Thursday, August 14, 2025

Shark Con 11 in Tampa, FL ~ JULY 2025

         I had never been to the West Coast of Florida before but I wanted to come here for one reason … Shark Con!  Every July, shark fin-atics gather here at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa to share their passion and love for one of the most misunderstood creatures on Earth.  Having an entire weekend long convention dedicated to sharks is a testament to the progress that has been made in changing people's mindset about them.  Shark Con is proof that there are so many people out there who do not see sharks as monsters but rather as respectable inhabitants of planet earth.

My journey began with a landing at the Tampa airport which I found absolutely charming with its clean appearance and larger than life pink flamingo that stood tall above the travelers walking below it.  As with any visit to Florida in July, I found it hot outside but not the usual uncomfortable heat that I’ve grown accustomed to on Florida’s east coast.  It was hot but pleasant, if that makes any sense.  After a relaxing hour at the hotel’s pool and an amazing personal pizza at Flipper’s, I was ready to turn in for the night in anticipation of my first Shark Con the next morning.


Upon my arrival, I quite literally entered the shark’s mouth.  (At the entrance door was an over-sized, inflatable, blown-up shark mouth in the shape of a dome.)  I took just a few steps inside and was already overwhelmed but in the best way imaginable!  There were just sharks EVERYWHERE!  Larger than life inflatable sharks, a life-size replica white shark head, shark bags, shark clothing, shark artwork, shark tooth fossils, shark themed jewelry, stickers, signs, and other little knickknacks, just to name a few things, and of course the endless JAWS memorabilia.  I just wanted to buy everything for myself and my bestest of sharky friends.

It was beyond clear that this was a gathering for shark lovers.  But in addition to the sharks, there were many other animals that were given recognition as well.  It was hard to miss the super large inflatable octopus (which was actually a Kraken) and manatee.  The animal displays of living, breathing owls, a Komodo dragon, and various fish were also fun to visit with.  Fossils of whale vertebrae, horse teeth, dinosaur and other prehistoric creatures, and wooly mammoth teeth and hair were amazing and extremely humbling to see.  And beyond that there were also many other interesting things including tables/booths dedicated to conservation efforts, protecting sea turtle nests, and preserved specimens of small long-deceased sharks.  And you couldn’t help but laugh at the brave individuals trying to tame the mechanical bull shark!  I’ll also have to mention the neon yellow-haired girl walking around in the Sharknado costume and the countless shark outfits, accessories, and other paraphernalia that adorned my fellow Shark Con attendees!

I found the talented actor who portrayed Quint from JAWS to be extremely entertaining.  Interacting with him was just like being in the movie.  In addition to him, many of the child actors from JAWS and JAWS 2 were present in celebration of the 50th Anniversary since the release of the original movie.  They had discussion panels and shared with us interesting tidbits of what went on behind the scenes filming with the big name actors and director Steven Spielberg.  Unfortunately, Richard Dreyfus had caught Bronchitis and was unable to attend which disappointed so many, including myself!

In addition to the JAWS discussion panels, there were other panels of marine biologists, scientists, and professors from Florida International University (FIU), Shark Fest, and other organizations.  They discussed shark research and conservation efforts.  I absolutely loved hearing about their personal experiences of working with sharks and their input on some of the things they see and believe about shark behaviors among other shark and ocean related issues.  It was amazing to do a breakout session with Dr. Mike Heithaus, Dr. Yannis Papastmatiou, and one other scientist (Dr. Diego I didn’t catch his last name!) in a smaller room with only a small number of attendees.  Such an amazing opportunity to pick their brains about shark science!!

What else did I love about Shark Con?  Seeing my friends/co-volunteers at the Sharks4Kids booth, of course!  In addition to them, I also loved meeting vendors who I’ve shopped from and follow on social media including SilverFinCo., FinPin Shop, Spicy Shark, and Blair Marrow from Meggoddess Designs.  I was super excited to meet her because I was scheduled to dive on her dive charter the following week to hunt for fossils in Venice.  I splurged and purchased a beautiful Megalodon tooth from Blair’s table here which she adorned with a stunning greenish-blue lacquer paint to resemble the ocean with three black, silhouette sharks swimming in it.  (I will not reveal how much I spent on that!)  It was also amazing to randomly run into Captain Cindy from North Carolina who graciously introduced me to hundreds of sand tiger sharks just two years ago.

Even though I arrived at my first Shark Con solo, I knew I was among friends and so many like-minded people.  The two days just flew by and by the end I felt as exhausted as if I had done two full days of diving.  Needless to say, I can see myself attending again in the future.

Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Tiger Beach, BAHAMAS ~ October 2024           

        My previous trip to Tiger Beach was nearly 5 years ago in January 2020, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic event that would unpredictably uproot travel plans and life in general for the next several months and even years to follow.  Back then I was a novice diver with a mere 30 logged dives to my name with limited shark encounter experience.  But even after hearing about the dangerous behaviors that tiger sharks can impose upon humans, I was still enticed to visit this place and check another shark species off my “shark dive list”.

