jpg" image="images/Kings-Beach.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/KingsBeach2.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/KingsBeach2_small.jpg" image="images/KingsBeach2.jpg" border="2" /></a> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">I tried sinking under the buffeting chop but my drysuit inflator jammed open, lifting me back to the surface and filling my suit to Michelin Man proportions. I had no choice other than to disconnect the air hose but as the air trickled out, the sea trickled in and within a minute or two my suit was completed flooded.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Now I was starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. I'm not one to panic but I was riding so low in the water that I couldn't tell which way the shore was. While I was deciding whether I should drop the lobster trap (making the entire trip to New England a disaster) I spotted Brian waving from the rocks with a pair of binoculars around his neck. With new resolve I inched towards shore. Cage in the left hand. Camera in the right. KICK! Look up. reorient to shore. Head down. KICK!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">It was slow going but I made it back into the shallows and dropped the cage in a sheltered spot to rest. There was no way I was heading out to sea again so I gently lifted a skate out of its confinement and let it go. The skate swam around a little and then settled onto the sand, cupping its body to provide the suction necessary to resist the surge that was still pulling me around.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">By working with a fisheye lens within about six inches of each skate, I was able to get some images that looked like they were shot in much clearer water than they really were. After maybe an hour I dragged my wet and weary bones out of the bay and left the skates to find their way out to sea.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Barndoor, Smooth and Thorny Skates</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/BarndoorSkate006.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/BarndoorSkate006_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/BarndoorSkate006.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/SmoothSkate008.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/SmoothSkate008_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/SmoothSkate008.jpg" border="2" /></a> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20images/ThornySkate006.jpg"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/ThornySkate006_small.jpg" image="Sharkive images/ThornySkate006.jpg" border="2" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">That was two days ago and I'm still feeling whipped but the images came out great. Three more species for the <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/sharks_and_rays.html">Elasmodiver Shark and Ray Field Guide</a>. Three more elasmos available for any conservation initiatives that might need images.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Next stop Washington State for a couple of days diving on the Olympic Peninsula with Claire and then I fly down to Florida to lead a week long Photography shoot at Tiger Beach in The Bahamas. After that, the trip starts to get interesting!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><b><span style="font-size:85%;">Sharkfest 2010</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/sharkfest.htm"><span style="font-size:85%;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/SharkFestBannerV.jpg" border="0" vspace="1" width="120" height="168" /></span></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">In other news, Sharkfest is getting exciting. As a new facet of the Predators in Peril Project we are starting a simple new campaign inspired by a constant flow of emails from people that want to do something to help sharks in their local communities. Its called the <i>Shark Friendly Restaurant Initiative</i>. The idea is for individuals to use fact sheets and decals that we will supply to approach restaurant owners in their communities that sell shark products (not just shark fin soup). If a restaurant agrees to become part of the solution, they get a Shark Friendly Restaurant Decal for their door and a listing in the Shark Friendly Restaurant Guide on Elasmodiver. Where possible, we will arrange for the campaign to be listed in local food and entertainment magazines so that conscientious consumers can learn what the decal looks like and patronize the right restaurants. Seafood Restaurants that already refuse to sell shark products get a decal right off the bat which will help to brand the idea.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">What does this have to do with shark diving in North Carolina? Well, the campaign is being sponsored by the profits from Sharkfest. If I manage to fill the boat, we'll have a budget to print enough decals to get started. You can find out more about the campaign at this link: <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/sharkfriendlyrestaurants.htm"> Shark Friendly Restaurants</a>.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">On a more fun note, we also have our first shark film submissions. The first to arrive was <i>Big Fish Utila</i> an excellent film about whale sharks in the Bay Islands. We'd like to have at least a dozen short films to view over the weekend so if you know anyone that has made a shark film recently or if you have a film of your own to submit, please tell us about it. Film submission is free.