30 Days of Diving - Part II of II

Returning to the Sea of Cortes between July 27 and August 2^nd was especially exciting for me since it would be the first time I would be diving with my brand new (and scratched thanks to my harness) Sea and Sea RDX-600D housing, YS-01 strobes and T3i digital SLR.

Marine conditions in the Sea of Cortes were almost perfect with flat calm seas. Note that I said almost.

Water temps were 84 degrees at 94 feet, sea were flat calm with little to no current for 5 out of 6 dives and visibility was around 40-50 feet. The only thing missing was the excessive amount of marine life that was present on my March trip.  Now don’t get me wrong, there was plenty to gawk at including Panamic Moray Eels, Bulls eye Stingrays, large schools of Barracuda and Yellowtails, Scorpion fish and a turtle but missing were the sheer numbers I remembered from my last trip. The culprit causing all of this undersea drama, or lack thereof, was apparently the dramatic change in water temperature.

As the story goes the Sea of Cortes warms up quickly and when it does the algae and plankton in the water disappear. As the P&A go they take with them the little fish, which take the medium fish and so on and so forth up the line. So while the Sea of Cortes is known for its sea lions, Mobula rays, Whale Sharks and Hammer Heads the month of July isn’t exactly the best month to view all of them. Apparently late September and October is when everything starts going crazy and sadly we were about 2 months early to the party.

Hawk Fish by J. Eiche

Now that being said some quality images of Hawkish, Panamic Moray’s and a Scorpion fish were successfully captured.

This Hawk fish was friendly and seemed to pose for my photo allowing me to almost touch him with my port. The photo was shot at 1/125s, F8 and ISO 100 to ensure the highest caliber of image and a decent depth of field. Some portraits were taken where shadows were added to add some drama but when editing I didn’t feel as if this was the true character of the Hawk fish after he let me come so close to him and seemed to be friendly.

Smiling Eel by J. Eiche

This Moray Eel while hesitant at first warmed up to my presence and came within inches of my port. At one point I grew afraid for my fingers remembering a Discovery channel special where a hungry eel bit off a guy’s thumb so I retreated for a moment. Once I returned though he came back out and posed for me allowing me to capture what appears to be a smile. Shot at 1/200s, F8, ISO 200. The shutter speed was up to ensure there would be little camera shake and I could capture an open mouth if it should occur.

Sinister by J. Eiche

On my trip in March there were Stone Scorpion fish everywhere I looked once I knew what to look for. These masters of disguise are some of the most venomous fish in the ocean and while a few images were captured in March I wanted to get a quality portrait of one on this trip with my new camera set up. After 3 dives I had yet to find one and was growing concerned that my goal of photographing one would be left unfulfilled. Luckily a random dive buddy on the boat spotted one and steered me to him. These fish assume that their camouflage leaves them all but invisible so he allowed me to approach very closely for a photo. As I lined up the picture it was decided that a little monster like this should be made to appear as menacing as possible. So I shot this photo with a dark background (maybe reflecting the fish’s soul) while trying to capture some of the reds on the fish’s scales. This photo was shot at 1/200s, F20 and ISO 200.

On the last dive of the trip my dive buddy Glenn and I were determined to get in the water with the Sea Lions at Land’s End. Despite an apparent strong current Glenn and I talked boat captain Solomon into putting us in for a drift dive that would take us past the Sea Lions and hopefully result in an encounter. Well the drift dive was something more akin to being in an Indy car during a sandstorm and while we did find a perfectly camouflaged stingray and a green sea turtle the Sea Lions never came to play with me on this dive as they did in March. The dive was exhilarating for its speed and beauty with visibility around 50-60 feet up off the hazy sand bottom but offered little to nothing photographically.

In all diving the Sea of Cortes (and Pacific Ocean) was still a great experience and just leaves me chomping at the bit to go back during their peak months of September or October. With the price to travel and stay being relatively inexpensive a trip next summer might be in order.

30 Days of Diving - Part I of II

            The last month or so have been some of the most exciting of my diving career.

In early July I dove with Olympus Dive Center from Captain Mike Gerken’s boat the Midnight Express to the wrecks off of Morehead City, North Carolina. The dives were a success and I was able to capture a few good images not to mention spend quality time with the resident Sand Tiger sharks that inhabit a variety of wrecks there. Being in the water with sharks is a religious experience for me and this trip didn’t disappoint.

Thanks to the generosity of my wife in Mid-July I was able to finally house my first DSLR and this has had an immediate impact on my underwater photography. Shooting a point and shoot was fun but the sky’s the limit with my Canon DSLR.