I have learned that you can never really appreciate something or get a full sense of what it truly is unless you witness it for yourself.  Through firsthand experience is when we often discover that what others say, claim, describe with fascination or with utter fear, that their accounts are either not fully justified through words alone or they are pure falsifications.  After visiting Tiger Beach that first time I was able to create my own impression and it was this …. I was left fascinated and with a diminished level of fear for these magnificent animals then when I had arrived.  I just knew I was going to have to return to this place.


            More than 100 dives additionally logged, at least 5 more shark species encountered, and dive experiences both good and bad have been added to my arsenal of dive experiences since my previous Tiger Beach excursion.  I was more than ready to board the Dolphin Dream liveaboard vessel with Eli Martinez, Captain Scott, and his crew yet again to relive the magic that is Tiger Beach in the azure blue Bahamian waters.  Despite being a more experienced diver who has gotten herself out of a few sticky dive situations since 2020, I was still mildly intimidated by those Tigers.  But my past experiences had reminded me that this slight fear in my head was all from being away for too long.  I knew that the fear would melt away as soon as I was in the presence of these majestic creatures.


            Our first day of dives, despite intentionally having no tigers, are still worth mentioning.  While visibility was quite clear and beautiful, the current was no joke!  I would describe it as moderate to strong.  At times I felt like I was being tossed around like a ragdoll.  The purpose of these dives was to get properly weighted to avoid being knocked around like this in the presence of massive predators like tiger sharks!  The reef was littered with Caribbean reef sharks, a few lemon sharks, small colorful tropical fish, and elegant Angelfish, among other local residents.  While they were lovely to watch while sitting stationary in the sand, the moment I left the floor and tried to swim in open water to the downline attached to the boat, I felt like an Olympic swimmer in pursuit of that elusive gold medal.  I describe it as such because I was struggling and swimming so hard against that intense current pushing me back.  That was definitely the hardest I exerted myself the entire trip.

            Day 2 of diving was to be our first day with the big tiger girls.  On the first dive of the day we had only one Tiger BUT … it was the queen herself, Emma.  I’ve been hearing about her and seeing her on Shark Week for years and unfortunately, she did not show up during my previous trip to Tiger Beach.  I felt so honored that she decided to show up this time around.  I felt like I was in the presence of royalty.

When thinking back to a specific encounter I had with the rambunctious Jitterbug on my last trip to Tiger Beach, I was very intimidated by Emma initially.  I’d nervously move out of her way when she approached me.  But then I caught a glimpse of one of the safety divers, Jake, who signaled to me, “be calm, it’s okay.”  I quickly learned that beneath her intimidating-looking exterior, Emma is a sincerely gentle soul.  In fact, she was one of the calmest tiger sharks (or any type pf shark!) I have ever met.  She had a very relaxed demeanor about her and was highly tolerant of her human guests.  When she would approach me with her over-sized head and telltale grin, I quickly learned that she would not investigate me further with her curious jaws.  She would make eye contact but then would simply cruise right past me.

I quickly fell in love with this charming shark.  My fear of her dissolved and was carried away by any current that remained.  I am not saying that you should not be on your guard when in the presence of Tiger sharks because you absolutely must be at all times, regardless of how chill they are behaving!  But after several close interactions with this enchanting individual, I learned that her personality and temperament were nothing to fear.  She was a Bonafide sweetheart and I could easily see why she is referred to as The Queen.

My old friend Jitterbug did return to visit me on this return trip to Tiger Beach.  I wonder if she remembered me?  Her unique clefted snout was a dead giveaway to knowing it was her.  Still as rowdy and curious as ever, her persona is the complete opposite of Emma.  A third tiger also graced us with her presence that day and it was Gabriela.  She was a HUGE girl and most likely pregnant as her distended belly would suggest.  This day was definitely one for the books and things were only about to get better.

On Day 3 of diving I woke up with mild nausea and a moderately intense headache, but nothing that a few Advil and some ginger couldn’t stave off until I got in the water.  This day also happened to be Tutu Tuesday, so a bunch of us jumped in decked out in colorful tutus.  Apparently, the tigers were not impressed because they stayed away from us on dive #1.  I only befriended Gary the grouper who stared at me dressed in my rainbow tutu as if I were totally nuts.  Who could blame him?!  I mean, I probably looked like no other tropical fish he had ever seen before.

On dives 2 and 3, most of us ditched the tutus and then the tigers came barreling in!  (Turns out I was right … they didn’t like the tutus!)  Not only were Emma and Jitterbug present again, but a few other tigers joined the party.  They included Stephanie, Natalie, and a new tiger which the crew later informed us was a new, unnamed girl.  In addition to these lovelies, there were at least 15 to 20 Caribbean reef sharks, a couple of lemons, a couple of nurse sharks, a majestic Southern stingray, and Gary the local grouper.  It was so incredibly sharky, I felt like I died and went to heaven.  My headache and nausea quickly took a backseat to all the excitement that surrounded me.