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">There has been a lot of interest in the trip but there is still room so if you would like to come diving with Sandtiger Sharks with us and a bunch of other shark fanatics for 3 days in early August please let me know. Sharkfest is $640 which includes 3 days shark diving, accommodation, a Sharkfest 2010 T-shirt and our 'shark friendly' Barbeque.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">One shark diver suggested that we include a sandtiger night dive in the agenda. That sounds like fun to me but I'd like to hear what you think!</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><b><span style="font-size:85%;">TB2</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/TigerBeachSharkShoot.htm"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/TigerBeachShootoutButton.jpg" border="0" vspace="3" width="120" height="150" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">The Tiger Beach Photography Workshop appears to be a very popular concept. I've never seen a trip fill up quite so fast. So... I'm considering running a second workshop/expedition in the fall. Email me if you're interested.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><b><span style="font-size:85%;">Lastly, Elasmodiver is getting out of control</span></b></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Some people have commented that Elasmodiver is getting too big to navigate. No argument from me! So how do you get your head around a website with almost 500 pages? Its a puzzle but at least its easy to keep track of recent changes by bookmarking this link: <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Elasmodiver%20updates.htm">Elasmodiver Updates</a>. Its the simplest way to scan what is new, what has changed and when. And, if you have suggestions on how Elasmodiver could be made better, pleeeease let me know. Elasmodiver remains one of the largest sources of shark info on the internet. Help us keep it user friendly.</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">For the sharks,</span></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Andy Murch</span></p>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-34765774506377282992010-02-09T22:40:00.000-08:002010-02-09T22:51:04.872-08:00Sharkfest<span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><img alt="" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Gulf_Smoothhound_Shark_008_small2.jpg" title="Gulf Smoothhound Shark" class="alignnone" width="100" height="66" /> </span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; font-family:'Lucida Grande', Verdana, Arial, 'Bitstream Vera Sans', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">P</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">redators in Peril Expedition Reborn </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">First the bad news... Our 2010 <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/predatorsinperil.htm">Central American Predators in Peril Expedition</a> got turned down for funding. I'm not sure why but rather than dwell on the time wasted in drawing up funding proposals, I'm happy to move on and look for creative ways for us to fund the expedition on our own. Through a combination of revenue sources including Photography Workshops, Sharkfest, a pending photography exhibition and some good old fashioned hard work (at the Winter Olympics) we think we can pull off a modified PIP Central American Expedition that incorporates almost as much as the original plan. The new plan is to turn the proposed epic road journey into a series of fly in - fly out satellite trips. This ultimately works better because we can work on other projects in between shoots, we will have better opportunities to keep the world updated on our successes and we can avoid the rainy seasons much more easily by heading to the right places at exactly the right times. </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img alt="" src="http://elasmodiver.com/images/SharkFest.jpg" title="Sharkfest mini film festival" class="alignnone" width="425" height="295" /> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sharkfest! </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">About a month ago I was looking at places around North America where I could run a cheap fun filled shark diving weekend. Moorhead City in North Carolina was the obvious place because it is easily accessible, warm enough to be popular and full of extremely photogenic sandtiger sharks. Olympus Dive Center (which is the premiere dive center in the region) was keen to host the trip so we started hashing out the details. Shark diving trips with Olympus are always fun because they can cater to big groups and their store and staging area are set up well for apres dive entertainment. Rather than just a dive party I wanted to create an event that shark fanatics would really enjoy. The result is Sharkfest - a shark diving weekend and mini film festival just for shark people. As soon as I mentioned the idea to people they started getting excited. Information about Sharkfest only went online just over a week ago and the first boat is half full already so I think it is going to be very popular. The good thing is that Olympus has two big boats so we could get a record number of sharky people in one place at the same time which is bound to be memorable. Attracting film makers to submit their short films will probably be the hardest part to organize but we have two films on the way already and screening times will be limited to the evenings. I hope I don't have to reject submissions - that would be tough. If you're interested in submitting a short but you're not sure if your shark footage is up to scratch don't worry about it. Sharkfest isn't Sundance or Cannes and you won't find a more appreciative audience anywhere! H2O Photo Pros in California has kindly offered to sponsor the festival with prize money and I am having a really special trophy made called an ELASMO for the crowd favorite. More on that when its done and I have a picture to show you. I hope some of you can make it out for the whole event and come diving. Anyone that can't get there during the day but wants to show up in the evenings to talk sharks with us is more than welcome. More info here: <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/sharkfest.htm">SHARKFEST</a> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img alt="" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Little%20Skate%20003_small1.jpg" title="little skate deep sea" class="alignnone" width="100" height="66" /> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Rhode Island Expedition </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Right now we are at Olympic Village in Whistler BC. I am helping with some of the organizational nightmares of this monstrous event. As soon as the Paralympics finish in late March I am flying to Providence to dive with Film Maker Joe Romeiro. Joe has a friend in the commercial fishing world who is keeping an eye out for deep water species of sharks and skates for us. If he finds some while I am there we are going to do a captive release photo shoot. If any of you remember the 'walking the dog' blog that I posted during the shark tour this will be the same kind of shoot. We'll release the deep water species in one of the bays and try to get some i.d. shots before they head for the hills. Its a pretty hokey way to shoot elasmobranchs but its the only way some species will ever be photographed unless I strike it rich and buy my own deep water submersible. I'm still working on that. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial, serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap;font-size:medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><img alt="" src="http://elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Blue_Shark_296_small1.jpg" title="shark photography exhibition" class="alignnone" width="100" height="150" /> </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Sharks in a Fading Light </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">I have a local gallery interested in a <a href="http://elasmodiver.com/sharkive%20index.htm">shark photography</a> exhibition. Dates have yet to be arranged but we're past the hand shake stage. The exhibition will be in two parts. The first series of images focus on the traditional view of sharks, portraying them as majestic apex predators. The second series of images looks at the change that is starting to take place in the public's perception and the plight that sharks now collectively face. It contains enough 'pretty pictures' to make it appealing but also depicts sharks on long-lines and other unpleasant realities. I initially wanted to avoid any toothy shots that would paint sharks as aggressive animals but I've had a change of heart on this subject lately. Instilling fear into people is obviously detrimental to sharks but painting them as teddy bears is also foolish. Sharks are not monsters but they are formidable creatures. Hopefully my images will convey that sentiment. </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">For the sharks, </span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; white-space: pre-wrap; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Andy Murch</span></span></span></div>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7942569259050731347.post-20784562908529559402010-01-04T21:46:00.000-08:002010-01-04T21:54:13.018-08:00A new decade of sharks to sink your teeth into...<p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><b><i>A NEW DECADE TO SINK YOUR TEETH INTO...</i></b></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">02/01/2010</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/TigerBeachSharkShoot.htm"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/TigerBeachShootoutButton_small1.jpg" image="images/TigerBeachShootoutButton.jpg" border="0" /></a></span></b></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><b><span style="font-size:85%;">First, The Tiger Shark Photography Workshop</span></b></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">I'm running a workshop at Tiger Beach in The Bahamas in April. Space is limited to ten shooters. The boat is half full already so please let me know if you're interested. Its going be a fun trip. Amazing shooting opportunities and lots of tips and presentations. We'll also have 7 evenings to kick back and talk sharks - my favorite subject. More info on the </span> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/TigerBeachSharkShoot.htm"><span style="font-size:85%;">shark photography workshop page</span></a></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Andy%20Murch%20bio.htm"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/AndyRebreather_small.jpg" image="images/AndyRebreather.