In late July I returned to dive in the Sea of Cortes and dove with Sunshine Dive Charter and had some real success capturing quality images on my first real dive trip with my new camera system.

August 5^th saw me re-enter the water for a Jersey night dive and while the photographic opportunities were few and far between a little “spear” fishing was in order. For the first time in my dive career I returned home with something amounting to dinner and I must admit it was both exciting and gratifying.

Part I -Diving North Carolina

            Arriving in Morehead City to dive over the July 4^th weekend left me both excited and concerned. While the weather forecast for beach going seemed good the marine forecast left something to be desired with the possibility of being blown out 2 out of 3 days.

Our first day diving from the Midnight Express saw flat calm seas and about 40-50 of visibility on the bottom. Water was blue and warm and we dove my favorite wreck, the Caribsea, on the second dive. 

The number of Sand Tiger sharks present on both the Atlas and the Caribsea was amazing but I had limited success capturing any quality images of the resident sharks. Shutter lag and the lack of a powerful camera hurt me from realizing the visions I had for the photographs, something I am pretty sure will not be a problem on my next trip to N.C. There was also a large number of photogenic jellyfish in the water around the wrecks and a pleasant image or two was taken but I am chomping at the bit to get back into water with my new gear to get the images I envisioned.

U352 by Joe Eiche

The second day of diving took us to U352 and the Papoose (aka W.E. Hutton) with the seas rocking and rolling considerably more than day one. Dive buddies Rich Steuernagel, Mark Miraglia, Karen Peist and I sat up on the sun deck, which was awash with a fine sea spray mist generated from the Midnight plowing through rough seas. By the time we arrived at our dive site everyone was soaked through and tired from laughing. The highlight of the ride was Mark standing up defiantly to the sea gods, profuse amounts of seawater dripping from his face and singing some corny and dramatic ode to the sea.

Hiding in the Shadows by Joe Eiche

U352 was right where I left her and offered up a few decent images to my Olympus u8000. Some type of fish hiding in one of the periscopes was found by Rob Mandell and offered up a decent image. The wreck itself is highly photogenic if you can catch it on the right day. For me it turned out green and looking haunted but still a nice image.

We finished the day at the Papoose which was a good dive and better than my memory of it in August of 2009. Still I prefer the Caribsea to the Papoose but as shop owner Jim Masters explained, “Everyone is entitled to be wrong.”

The third day saw blowing winds and more from the angry sea gods (Mark’s fault probably) that resulted in canceled dives. At least a nice early departure allowed for us to get home at a decent hour and for me to begin work on the images captured during the trip.

            In all diving with Olympus from Capt Mike’s Midnight Express is always a great experience regardless of the conditions and I look forward to diving with Olympus again in August.

Meg Tooth Hunting Part II

On my first trip to Carolina Beach the mate of the Flying Fish, “Stevie”, captured what I believe to be the best description of what it takes to be successful at “toothing” when he said, “You have to be able to get past dying and start looking for teeth.” Of course Stevie didn’t mean that a diver needs to ignore the prime directive of returning to the surface safely but rather that the skills to do this need to be second nature allowing the diver to focus his attention on locating fossilized Meg teeth.

As a diver who has done a variety of diving including some challenging Jersey night diving that summary seems simple enough but in diving those things we expect to be simple never are. In practical application diving for Megalodon teeth is a rewarding if not somewhat dangerous endeavor that typically involves deep, solo diving peppered with heavy task loading for flavor.

Most divers expect to have to monitor a wide variety of issues during the typical dive including depth, gas consumption, no decompression limits and bottom time, exit location (the way home), buoyancy, equipment, and buddy location to name a few. But tooth diving really brings all of these issues to the forefront (or puts them on the backburner) when it begins to mix in the management of an excessive amounts of gear, degrading visibility caused by digging (with scooters) and the searching for, and collecting of, a variety of fossils.

The combination of tasks above can be daunting for the inexperienced or unprepared diver but even just locating teeth can be difficult.

Despite frequent claims to the contrary they are not just sitting “right up on top” and even if they are it takes a trained eye to locate them. Meg teeth can easily be camouflaged by 29 million years of growth on their surface or have irregular shapes making them hard to spot. Mix in rock and dead coral with a good amount of silt and sand and what you have is a search for something that can be exceedingly frustrating to locate especially considering it is the only reason for your trip to the bottom of the ocean.

Coming back empty handed from a tooth dive is a reality that can be both de-moralizing and dangerous. Divers who find themselves on the 3^rd or 4^th dive of a trip empty handed may forget some of the basics of diving resulting in their becoming so focused on the goal of finding a tooth that they neglect the “dying” aspect of the “Stevie” rule. After all the goal of these dives isn’t to take in the sights or maybe capture a picture or two but rather to come back with some very real treasure from the bottom of the sea.