The following day, unfortunately, was riddled with rough seas.  We were surrounded by miles and miles of open ocean, yet we were unable to jump in.  It was a great day to look through footage and photos, relax on the upper deck beanbag chairs, continue eating great food, and connect with my fellow shark-enthusiast friends.  Special mention to Kathy who I quickly grew to respect and admire as she is in her 80’s and still living life to the absolute fullest, traveling the world and diving with tiger sharks!  Life goals.  Thanks for giving me something to aspire to, Kathy, and for showing me that it IS possible!!

Our final day of diving was Halloween.  Luckily, the seas improved and Captain Scott deemed it safe for us to jump in and meet up with the girls one last time.  Lots of exciting things happened on this day.  I saw Jitterbug steal (and later spit out) a GoPro camera.  She also chomped on a small Caribbean reef shark who happened to be in her way.  The reef shark got away and hopefully learned that you don’t get in Jitterbug’s way!  Emma swam past and above me many times, giving me several opportunities to stroke her belly and side body.  These sharks are so incredibly muscular and feel as hard as steel tanks.  Dive #2 ended with Finch grabbing and gifting me a tiger tooth, freshly released from the mouth of Jitterbug!  We also witnessed some exciting topside action with a bird that decided to sit in the water right above a shiver of hungry reef sharks.  “You might be pretty, bird, but you’re not too smart,” one of my boatmates said.

The final dive of the day (and the trip) went out with a bang but it was an incredibly sketchy situation.  Visibility dropped significantly from the previous dive and was probably no more than 15 feet.  It was extremely hazy and murky.  Silt was kicked up easily and lingered, making visibility even worse.  This can be extremely dangerous when there are predators lurking around!  And what do you know … SIX tigers showed up by the end of the dive!  Emma, Jitterbug, Stephanie, Natalie, Gabriela, and an unnamed new girl.  Not to mention all the reef and lemon sharks that were also in the area.  I only stayed for about 20 minutes when 4 tigers were present.  When I couldn’t keep track of them all I decided I was satisfied with the experiences I’ve had on this trip, told Finch I was out, and proceeded to ascend to my final safety stop at the down line.

Needless to say, this trip was truly epic and priceless memories were made.  Twelve logged dives, one precious tiger tooth to take home, and a group of new friends were but a few of the rewards.  But I must say with absolute certainty that my favorite thing about this trip was meeting Emma.  She is the EXACT opposite of what common people think about sharks.  Emma is kind, gentle, tolerant, relaxed, and peaceful.  She actually made my fear, anxiety, and stress melt away.  Have you ever seen a therapy dog?  Well, if therapy sharks existed, I’d have to say that Emma is mine.



PHOTO CREDITS: Eli Martinez & myself (the amateur looking ones 😅)


Wednesday, August 21, 2024

Miami, FLORIDA ~ July 2024

         Tagging sharks and observing marine biologists who work closely in the field with these fascinating creatures was something I’ve been trying to participate in for the past few years.  As with anything else, seeing it televised (such as on Shark Week) is simply not the same as firsthand experience.  I can confidently attest to this from being in the water and personally interacting with sharks on several occasions as a recreational scuba diver.  Unfortunately, a few seemingly promising opportunities that came my way did not pan out in my favor for various reasons.  Luckily, the stars aligned properly and thanks to Sharks4Kids and the Field School in Miami, I was granted the chance to not only observe marine biologists but to participate in shark tagging, data collection, and  biological workups of these animals.


               Alongside several other eager shark enthusiasts like myself, we set sail early one extremely muggy July morning out of the marina in Miami aboard the research vessel R/V Garvin.  With beads of sweat collecting beneath our Sharks4Kids sun shirts, it didn’t bother us in the least as we were about to learn and contribute to the science that will help protect the vital creatures that we so love and adore.  The team from the Field School and their interns were more than accommodating to help us understand their work.  They were clearly passionate about their objectives, our safety, and the safety of the sharks we were hoping to see up close and personal.

               One of the first tasks they taught us was how to deploy drumlines, buoys, and baited longlines to lure the sharks in.  Throwing these heavy things overboard and later retrieving them by tugging on a heavy rope that felt like elementary school field day tug-of-war surely gave us our full body workout for the day!  It didn’t take long before … voila!  Our first shark appeared.


This was our largest catch of the day and therefore the scientific workup had to be done on a platform off the side of the boat rather than bringing the shark up onto the boat.  It was an attractive nurse shark who was 222 cm in total length.  (I’m not sure why, but I remembered that specific length!)  As passive and docile as nurse sharks tend to be in their natural habitat, trying to handle one, especially in an unfamiliar environment, turned him into an unhappy camper.  It took about 4 people to keep the shark calm and prevent him from resisting the biological workup to be performed.  My job with this first shark was to take a small sample of the tip of its 2nd dorsal fin by clipping it with a pair of scissors.  It felt like cutting cardboard.  Once clipped, I placed it in a test tube and it was good to go!