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a></span></b></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><b><span style="font-size:85%;">Second, a little religion</span></b></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">I have spent the last decade sliding over or diving into the ocean. Quite often, I was diving with sharks but sometimes I was just snorkeling and looking down longingly at the world below. Occasionally, I had the privilege of piloting submarines.; driving over the seafloor, exploring the mysteries of the deep from the safety of my acrylic goldfish bowl. Every time I entered the water I came back nourished from the experience even when I was charged with difficult tasks. And, when I finally dragged my water logged body back to land, my mind remained deep in the ocean and there I expect it will stay forever.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">Of all the creatures that I encounters none affected me as strongly as sharks. Sharks have been such a captivating and pivotal force in my recent life that I now only accept jobs in places where I can find sharks and I scrimp and save to go to remote shark diving spots between shooting for magazine articles or sub piloting gigs. </span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">After I loaded Elasmodiver.com onto the web in 2002, I found even more reason to travel to unusual coastal destinations; the pursuit of rarely encountered species to add to the growing elasmodiver field guide.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">Initially, <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/sharkive%20index.htm">shark pictures</a> were simply trophies in my collection. I was a big game hunter with an underwater housing and a bucket list of shark species that I wanted to photograph. I really didn't know that much about the plight of endangered species. I was simply overwhelmed by the beauty and grace of the animals themselves. </span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">I am still just as infatuated with elasmobranchs (large and small) but now I am also starkly aware of the sad decline of our ocean's top predators. Regardless of the controversy over specific decline rates, few would disagree that many sharks and rays are in trouble. According to the IUCN, At least a third of the world's shark species are considered threatened. Many more are data deficient implying that further research could reveal more bad news.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">The enormity of the problem makes me feel pretty helpless. I want to do something tangible to help but I am just a photojournalist. I can tell people what I have learned but the people that read diving and nature magazines already love the ocean and the natural world. While its important to reinforce the message lest we forget, there has to be a way to spread the word to a wider audience.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">I'm not sure what the answer is or if anything can really be done to reverse the trend but I'll do my bit. In 2010 I am planning to play the part of a missionary and my mission is to bring the word about over fishing, shark finning and habitat destruction to people that still don't understand what is happening below the surface of the sea. I hope that you will all do your part too.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="text-align: left; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/FollowElasmodiver.png" border="0" width="120" height="24" /> <a target="_blank" title="Get more frequent updates from Elasmodiver" href="http://twitter.com/elasmodiver"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/Twitter.gif" border="0" width="87" height="24" /></a> <a target="_blank" title="Elasmodiver Blog" href="http://sharkdiver.wordpress.com/"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/wordpress.png" border="0" width="92" height="24" /></a> <a target="_blank" href="http://sharkimages.blogspot.com/"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/bloggersharks.jpg" border="0" width="80" height="24" /></a> <a title="Elasmodiver Video Blogs" target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/user/Elasmodiver"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/youtube.jpeg" border="0" width="62" height="24" /></a> <a target="_blank" title="Become a fan of Elasmodiver on FaceBook" href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elasmodivercom/130919737853"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/images/FaceBook.gif" border="0" width="80" height="24" /></a></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><b><span style="font-size:85%;">Spreading the Word through the Elasmodiver Network</span></b></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">Elasmodiver gets around 150,000 hits a month. That still blows me away!</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">Not everyone that lands on the site wants to read about the plight of sharks but there are more and more shark conservation pages being added for those that care to look.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">I'm also trying to sneak as much conservation information as possible onto every page without turning people off. To that end, I am in the process of updating every species in the <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/sharks_and_rays.html">Elasmodiver Shark and Ray Field Guide</a> with IUCN info. That means that when little Johnny cuts and pastes a page about great white sharks into his grade 7 school project, he inadvertently learns more than just how big they grow. It all helps.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">There are now Elasmodiver pages, channels and blogs on Facebook, Blogger, Wordpress, Twitter and YouTube. So, whatever way you like to get your news there is no escape from Elasmodiver. Don't sign up for our Twitter feed unless you want to live and breathe sharks. I am turning that account over to our new social networking guru Bo Moran. He'll be tweeting and re-tweeting Elasmodiver news and general shark stuff multiple times a day.