And so we have the most critical item on the lengthy task management list for tooth diving. Don’t get tooth fever.

The scenario can play itself out a number of ways but from my vantage point it looks like this;

A diver pays his fee and takes the long ride down to Carolina Beach anticipating coming home with something to show for his trip. He boards the boat, prepares his gear and begins the long ride out to the fossil ledge some 35 nm offshore of Carolina Beach. After a three hour boat ride he arrives at the dive site, the hook is set and the divers splash. Our diver gets down to the bottom at 105-110 feet and begins his quest for a Meg tooth. He finds that the teeth aren’t just “laying on top” and begins his search by digging beneath the surface of the sand. Some 20 minutes later he begins the return trip to the surface empty handed if not a little frustrated but comforts himself at the 15 foot line with, “Don’t worry there are 3 more dives.”

Repeat this process twice more, season it with thoughts of financial and time investment required for this trip and lets take a peak at the 4^th dive of the trip.

With nothing to show for his efforts the diver splashes in for his final dive. He reaches the bottom, moves off to a new area that he hasn’t searched in and begins digging. He glances at his computer and notes 17 minutes of no-deco time with some 2700 psi in his tank. As he digs through the sand and into a rocky coral matrix he finds his first tooth. Thrilled he keeps digging in the same area and finds another, and then another, and then another. Before he knows it he has a number of teeth in his bag and has finally found a so-called “Honey Hole”. Now enters the moment of truth. This is where a diver’s ability to manage a laundry list of tasks including the most important task of returning to the surface becomes critical. Does the diver keep digging and picking up teeth, stowing them in his bag without looking at his gauges or doesn’t he? Is the diver paying attention to his location or isn’t he? Has this diver moved so far past the basics of diving that he has ignored those basics entirely or hasn’t he?

For the diver that does the former he now has “tooth fever” and all other considerations have been forgotten under the weight of his hunt for teeth. For the latter he takes note of his status, manages his situation and gear and eventually returns to the up-line safely within his diving limits. The danger for the former is indescribable, the pride of the latter should be immeasurable.

Of course with diving of this type divers can do everything right and still end up with a host of problems related to gear failure or simple error that can have a cascading effect. Considering depth, location (the middle of the Atlantic) and time constraints even a little error can have catastrophic effects for the unprepared. 

            Tooth diving can be exhilarating and safe for divers who have the training, experience and maturity to control their tooth fever while focusing on the task of locating the coveted shark fossil. On the other hand the conditions and criteria involved in this type of diving can also easily get a diver injured or killed. Diving is a sport in which the individual must have the training to establish their limits, experience to understand their limits and maturity to dive within their limits. Tooth diving may not be the best place to learn all three of these.

Tooth Hunting - Carolina Beach, NC : Part I of II

On May 7th and 8th I will diving from the Flying Fish (out of Carolina Beach, NC) to fossil ledges found in the Atlantic Ocean. As such I have written a two part series regarding C. megalodon and the diving that I will be doing for this prehistoric monster's fossilized teeth. 

Part I: About C. megalodon

“This was a real monster, not a fictitious creature born in the mind of some Hollywood producer. Its teeth were not just a tool to secure a meal, but a true work of art – then and now. It is an honor to pay tribute to such a magnificent creature, as well as some of the others that represent the fossil record…”  M. Renz  

Carcharodon megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon) is a prehistoric predatory fish that lived during the Cenozoic era circa 25 million years ago.

To give this date some scale T. rex lived about 67 million years ago, Great Whites are thought to have appeared in the oceans about 16 million years ago and Homo sapiens only began walking the earth about 200,000 years ago.

It is estimated by archeologists that C. megalodon went extinct about 1.5 million years ago due to some unknown event most likely related to global cooling and the subsequent reduction in both nursery areas and suitable prey. The exact cause for the extinction of C. megalodon will probably never be known but the evidence of C. megalodon’s existence can be found if one knows where to look.

The most prominent piece of evidence for the existence of C. megalodon is the fossilized teeth which are collected everywhere from the arid deserts of Peru to 100 feet under the ocean. There have been very limited numbers of vertebrae collected from various parts of the world including Europe but these finds are exceedingly rare and most Meg fossils are teeth. This fact is caused by the cartilaginous nature of C. megalodon’s “bones” which tend to dissolve over time unless they are encased in something like clay. The teeth however are denser and stronger which in turns results in their fossilization rather than disintegration.

The teeth themselves range in size from 1 inch to over 6 inches and give us a relatively limited view into the biology of C. megalodon.