Following this nurse shark we caught and released 6 more sharks.  They included 2 blacktip and 4 blacknose sharks.  All of them were small enough to be brought on board and placed on top of a small cooler to do the work up.  All the sharks that were brought onboard were obligate ram ventilators, meaning they have to continually swim in order to breath.  To compensate for this out of water experience, the team would insert a hose of running water into the shark’s mouth to keep water flowing continuously over the gills to allow for uninterrupted breathing.  They informed us that the workups must be completed in 5 to 7 minutes to cause as little stress to the animals as possible.  They also assured us that all the clippings and pokings that we were doing would not hurt the sharks as they have a significantly lower number of pain receptors than we do.

In addition to fin clippings, other jobs we volunteers were asked to do included taking 3 different body length measurements, inserting the tag into the 1st dorsal fin, and checking for parasites which, if found, were collected and placed in test tubes to be analyzed by the research team later.  Blood drawing was another job but only performed by the Field School team.

As I held the measuring tape flat against the flank of a petite blacknose shark, I gently stroked its skin with my thumbs in the direction from tail to head.  I wanted to feel the sensation of its dermal denticles which was something I was always curious about but would never be able to do during a shark dive for obvious reasons.  It felt exactly like sandpaper.

In conclusion, my day spent as a citizen scientist collecting data and samples from local Miami sharks under the blazing Florida sun was an exhilarating experience.  Well worth traveling about 90 miles out of my way from my usual frequently visited spot in Florida.  This experience has also given me clearer insight on what marine biologists actually do out in the field and firsthand experience of how exhausting it is!  I now have a whole new level of admiration and respect for those who have chosen this career path in marine biology whether it be to restore coral reefs, save mangrove habitats, or protect vulnerable marine wildlife such as the amazing creatures we call sharks.

Check out @field-school and @sharkeducation on Instagram for some fantastic shark resources!!

Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Key Largo ~ May 2023

               The state of Florida is rather large in comparison to my home state of New Jersey but that didn’t stop me from traveling about 150 miles down the east coast from Jupiter to Key Largo to out plant corals with the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF).  Despite the hellish 3.5 hour ride I endured with a rather unsavory Uber driver who not only insulted me but said other ridiculous things like “the ocean has an endless supply of seafood”, I made it safely to Key Largo.

               While sharks are the absolute loves of my scuba diving life, I had a slight desire to stray a little bit away from my normal preference of diving.  I wanted to further fulfill my role as a citizen scientist through scuba diving.  I wanted to continue putting my ever-present good intentions of helping the planet to use.  My intent of coming to Key Largo was to become more educated on coral and to personally help organizations, such as CRF, in fulfilling their mission of regrowing coral.

               It all started with a 2-hour long presentation at CRF’s Exploration Center inside a small classroom with bright orange chairs and a handful of eager students, myself included.  Their power point presentation described the environmental role of coral, the ongoing plight they are facing, the reasons behind their current predicament, what we can do to prevent coral bleaching, and coral restoration efforts currently taking place in oceans all around the world.  The staff there also taught us what our role as citizen scientist divers was going to be and what exactly we were going to do on the 2 dives to assist.

               After a brief intermission for lunch and a short 20-minute boat ride through the palm-tree-lined, residential canals of Key Largo, we arrived at the Coral Nursery.  A sea of peaceful, turquoise blue welcomed us as we giant strode our way in, about 20 to 30 feet above the glorious coral trees.  The CRF staff gave us a leisurely tour through the nursery before putting us to work.  This easy swim was like navigating through an aquatic forest with trees that had branches made of algae-adorned PVC pipes and growing coral leaves with monofilament line stems.  The trees were home to growing Elkhorn and Staghorn corals.  This was a dive unlike any other I have been on thus far.  To me, these trees signified hope and an optimistic feeling that there are still people who wish to do good in this world.  And today, I was part of that group.

               Inquisitive fish residing in and near these coral trees stared at us with curiosity as we cleaned the algae from the monofilament lines and PVC pipes with brushes and chisels.  It was quite interesting and definitely a new experience for me to maintain buoyancy while doing some type of upper body work underwater.  As we performed this meaningful task, one of the CRF dive leaders was busy gathering 40 baby corals from other trees within the nursery to take to Pickle Reef where we would be out planting them.

               Our objective at Pickle Reef for Dive #2 was to secure the baby corals to the ocean floor.  To do this, we first had to take a hammer and bang/chisel away any sediment on the ground to make a smooth spot for the coral to be attached to.  We were instructed to clear away a “Costco-sized-cookie” shape on the ground for each individual coral.  Banging a hammer through a viscous medium such as water is quite different than doing so through air!  And we had to be careful to not have any fish casualties.  Worms would pop up from the ground as we banged away and fish would swarm in, trying to eat them.

Once a space was cleared, the CRF dive guide would hand us a small piece of Epoxy which was similar to silly putty.  We were then to form it into a Hershey Kiss shape, stick it onto the sediment-free spot we just created, and then plop a piece of coral onto the Epoxy.  To ensure the coral was secured, we had to wave our hands in front of it.  If it lifted easily and detached from the Epoxy, it was obviously not secure and we’d have to reattach it or find a better location for it.  If it passed the wave test and did not float away, then the coral was deemed secure and ready to grow and thrive on that very spot for months to come.  I personally planted 5 corals and couldn’t have been happier with my experience here.