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Lemon_Shark348_small3.jpg" image="Sharkive images/Lemon_Shark348.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></span></b></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><b><span style="font-size:85%;">The pen may be mightier than the sword but what is wrong with keeping a sword handy just in case?</span></b></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">Outside of the web, I am now trying to write every shark diving article with shark conservation in mind. That's not always easy to do when you're writing about how much fun it is diving with tiger sharks but I'm committed to squeezing the message into the text wherever I can. I'm also pitching my stories to way more magazines this year. I'm a slow writer and I'm starting to think that I may be mildly dyslexic so its really cutting into my shooting time but its a worthwhile platform even if it is preaching to the choir.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">In the next couple of months, I have articles slated for Diver, Invertum, Oceans (a new mag - keep a look out for this one), Xray, Shark Diver (of course) and a few others that must remain nameless for now. I'll keep plugging away on that front so expect to see more of my writing on the news stands.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">I also contributed an interview for a photographic magazine which annoyed the hell out of me. No matter how many times I pointed out that I don't spend every waking minute 'in the jaws of death' they were not interested in any other angle. It frustrates me to think that many editors outside of dive/nature mags are still stuck on the sensationalist man-eater model - its time to claw your way out of the 70's guys!.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">At the end of the day I'm really not sure if what I write has any effect. I plan to keep it up but I look at Sea Shepherd and the front line approach that they have taken by harassing whaling ships and ruining catches and I wonder if that would be a more effective method in the battle to save sharks. I know that I'll be labeled as a radical if I go down that path but on a whim I registered SharkShepherd.com the other day. Every successful army has a political and a military wing. I'm not sold on the idea of direct intervention yet but I'm open to suggestion.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><b><span style="font-size:85%;"> <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/predatorsinperilexhibition.htm"> <img src="http://www.elasmodiver.com/Sharkive%20thumbnails/Lemon_Shark201_small1.jpg" image="Sharkive images/Lemon_Shark201.jpg" align="left" border="0" /></a>Predators In Peril Project update - The PIP Exhibition</span></b></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">On a less controversial note, PIP is progressing. I have built a portfolio of images for the Predators in Peril Exhibition and I'm out pounding the pavement, looking for suitable venues. The exhibition consists of a number of my most dramatic shark images. Each image is accompanied by a smaller image that conveys the plight of that species and a message about the decline of sharks in general. Sometimes I use images of dead sharks and sometimes I use images with a more symbolic reference. I plan to use fishing hooks to hang the images in each gallery if the curators don't object. For a sneak peek at some of the images that are included please follow this link: <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/predatorsinperilexhibition.htm">Predators in Peril Exhibition</a></span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">I have invested a fair chunk of my net worth in this project. The images are printed on archival silver rag and they look gorgeous. The intention is to educate everyone that comes through the galleries and to raise funds for the 2010 <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/predatorsinperil.htm">Central American Predators in Peril EXPEDITION</a> which will take place later in the year.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><b><span style="font-size:85%;">Elasmo Ads</span></b></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">This year we're also throwing our doors open to advertisers in the scuba diving and photography industries to help raise funds for Predators in Peril. There are banner, button and full page advertising opportunities. Our rates are unbeatable considering our web presence so if you are a manufacturer, dive shop or operator and you want a button on all 480+ pages on Elasmodiver please let me know. First come, first served. <a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/AdvertiseElasmodiver.htm">Advertise on Elasmodiver</a></span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">Happy new year! Thanks for tuning in and for supporting Elsmodiver.</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">For the sharks,</span></i></p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"> </p> <p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;">Andy Murch</span></i></p><p style="margin: 0pt 10px;"><i><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.elasmodiver.com/sharkive%20index.htm">Shark Pictures</a><br /></span></i></p>Andy Murchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10661876826722241675noreply@blogger.com0