Because of the shape of the teeth many scientists place C. Megalodon in the same familial branch as the Great White (Carcharodon carcharias). The family for the Carcharodon genus is Lamnidae, which are characterized by a torpedo shaped body, pointed snouts, heavy bodies and large teeth. Extant sharks included in the family (aside from the Great White) are the Mako (Shortfin and Longfin) and Porbeagle.

However the above conclusion has drawn some criticism from other paleontologists who believe that tooth similarities between the Great White and Meg are just that and indicate there is strong evidence that the classification should be Carcharocles megalodon instead of Carcharodon megalodon. This argument centers on differences in divergent and convergent evolutionary theories for the C. megalodon wherein the first group believes that one evolved from the other (divergent) and the second believes that they evolved independently but with similar traits (convergent).

If the paleontologists advocating the Carcharocles genus were to be believed this would mean that C. megalodon came from a somewhat different evolutionary branch than the Great White and that using the Great White’s biology to draw conclusions about C. megalodon would be inherently incorrect.

            In the end I find this debate to be entirely academic and somewhat inconsequential for my purposes. Without finding a Meg somewhere in the ocean to show me different I will accept that C. megalodon and C. carcharias are family members with similar morphology (size being the main difference). A very cursory look at sharks as a whole renders the average predatory sharks somewhat similar in appearance and there is no reason to believe that C. megalodon would have looked much different than the Great White based on the tooth hypothesis.

            So the question that is begging to be asked is how big really was C. megalodon? An honest  answer would be (based on my research) no one really knows.

            Estimates for the size of C. megalodon have ranged everywhere from 40 to over 90 feet long with weights ranging between 45 and 115 short tons. While there are many methods with which to estimate the size of the extinct shark the most accurate methods that I have come across (as accepted by scholars) has been proposed by Dr. Clifford Jeremiah. Dr. Jeremiah has asserted that the diameter of the root of the tooth can be used to ascertain the size of the shark. Essentially for every centimeter of diameter on the root base you can assume 4.5 feet of length to the shark.

So as an example if have a tooth where the base is 10 centimeters the shark would have been 45 feet long. Based on Dr. Jeremiah’s estimates a full-grown C. megalodon would have measured around 60 feet in length based on the largest teeth that he has seen to date.

C. megalodon was the largest predatory fish and one of the largest predators to ever live on this earth. Its splendor is something that both intrigues and terrifies me at the same time.I look forward to coming across the remnants of its existence in the waters off of North Carolina.

Coming Next Part II - Diving for the Hunter's Tooth

Lions and Sharks - Diving the Bahamas April 2011

 As the boat pulled away from Stuart Cove’s dock the cerulean Bahamian water promised great diving and an abundance of sea life. Unfortunately it was a promise that the Bahamas could not keep as my eight dives found barren reefs littered only with Lionfish and storm damaged coral.

            My goal for the dives in the Bahamas was to get some quality close-ups of the Lionfish that inhabit the reefs there and are causing all the grief in the Caribbean these days. Additionally I wanted to get some shots of Peacock Flounder, Southern Stingray and some quality Grey Reef Shark pictures.

Glenn Rogers was my dive buddy for the dives and deserves a thank you for inviting me on this trip in the first place. It was a “free” trip to the Cove Tower of the Atlantis Hotel in Nassau given to Glenn by Turtle and Hughes. It is worth mentioning that the hotel was beautiful, the service was great (but expensive)and everyone from Turtle and Hughes was accommodating.

            There would be four dives Thursday and four dives Friday culminating in the afternoon of the second day with Stuart Cove’s famous, if not controversial, shark feeding dive.

Those following the events of Sharm el-Sheikh and the shark attacks that occurred there in December of 2010 may understand the nature of this controversy as many, including George Burgess, Director of the International Shark Attack file, have attributed feedings by divers as one of the root cause of the attacks.

Controversy or no I was going to get a first hand look at a shark feeding myself by the end of this trip and was anxious to get in the water with these famous marine predators.

Day of the Lionfish



Black Peacock Lionfish by J.Eiche

 After a short boat ride our first dive was on the David Tucker and Glenn spotted a Lionfish swimming on the forward deck immediately upon his descent to the wreck.  I scooted in and starting shooting this beautiful Lionfish with what appeared to be black stripes, fins and spines. At first I was confused but after consulting with Rich Steuernagel and doing some research it has been concluded that this is most likely a rare Black Peacock Lionfish.

It sat in a crease of the bulkhead and deck and didn’t seem at all bothered by my presence or the flash of my strobes. It simply kept “pacing” back forth while I shot from different angles and never attempted to swim off like most fish. To me this was also a bit unusual as the average fish, including sharks, will depart upon the arrival of anything unusual like a diver.