The next day I did 2 casual dives, just to see what else Key Largo had to offer since I was in the area.  We dove the SS Benwood Wreck and French Reef.  The Benwood was a large World War 2 wreck that had no top and appeared to be just the base or skeleton of the ship.  The history behind it is that this ship and another ship shut off their lights to avoid being seen by German U-Boats in the area.  As a result, the two ships collided.  The other ship was eventually recovered and restored to functional use, but the Benwood went down and was history.  This wreck was full of life including schooling fish consisting of Sergeant Majors and Squirrel Fish.  My guide pointed out a cool Christmas Tree Worm which responded to sound.  When he snapped his fingers, the worm quickly recoiled into his little hole on the wreck.  He also pointed out a canon gun which was encrusted with sea fans, barnacles, and the like.

French Reef was very significant because I clearly noticed the vibrant Elkhorn corals that were growing and were possibly out planted by the CRF team and other citizen scientist divers like myself.  So amazing to see that!  We also did some fun, easy swim throughs in the reef.  Aquatic life I encountered here included numerous Southern Stingrays, blue Parrotfish, and schools of bright yellow fish.  I’m glad to say I was able to help their environment grow and thrive here in Key Largo.

As amazing as out planting corals and diving Key Largo was, my entire experience was not all peaches and cream.  In fact, my entire time spent diving in Key Largo was plagued by a clogged ear which virtually made me 50% deaf for the 2 days I was there.  So after Dive Day #2, I made it a priority to venture a mile down the road from my hotel to Advanced Urgent Care to have my ear assessed and treated.  Surely enough, my ear was severely impacted with wax as it had been six years ago when I first began diving.  I spent roughly an hour on the exam table as nurses Cindy and Sheila gently and carefully irrigated both of my ears.  (Because hey, why not just do both?!)  And it turned out that my “good” ear was infected and actually worse than my deaf ear!  While this was obviously very uncomfortable and at times painful, the staff was so kind, gentle, and caring that it actually made for a somewhat pleasant experience!

Despite that and being sent home with antibiotics, prescription eardrops, and clear instructions to not submerge myself in water for at least ten days, Key Largo treated me well.  I would gladly venture down there again to provide a helping hand with coral restoration.

Tuesday, December 19, 2023

Jupiter. FL ~ May 2023

               As I exited the West Palm Beach Airport in Florida, the late May humidity crinkled up my straightened hair like a sheet of aluminum foil.  Despite this unwelcome sensation which I would normally despise greatly, I embraced it willingly as I continue to return here to the point that I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve passed through the gates of this airport.  Jupiter, Florida has become a second home to me as the resident sharks reel me in time and time again, year after year.

During the course of the last 3 to 4 months, I’ve been following my favorite shark dive operators intently on social media as they’ve been posting photos of nonstop shark action which included magnificent Great Hammerhead sharks that have been spending lots of time in the area.  While I have already spent ample time with this species on 2 different trips to Bimini while sitting stationary on the ocean floor on my knees, I have never encountered one in Jupiter while maintaining buoyancy in the water column.  So I was hopeful that I would get such an experience this time around!

               The following day, my first dive was shark-packed.  We had 4 sandbar sharks emerge from the depths within minutes of submerging ourselves in the calm, flat sea.  I love the behavior of this particular species and find them generally very relaxing to be around.  I find them timid, yet bold enough to venture through a group of divers with the promise of a fishy treat from our feeder, David.  Their first dorsal fins are one of my favorites.  They almost resemble those of the Great Hammerheads as they are unusually large, prominent, and tall when compared to the first dorsals of other species.  These sandbar sharks kept to themselves and didn’t interact with us much.  Their shyness showed even more when the silky sharks appeared.

               Two silkies initially joined the bait box party followed by a third who came in a few minutes before the dive ended.  The sandbar sharks almost seemed intimidated by the silkies because once the silkies swarmed the box, the sandbars seemed to keep their distance and stayed on the perimeter or below us.  They were hesitant to approach the bait box and they did not for the remainder of the dive, even though it seemed like they wanted to!  Eventually they disappeared into the endless blue, leading me to believe that the silkies are a more dominant species.  This was surprising to me because all the silkies and sandbars surrounding us during this dive all seemed to be of similar size.  Nonetheless, it was an epic dive with seven sharks in total.

               The second and third dives of the day weren’t nearly as action packed.  Sharkwise, only a nurse shark or two showed up on each of these dives.  While I appreciate the presence of any species of shark in the water, nurse sharks are just not as exciting in comparison to others!  They are often the equivalent of an old, lazy dog who just wants to lay around as they have had their share of seeing enough pesky divers.  But, of course, that is not the case of every nurse shark encounter!  Today, however, it was.  One nurse shark in particular appeared to be pregnant, so maybe she was not in the mood to entertain us.

