Not just Shark
Pictures: Elasmodiver contains photos of sharks, skates, rays, and
chimaera's from around the world. Elasmodiver began as a simple web
based shark field guide to help divers find the best places to
encounter the different species of sharks and rays that live in
shallow water but it has slowly evolved into a much larger project
containing information on all aspects of shark diving and shark
photography.
There are now
more than 5000 shark pictures and sections on shark evolution,
biology, and conservation. There is a large library of reviewed
shark books, a constantly updated shark taxonomy page, a monster
list of shark links, and deeper in the site there are numerous
articles and stories about shark encounters. Elasmodiver is now so
difficult to check for updates, that new information and pictures
are listed on an Elasmodiver Updates Page that can be accessed here:
The North American Shark Diving Tour - A Flash of Menace
First published in
Shark Diver Magazine March 2010
A Flash of Menace
Ever since I
saw Walter Heim’s insane mako image leaping off the cover of issue 13 of
Shark Diver Magazine, I’ve wanted to emulate that shot. It is one of those
images that stays in your mind long after the storyline has faded.
I should point out that you can’t get an epic shot like Walter’s while
diving with any old mako shark. Makos tend to come in hard and fast and
mouth everything in sight (including outboard motors) but their boisterous
behavior usually only lasts a minute or two. After their initial enthusiasm,
they back off and start patrolling the perimeter while they figure out what
is really edible and what isn’t. More often than not they lose interest
completely at this stage and swim away, dashing any chances for close up
photography.
Working with mako sharks is always challenging. Getting the shot invariable
comes down to a combination of time in the water, a little skill with the
camera and plenty of luck.
The first hurdle is finding the makos, which are not as plentiful as they
once were. Luckily, I am good friends with Walter himself, who
is a veritable mako magnet. When I returned to San Diego at the end of the
shark tour Walter
was kind enough to take me out in his boat to look for
cooperative sharks.
The first mako that showed up was a textbook shark that stuck around just
long enough for me to suit up, jump in and get cold. The second shark was
different. It had one of those rare streaks of bravado that shark
photographers wait a lifetime for.
At first I didn’t realize how the encounter would develop. By the time I had
slipped into the water this mako had backed off just like they normally do
but it didn’t bolt when it saw me swimming around. Walter tossed a mackerel
in the shark’s general direction and after a little hesitation; it streaked
towards the fish and engulfed it. I closed the gap to nail a couple of
profile shots before the shark could turn and swim away, but rather than
flee, the mako lunged towards me mouth agape. After an intense moment in
which I didn’t know if he was going to bite my camera or not, he swam off to
a safe distance.
I stayed close to the boat, bobbing around watching him circling at the edge
of visibility. Walter tossed me another fish and I dropped it in the water
where the mako could see it glinting in the sunlight.
The mako shot forward like a bullet, inhaled the sprat and continued in my
direction. As he approached within a couple of feet he opened his jaws to
their full extension and started repeatedly biting the water in front of me.
I understood immediately why he was doing this because I’ve seen this
behavior before...
When I was a teenager hitchhiking through Europe, I was attacked by a thief
in a sleazy Parisian metro station called Les Halles. He snatched my cash
and ran off into a subway tunnel so I chased him into the darkness. When I
confronted him, he pulled out a blade and started slashing the air between
us. My French is almost as bad as my Mako but the message was clear on both
occasions: Back off! This is mine now! Don’t make me use this knife (or
these teeth).
Obviously, I have learned nothing in the last 20 years because rather than
swimming away, I started taking pictures. The mako immediately swam right up
to my dome port and ramped up its gaping threat display. Each time my
strobes fired, the mako’s head jerked up and down aggressively. We danced
around each other for what seemed like a minute or more and then the shark
finally broke off and swam away.
I was a little stunned but I never really felt that the shark wanted to bite
me. If fact, it seemed like he was doing everything he could to explain to
the stupid monkey that he meant me no harm but if I didn’t take the hint it
was going to end badly.
Being a slow learner, I continued to confront the mako while he devoured
fish after fish, until (disgusted with my poor
comprehension skills) it finally gave up and disappeared into the sunset.
The images are open to interpretation. I’m sure that sooner or later they’ll
get used to show how scary sharks are. However, after reading about this encounter
you know better. What they really demonstrate is how restrained and
intelligent sharks can be, even when confronted by dumb photographers that
don’t know when they’re supposed to back off.