I took a decent number of shots and then moved off for the guided tour of the reef that surrounded the David Tucker. The first thing that struck me about the reef was the lack of marine life living there. A month before I had been diving in the Sea of Cortes where there were copious amounts of fish, eels, skates and rays. This particular reef however had very little life on it at all including Lionfish. Upon returning to the boat later Glenn advised that he didn't recognize this as the Bahamas since his last trip the reefs were full of every kind of tropical fish.

Hawksbill Turtle by J. Eiche

Luckily Stuart Cove’s resident dive photographer Seb Filion was able to locate a Hawksbill turtle feeding and called me over to grab some shots. I moved around Seb and approached the turtle slowly and calmly. While my arrival resulted in him stopping his meal to take a gander at me he didn’t move off. Since I was all set for taking portraits and close-ups I lined him up and snapped off some shots. The range on these shots was about a 1-2 feet at most and I was generally pleased with the result. After a minute I moved away to let him eat in peace but he decided he had enough of humans rose up, flapped his fins and glided off like a bird riding a thermal.

Our second dive was on the Willaurie wreck, which lay in about 40 foot of water with a woodpile off its port side and a reef off of its starboard.

My ears were a bit grumpy and slowed down my descent but I could see a large Lionfish hunting in the piles of timbers. I arrived at the bottom and again began shooting portraits only to have Glenn repeatedly interrupt me with calls to come to the top of the wreck. After a few minutes I acquiesced and upon arriving on top of the deck of Willaurie found two more Lionfish.

Again I took a few shots of the resident Lionfish before continuing my dive.  I ended up with some decent shots of the Willaurie’s propeller and of the growth on the Willaurie's metal skeleton but not much else.

In North Carolina I have been on wrecks that literally had swarms of fish but here I was in the Bahamas on an established wreck with next to nothing living on or around it except Lionfish.

The last two dives of the day were basically washouts as dives were concerned with my first dive being scheduled for the the DC-3 of Into the Blue fame. Of course we never actually got to see the DC-3 as our dive guide had some technical difficulties resulting in us going back to the boat without ever having seen the famous movie set. Once again the scenery was that of a barren reef and except for a couple of Grouper and Squirrelfish there really wasn't much to see.

Our second dive of the afternoon took us to the plane that was sunk for the shooting of Jaws 4. This dive was about as exciting as getting dental work and while Glenn was able to penetrate the wreck I sensed he didn’t really enjoy it all that much.

It is hard to imagine the damage that invasive Lionfish have done to the reefs of the Bahamas without witnessing it firsthand. I had always envisioned the Bahamas as a diver's tropical paradise but found the complete opposite. I will not be going back to the Bahamas to dive unless I am lucky enough to get another trip for free which I doubt will happen. My recommendation to anyone else traveling there for reef dives would be to save their money and find another destination.

Day of the Shark

The second day held the promise of the Shark feeding but some worries about the state of my ears, which had been giving me trouble the day before.

Our morning dives took us to a  site called the Steel Forest, which were by far the best wrecks we had seen to date in the Bahamas. The Steel Forest is in about 40-50 foot of water and consists of three wrecks all within a few hundred feet of each other.

The occasional patrolling Grey Reef Shark was seen but never came close enough for me to get a good picture. A run in with a Green Sea Turtle was nice but overall again the ubiquitous Lionfish were the most abundant fish seen on the wrecks and it was at this point that I swore I would never take another Lionfish photo again.

The morning closed out with a dive on a site called Mike’s Reef, which was by far the best reef dive on the trip. The reef was in about 55 foot of water and lacked the storm damage and Lionfish presence that the shallower reefs possessed.

There was, again, a distinct lack of fish life beyond the occasional Squirrelfish but I enjoyed the state of the coral here. The excitement on this dive was a run in with a very large Loggerhead who swam directly at me. In point of fact had I not moved out of his way I am sure he would have either bit my camera or mounted me (I have it on good authority that it is mating season). Glenn and a new found dive buddy named Sung had a good chuckle at my expense as they heard me scream out through my regulator at almost having been rammed by the giant sea turtle.

Our afternoon dives took us to a wreck just a few hundred yards away from the famous Shark Arena and was meant to acclimate us to being in the water with sharks and ultimately tell the divemasters of the overall skill level of the divers on the boat.



The Joker by J. Eiche

 It didn't take long for us to spot Grey Reef Sharks and my first impression was how shy it was around divers. Being used to the Sand Tigers of North Carolina who have no problem swimming right up and past a diver the Grey Reefs kept their distance aside for the occasional fly by. These animals are in no way representative of the public's perception of sharks as bloodthirsty killers who view the splash of a person in the water as the ringing of a dinner bell.