Some non-sharky events of these two dives included a massive Southern stingray and a less-than-welcoming Grouper.  The stingray spent a mere minute with us before he glided away gracefully in an effort to avoid any unforeseeable, yet avoidable, confrontation.  I highly enjoy how rays move themselves through the water.  This one appeared to fly away as if he were a flying saucer lifting off into outer space.  The Grouper, on the other hand, wasn’t about avoiding confrontation at all but instead was all about starting it.  As we sat on top of the Sun Mariner Wreck patiently waiting for sharks, this colossal Grouper actually bit David at the bait box.  In addition to attacking David, he seemed to be harassing us (the divers) as well, making several close passes at those of us sitting on the wreck.  For whatever reason, this Grouper just was not having a good day and was clearly not in the mood for company!  In all honesty, I felt more threatened by this one grouper than I ever have with any shark … even a tiger!

Day number two of shark diving in Jupiter was a special day because dive number three would be my milestone 100th dive!  The dives were pretty similar to that of the day prior but just not as exciting.  We had silkies, sandbars, and nurse sharks again, potentially the same individuals we saw yesterday.  I had to end my first dive early as I was having issues with my mask flooding about 25 minutes in.  Sadly enough, I was informed topside that a smooth hammerhead showed up after I had exited the water!  Unfortunately, on our third dive of the day (my 100th), no sharks showed up at all.  At the very end of that dive, however, as we were slowly making our ascent with hopes that any shark would still choose to join us along the way, my attention was drawn to something beneath me.  As I hovered at about 40 feet or so, I glanced down and saw the clear outline of a cephalofoil head!

The fact that this hammerhead shark was probably 40 to 50 feet below me and my knowledge of different shaped cephalofoils is minimal meant that I had a slim chance of identifying the species on my own.  After the dive ended, I consulted with my fellow divers only to learn that nobody else saw it.  Therefore, I received no help in identifying the species of hammerhead that this individual was.  (Upon review of my GoPro footage later, I didn’t even capture the shark in a video.)  I’m inclined to believe that it was either a smooth or scalloped hammerhead but I will never know for sure.  Despite that, I am still marking this as the thirteenth shark species that I have shared the water with.  I refer to this individual as “unidentified hammerhead” and he made my 100th dive memorably epic.

Sunday, October 8, 2023

Costa Rica ~ December 2022

         The hot, blazing Costa Rican sun was beating hard upon us during the bumpy ride aboard the Blue Orca dive boat.  But it was December, so that did not hinder me from wearing my thick 7 mm wetsuit as I’m convinced that winter waters in any part of the world will be bone-chilling to me.  As we approached the lush Catalina Islands off the northwestern Costa Rican coast, they looked like ancient volcanic pinnacles right out of the Jurassic era.  The seas were calm and despite being an experienced diver, I was a little nervous about performing my very first back roll off the side of the dive boat.  Nonetheless, the jitters of not having dived in a couple of months quickly dissipated as soon as the weight of my heavy tank pulled me back and I splashed into the water.  I quickly regained orientation and it was then that I realized how fun and effortless back rolls are!

This archipelago of rocky islets is home to a staggering number of sea urchins strewn amongst the rocky crevices, different species of lounging starfish, shy and bold moray eels, territorial lobsters, and tornados of schooling fish.  A distant Devil Ray drew my attention from afar but despite my burst of exertion, he effortlessly outswam me and my teal Seawing Nova scuba fins.  Trumpet fish and Morish Idol fish also resided amongst the locals as well as armies of those goofy looking Puffer fish with their big eyes, spotted skin, and subtle smirks.  Another highlight was a camouflaging octopus who graced us with his presence on more than one dive; first outside of his den and then on another day hiding inside his den, covered with shells.

We also encountered one larger than life turtle who appeared to be on a mission, pushing us aside as he glided by with intention, a pair of Spotted Eagle Rays that seemed to be flying with the graceful flapping of their pectoral fins like wings, and Southern and yellow stingrays who maneuvered their flat, pancake-shaped bodies along the sandy contour with a smooth, silky elegance.  And following a safety stop at the end of one of our dives, we found ourselves breaking the surface with a couple of Devil Rays who were energetically jumping for joy out in the distance.  What an astounding sight to behold!

But who were the stars of the show for me?  The Whitetip Reef Sharks, of course!  With their flattened heads, blunt snouts, and trademark white tipped fins, they are one of cutest species, in my opinion.  Their facial expressions are so curious and innocent.  The first one I saw was hidden in a cave.  There he lay motionless with the exception of buccal pumping for effective oxygen exchange to occur over the gills without swimming.  This shy little guy refused to move from his comfortable spot, nestled inside the cave.  This observation of behavior made me concerned that all the Whitetip Reef Sharks would remain hidden during the day as they’re known to be nocturnal.  Luckily, that was not the case.

As our group moved along, we encountered more whitetip reef sharks that were out in the open and not quite as shy and standoffish.  A family of 4 or 5 larger whitetip reef sharks lay nearby on the ocean floor.  They seemed calm and relaxed, only moving from their designated spots when they sensed our presence drawing nigh.  They naturally want to avoid conflict and not be bothered by us, so they simply started swimming away.