The dive itself was relatively uneventful save another run in with a Hawksbill Turtle and I was anxious to get back to the hang line as this was where the sharks were converging.



Running the Gauntlet by J. Eiche

 Ascending up towards the hang line one could look up and see countless sharks circling the boat. It is probably the nightmare of most people to be in the water and have a squadron of sharks between them and the surface. Not me. I was disappointed though as the sharks kept their distance and didn’t allow me to get any quality photos of them swimming in the open water. As such I ended my dive climbed back on the boat and readied myself for the feeding dive.

The feeding dive is a sight that I will probably never forget the rest of my life. It was simply awe inspiring and something that every diver with a love of sharks should do at some point in their life.

We were situated on the stern deck of the wreck in about 40’ of water. The deck itself was only about 20’ x 15’ and stood about 20 foot off of the sandy bottom.



Feeding Frenzy by J. Eiche

 As the shark feeder, Chang, brought the bait box in to the wreck a profuse number of Grey reef sharks and Goliath Grouper converged on the area. In an instant the water seemed to go from calm, clear and relatively empty to full of ravenous sharks all vying for position near the feeder and his box full of dead fish. I was at ground zero for what could only be described as a feeding frenzy.



Goliath Grouper by J. Eiche

 Various Grouper crept in amongst the divers watching like hyena waiting for lions to finish with with their kill. In a weird way it was calming to have the Grouper along side us, as they seemed to be watching the sharks feed along with, rather than separate from, the divers. The size of the Grouper amazed me, as did their speed as one darted in to grab a piece of fish and jet out of the area with hungry sharks on his tail.

It only took a few minutes for the water around the bait box to fill with particles from the dead fish that were being scooped from the box and devoured by the Reef Sharks. With no sun in the sky and a haze of fish guts in the water the stage was set for a gloomy atmosphere on top of the wreck. If you add to this sharks shooting in and out of the area, bumping divers and feeding one could understand how a diver might become a bit apprehensive.

That being said there was no time on this dive that I felt threatened or uncomfortable by the presence of the sharks. In fact they sort of treated us with a casual disinterest compared to the events transpiring around the shark feeder, Chang. While it was true that the shyness had clearly gone out of them many seemed to make it a point to avoid contact with me although close encounters were inevitable.



Tonic Immobility by J. Eiche

 The most amazing moment of the dive (if I had to pick one) was when Chang coaxed one of the sharks into a state of tonic immobility.

As a shark would come in to take a whiff of the chum box hoping for a chance at a meal Chang would brazenly grad its snouth and start to rub its nose. Initially it would fight but if he was able to keep at it long enough the shark would discontinue its fight and fall into a trance. Once the shark entered its trance he turned the shark completely vertical and let it stand there looking like a missile ready for launch. After about a minute he released the shark from its trance and off it went to circle the feeding area again apparently unaffected by its ordeal.

In total the dive lasted well over 40 minutes and by the end I had witnessed the feeding of two Grouper, countless sharks and two eel.

Flying home I was able to spend some time thinking about the shark feed and what it means for sharks in general. The issues surrounding shark feedings are complex and I can easily understand why there is controversy.

Of course any good press for a species that has been maligned as much as sharks have is a great thing. Sharks have been villains in fiction, the press and in the psyche of humans all over the world and some spin control is greatly needed. Sharks as a species face their greatest threat in humans who, in both their fear and indulgence, have a propensity to destroy what they don’t understand or feel they can do without. As such every diver, every picture, every DVD that comes out of a shark feeding serves as publicity the type which Discovery and Animal Planet could never provide.

On the other side of the coin there are events like that at Sharm al-Sheikh. The habituation of sharks to humans and the attacks that may result will only serve to reinforce the fear that the “Jaws” generation and their children have had imbued onto their minds. Many shark experts, including George Burgess, feel that the benefits of shark tourism are far outweighed by damage done when there is a resulting attack or accident. Mr. Burgess went on to comment during an interview with Diver magazine, “The education part of shark tourism gets trumped every time there's an attack,” and “The economic ramifications of these incidents can be huge in terms of the negative effect on tourism."

In the end I didn’t do the shark dive so that I could brag about the courage it takes to get into the water with sharks but rather so that I could witness one of nature’s  most perfect predators in its environment . (To be truthful I have never been afraid of sharks while I am in the water) The fact that the stage was set for me does seem to be a bit disingenuous on the part of humanity but how is this any different from locking Orcas in a tank for people to watch them do tricks?

Grey Reef Shark by J. Eiche



In the end the pictures that I will post and ideas that I will spread demonstrating that sharks aren’t mindless murderers but rather sophisticated predators will do much more for the people that I know and come in contact with than any Discovery documentary.  As such the greater good is served via a shark feeding dive and this may be one of the avenues that helps to preserve the species.

           

The Sea of Cortes March 2011

            My recent dive adventure took me to Cabo San Lucas and the Sea of Cortes and left me with a great desire for more West Coast and Sea of Cortes diving. I arrived at Sunshine Dive and Charter with my wife Marta and 4 companions who had signed up for a Discover Scuba course.

Air temperatures were only in the 80’s but when combined with the burning yellow sun of the desert temperatures easily felt like they were in the 90’s and higher. Copious amounts of sun block were needed, as a short time in the sun unprotected was all that was needed to cause a bad burn.

           

Nap Time. Photo by J. Eiche

            On the other hand winter ocean temperatures were cool with surface temperatures in the high 60s and bottom temperatures hovering around 61 degrees at 85 feet. Being the meeting point of the Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Cortes the dive sites located around El Arco are home to some heavy surge and occasional currents during the winter that threaten to wash unprepared divers out into the Pacific Ocean.

The cool waters were rich in marine life and it was very easy to be distracted by the number of photo subjects available. Diving in the Northeast the average fish is a dull, flat brown or black with the occasional tropical brightening things up. It seems being indiscreet and avoiding attention is the order of the day off the coast of New Jersey but not so for the Sea of Cortes.

Photo by J. Eiche

The average fish was brightly colored hues of yellow, red, electric blue and black. On my first dive at Sandfalls I quickly sank into a sort of manic distraction whereby I was trying to capture everything that I saw on camera. The result was quite a few bad pictures and a greatly drained camera battery.

The first dive also showed me that I should not expect the usual "tropical" visibility as the visibility was hazy with silt causing backscatter in my shots even though my strobes were turned fully out. At first I thought it was sand or silt being kicked up by the surge but as I moved I noticed the sand was actually swimming out of my way. I stopped, focused in with my eyes and saw that I was dealing with millions of tiny fish dotting the sea like lint on a black shirt.

The first dive ended with Marta being low on air and cold so we slowly made our way back to the line, did our safety stop and climbed back on board the dive boat.

In the interim the 4 other people that we had traveled with were also finishing up their Discover Scuba course and were all offered the opportunity to do another dive. My brother-in-law Andy accepted and readied himself for our next dive to be accompanied by myself, Marta and the dive guide Jonatan. The other three decided it would be prudent to stay on the boat as their love of diving wasn’t great enough for them to bear the 60 degree water temps again.

The boat moved around to the Land’s End dive site which is at the southern most tip of the Baja Californian peninsula. Being where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortes conditions here were a little worse than at Sandfalls but still weren’t terrible. They were bad enough however to cause my wife, who was already chilled from the first dive, to opt out of the second dive. Andy was undeterred by the conditions and began readying up for his second dive.

This dive offered our best opportunity to catch a glimpse or play with Sea Lions as the resident colony lives just a few hundred feet away from this dive site.

Our dive was to start in the Pacific Ocean and end in the Sea of Cortes just outside of the favorite sunning spot of the colony. Andy was to keep very close to our dive guide Jonatan to make sure he was both safe and stayed above 40 feet.

Conditions were the same as the dive before, limited visibility, surge and many colorful photo subjects. About 30 minutes into the dive however I was beginning to wonder if I would even get a glimpse of a Sea Lion never mind a photo of one.

My camera was on the fritz reading out low battery and I was swimming at 55 feet turning it off and on and occasionally checking above me to confirm where Andy and Jonatan were who were swimming at a depth of about 35 feet 15 feet ahead of me. I finally decided that the camera should just be turned off and left off so that I could enjoy my dive when I looked up to see a Sea Lion inches from Andy’s face floating on his left in the blind spot just behind his mask.

The Sea Lion was as big as Andy and if I didn’t know better I would say it was like a dog cautiously sniffing a new guest that had entered his domain. As I witnessed this amazing event two thoughts rushed through my mind; Yes!! A Sea Lion and Uh-oh I hope Andy doesn’t look over see the Sea Lion two inches from his face and panic and bolt for the surface.

Sea Lions at Play. Photo by J. Eiche

The encounter itself lasted about 5-10 seconds at which time the Sea Lion backed up darted in front of Andy and Jonatan and joined two playmates. They buzzed past me at 55ft and headed right for the ocean floor where they commenced playing and ruining the visibility by kicking huge amounts of sand up. I took 3 or 4 shots but none of them came out clearly due to the sand and lack of light at 65 feet.  