I later saw a pair of male whitetip reef sharks.  One kept following the other.  The one being followed seemed annoyed by the other who even laid on top of him at one point.  It didn’t take long for the annoyed whitetip to wriggle out from underneath the other and swim away, but the instigator kept following him.  Not sure what the intention was behind this game of tag but the annoyed shark clearly just wanted to relax and not be pestered by his bothersome acquaintance.  As much as I wanted to follow them and continue observing this interesting behavior and difference in personality amongst individuals, I was at risk of falling behind the group and forever being just another annoying entity to that one shark.

All in all, I found the waters of Costa Rica to be calm and welcoming.  The diversity of underwater marine life was simply fascinating from cephalopods to crustaceans, reptiles, and fish.  As with any other shark species I’ve encountered prior to this, the whitetip reef sharks were truly hospitable.  While they didn’t show much interest in us and simply wanted to lounge around and not be bothered, their unique physical traits and fairly calm demeanor made them easy to adore.

Tuesday, August 15, 2023

Swansboro, North Carolina ~ August 2023

                Departure from Newark Airport to Charlotte Airport was scheduled to be 9:59 on this hot August morning.  All passengers were boarded, myself and fellow shark-enthusiast, Casey, included.  What was supposed to be a few minutes delay to fix a computer/navigational issue on the aircraft gradually turned into an hour.  Usually my airport anxiety disappears as soon as I get through security with an hour or so to spare but this situation escalated it again as we had a short one-hour layover in between flights.  This was not just a problem for us but nearly half of the passengers on board who all had connecting flights to about thirty other different destinations.  So we weren’t going to get any sympathy from them or any special treatment from the airline crew.

               Following a fairly smooth flight, we were ready to make a run for it.  Standing in the aisle of Row 19, I waited anxiously for those ahead to retrieve their luggage from the overhead compartments and get out of the way.  During this wait, my phone alerted me that my connecting flight was beginning to board.  And the next problem?  The gate we needed to get to was an 18-minute walk from our current location and the Charlotte Airport apparently has no tram system!  Casey and I ran like hell, taking every single moving walkway when available, screaming as politely as possible at anybody on it to move aside as we ran across them as if they were treadmills.  As much as I work out, this mad dash across the Charlotte Airport had me sweating profusely and absolutely exhausted me more than any Peloton workout.  Getting to North Carolina two years ago was problematic too, so I was beyond convinced that this time would be no different.  I was certain that we were definitely going to miss this connecting flight.  But the stars were aligned properly that day because as luck would have it, we actually made it!

 

               All the airport drama aside, our reluctant return to North Carolina was two years in the making.  Back in 2021, Casey, Cecile, and I had ventured to the Tar Heel State with a primary objective of scuba diving with sand tiger sharks and a secondary objective of completing the dives for our wreck certification.  We had scheduled three days of diving during that trip; two to complete the wreck certification dives and a bonus third day to meet and dive with the local sand tiger sharks.  Unfortunately, we had one dive day cancelled.  Since our instructor was dead set on having us complete the requirements for the certification, this meant no sand tiger sharks.  We were heartbroken.  And while we did successfully become certified wreck divers, we left North Carolina disappointed with an overwhelming feeling of defeat.  And even though this state had left us with a salty taste in our mouths, we vowed to return here just once to meet those sand tiger sharks.

               And then along came Captain Cindy and her amazing crew from Instigator Fishing and Diving, operating out of Swansboro, also known as the friendly city by the sea.  I knew right from the start, when conversing with Cindy months prior via email and phone, that this dive operator was going to deliver.  Her detailed explanations of everything, whether it was regarding safety or weather conditions, put my mind at ease.  She even let me in on the secret to diving North Carolina … and that is to book five days of diving and hope/expect to get two.  This is because the off-sea conditions can change at the blink of an eye, even when it looks to be a beautiful day on land.  (This was exactly how we lost that one dive day two years ago!  At the time, we were completely baffled why diving would be cancelled when the weather was beautiful.)

               Heeding that advice, we booked four days and ended up getting two.  And they were epic!  Day one was long.  Never have I ever boarded a dive boat before sunrise but I did so willingly on this day and it was totally worth it!  With an alarm clock set for 4:30, our meeting time at the dock was 5:30.  The journey for our 3-tank offshore dives was 54 miles out to sea which took about 3 hours of travel by boat.  Sitting comfortably on cushy bean bag chairs, the time just flew by and before we knew it, we were at the Hardee’s Reef Wreck.  I reached a new depth record of 100 feet on this dive and met many new critters along the way.  This wreck was littered with round jelly fish the size of dinner plates.  Their clear, semi-opaque bodies moved gracefully through the water column, like squishy umbrellas with fringe along the edges.  As one got close to me, the back of my hand touched it and it felt harder than how I would have imagined it would feel.  Totally unexpected!  I could have watched them all day as a sort of meditative therapy.  Thousands of tiny bait fish were everywhere as well and they moved in unison at times, almost as though they were one huge entity with a single brain.  A few attractive angelfish adorned this wreck along with barracuda up above and stingrays below in the sand.

This wreck had many intact parts which provided a home for abundant sea life, making it a stunning site for our eyes to behold.  But little did we know, we were about to get the ultimate unexpected treat on this wreck.  When our guide, James, signaled to us that he saw a hammerhead shark at the end of the dive, I was in disbelief.  And then, in all her glory, this elegant Great Hammerhead peered out from one side of the wreck.  Despite having seen Great Hammerheads before, I was in total awe.  She was clearly in hunting mode as she calculably scanned the sandy bottom for stingrays with her cephalofoil head.  As she made her way slowly along one side of the wreck, she quickly picked up her pace, most likely to pin down an unsuspecting stingray.  At that same moment, I saw another frightened ray make a rapid escape behind her, scurrying away in hopes that he would remain undetected by this formidable predator.  I’m convinced that we were witnessing a natural predation of a hammerhead hunting stingrays in action.  Unfortunately, my NDL time was running low so I was unable to follow this hungry hammer and see her actively hunt rather than have a fish head handed out to her by one of Neal Watson’s feeders in Bimini.

The next wreck we graced our presence with was the Caribsea, a WWII freighter ship that was transporting manganese from Cuba to Norfolk, Virginia when it was torpedoed down in March of 1942.  We were told that there were anywhere from 50 to 200 sand tiger sharks present on this wreck, so we were already ecstatic before we even splashed.  And when we did, it didn’t take long at all before they started appearing at about a depth of 40 to 50 feet.

This was a natural aggregation, a gathering of so many sharks in an environment that had not been altered by human interference (by which I mean the utilization of bait to draw the sharks in.)  They were just there.  I had never experienced anything like this on any dive prior.  It was simply amazing.  These hunched-back, ragged-tooth creatures may look menacing with their pointy teeth and small, beaty eyes but they are as docile as they come.  Making eye contact with a shark is always a pleasing experience to me and this was no exception.  A mutual fascination and curiosity exchanged between two beings of two completely different worlds, although mine was probably much stronger than theirs.

These sand tigers swam side by side, slowly and methodically through the water column, where they moved forward like soldiers in formation but with no desire or intention to kill maliciously.  They were extremely peaceful and did not appear to be bothered by us in the least.  Their welcome was warm and inviting.  They tolerated our presence but weren’t overly enthusiastic about us either.  It was as if they were saying, “We have things to do and places to go but please make yourselves at home and stay as long as you’d like.  Just don’t leave a mess behind and don’t stir up the sand too much.”

James was trying so hard to get us to descend all the way to the wreck but we were simply enamored by these sand tiger sharks and couldn’t break free of the shiver.  We eventually did descend to the wreck which was the source of some not-so-hidden treasure.  The sand tiger sharks gifted us with thousands of pearly white teeth!  And they were right there, clear as day to be seen and claimed by anyone who was lucky enough to spot them.  Not only that but we also had the privilege of meeting a Caribsea resident octopus who had a few tentacles chomped off.  With a quick poke from James, this little guy actually swam a short distance away from his den before settling down and hiding under a ledge.  Such a beautiful, agile creature, even with his disability.  In addition to this octopus we also saw schools of spadefish, spotted eels poking their heads out of crevices, grubby-looking sea cucumbers, and a slender sea spider.  But the sand tiger sharks were the stars of the show for sure.

The next day the seas were predicted to gain intensity in the afternoon and evening but this still allowed us to do a 2-tank inshore dive day on the Hutton Wreck.  This ship was also torpedoed down in March of 1942 as it was traveling from New York to Corpus Christi.  It had many intact sections including remains of the engines, gears, boilers, an archway of some sort, and unidentifiable tangled metals.  There was lots of marine life present here as well including more sea cucumbers, a goliath grouper, concealed flounders (which we spotted!), starfish, another sea spider, more tiny baitfish, spadefish, and the resident sandbar shark they refer to as Nibbler!  Cindy and another diver were spearfishing in the water column and had caught a massive spadefish.  The scent of this recently deceased fish resultingly drew Nibbler in.  Seeing her circle around us in the water column gave me the indisputable feeling of being back at the Deep Ledge in Jupiter.  Funny how that actually made me feel mildly homesick!

All things considered, our second journey to North Carolina and our triumphant return to the Graveyard of the Atlantic turned out MUCH more successful than our first.  As a parting gift, Cindy even gave us each a Megalodon tooth to adorn our treasure-trove of sand tiger shark teeth we hand-picked from the Caribsea wreck.  (I will have to give James some credit for helping us with that too!)  We finally met our sought-out sand tiger sharks who welcomed us with open fins and treated us with respect as some odd-looking, out of place members of their shiver.  And while we swore we would never return to North Carolina ever again, this adventure made us fall in love with this beautiful place and we simply cannot wait to return.

Shark Con 11 in Tampa, FL ~ JULY 2025

             I had never been to the West Coast of Florida before but I wanted to come here for one reason … Shark Con!   Every July, shark ...