In my rather short dive career I have seen quite a few interesting things but none will I remember more fondly then seeing the Sea Lions at the Land’s End dive site and their quick encounter with Andy. Graceful and playful they summed up everything that I wish I could be in the water.

The dive ended in heavy surge and a surface tow by the dive boat to get us away from the rocks. Andy and Jonatan didn’t even realize what had happened until I related the story to them on board.

I returned to dive again a couple of days later and did a dive at Neptune’s Finger and a dive Pelican Rock both in the Sea of Cortes. Conditions were a little better than they were for the first two dives and I was considerably calmer in the water and as such was able to get much better shots.

Scorpion Fish waiting. Photo by J. Eiche

The highlight of these dives were the evil looking and venomous Scorpion Fish that dotted the rocky bottom and acted as excellent photo subjects for me. At first I only saw one of these malicious looking fish but once I knew what to look for I started seeing them everywhere. Anyone who is diving or walking in the rocky areas of the Sea of Cortes would be ill advised to do so without gloves and dive boots.

Photo by Joe Eiche

The cracks in the side of Pelican Rock and Neptune’s Finger were homes to countless amounts of eels that also managed to pose nicely for me in a few shots. One very large eel stuck his head out and kept coming closer and closer allowing me to get a good shot of him.

Probably the best shot I got was on a dive at Pelican Rock where a guitarfish was hiding just beneath the sand his yellow eyes standing out against the white sand of the ocean bottom.

Photo by Joe Eiche

Despite cool waters and occasionally rough conditions the Sea of Cortes will always hold a special place in my dive memories as being the first place that I saw Sea Lions as well as introducing me to Pacific diving conditions. I am anxious to return during the summer and fall months when visibility will open up to 100 feet and water temperatures soar in to the 80’s.

I dove with Sunshine Dive charters and everyone that I had contact with or dove with were excellent at what they did.

           Both Jonatan and Yayoi served as excellent dive guides and the boat captain Solomon was a great help and loads of fun. Lastly I would like to thank Lars who did Discover scuba for my 4 companions and brought them all back with an appreciation and fledgling love for diving. In all Sunshine Dive was on par with Olympus Dive Center here in the States, which has been voted repeatedly as one of the best dive operations in the U.S. If you choose to dive in Cabo San Lucas I would highly recommend them.

Winter 2010-2011

As someone who despises the cold there is no better way to describe the winter of 2010-2011 than to alter the famous quote from Shakespeare’s Richard the Third; Now is the discontent of our winter.

A dive trip to warmer climes not withstanding there is no tougher time of the year to be a diver than January and February. December has the opportunity of a late season shore dive and March brings with it the early bloom of Spring and promise of April diving. But January only brings with it the realization that diving has come to an end for at least 2-3 months and February only serves to rub that point in.

Glenn Ice Diving in Lake George

The shop that I dive with (Ocean Explorers) holds a February Ice Dive under the frozen waters of Lake George. I have dove that lake in the late summer months and with chilly 59 degree temps numbing your fingers and toes at 40 feet I can only imagine what temperatures must feel like in February. These shots of Rich Steuernagel and Glenn Rogers sum up perfectly why January and February will always be the dive doldrums for me unless in some exotic and tropical destination. Not only do you have to be out of your mind to do this but I don’t believe there is any amount of hot chocolate that could warm me up after spending time in 32 degree water.

Rich under the cold ice of Lake George

As for exotic destinations I will be in beautiful Baja California during the first week of March and plan on doing some diving with my wife in the Sea of Cortez. Vendors there have advised that the temperatures are “cold” during March but a little investigative work revealed that bottom temperatures tend to be in the mid to upper 60s that time of year. This of course is considered warm for Jersey waters but I am concerned for my wife who wasn’t blessed with the warm layer of fat that I have been given.

The trip will hopefully allow us to interact with Sea Lions that are residents of Cabo San Lucas/Sea of Cortez during the Winter months. Marta has never interacted with large Marine animals before on any of her dives so this will be a new experience for her.

This trip will also mark the first time that I am flying with my dive gear as well as using my upgraded camera and strobe system. It is funny because I am in my third year of diving now and have yet to fly anywhere with my gear. Most diving that has been done is either done in New Jersey or North Carolina with the odd dive here or there in either Florida or New York.

            I am looking forward to casting off the icy veil of winter and enjoying the warm winds of spring. Diving season is just around the corner now and with a trip to Baja California and some early season diving in North Carolina for Megalodon teeth the forecast for dive season is sunny with lots of good times.