While I love this blog, I now pretty much only write on my other two blogs: BirdingBlogs.com and 10,000 Birds - I would love to see you there!

Friday 22 January 2010

Diving with Tiger Sharks

I absolutely love diving with sharks... there is nothing else like it.
The power, the grace, the agility. And after you have spent just a little time in the water with them, you start to learn their nature and how to read them.


In many ways, I am way more comfortable in the water with sharks all about, than I am with unknown dogs. You see, a strange Rotweiler might (or might not) be very aggressive - or worse - unpredictable. The thing with most sharks is that they are generally rather predictable. Here is a video I made a few years ago off the coast of South Africa.



To be completely honest, even I had a "what the frig am I doing" moment when I first saw the tiger shark pull up next to the boat - there seems to be some deeply inbedded instinct that when you see a very big shark pull up next to the boat, that you SHOULD NOT get in to the water. We got in to the water anyway and - quite predictably - everything was just fine. In fact, it was a dream.

Although I love the predatory sharks, they have nothing on a whale shark! I really should post some photos and stories on whale sharks some time.

Happy diving!
Dale Forbes

7 comments:

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

What a fantastic experience this must be Dale. It is something I have never done. As you say, all wild animald give off signals and if we just know how to read them, there is nothing to be worried about.

Dale Forbes said...

exactly. joan, you really should go swimming with sharks some day, even if it is just snorkeling at the sardine run!

Ars Natura said...

Not all are birds, right?
Nice pictures.

Chris said...

Euh woow!!! That's something mate! wow.... I used to dive when I was "younger" but I had to stop because of asthma!! I dunno what I will have done if I had met a shark!!! Man, this is a quite impressive video you got! Gosh for sure that was an experience! Happy that you are still there after it ;-) Mind, the shark did not think that a Dale steak could have been a good meal!!

Anonymous said...

I was on Layson Island in the Pacific when I saw a Tiger Shark. It was a little nerve racking but was nothing compared to a true pack of about a dozen wolf sharks that found our position and began circling around us, initially in a wide loop, but as we retreated closer and closer to land their ring tightened around us. Some were even below us and followed us all the way to our exiting of the ocean. We were totally thrilled and scared to death at the same time. There were white tipped sharks everywhere too, but we actually would even touch them while they rested in the shallows during the day hours. Sharks are truly an interesting breed, and each species has a very unique personality.

Becky said...

Whale sharks are on of the most beautiful creatures in the ocean in my opinion. If I had to dive with sharks it would be this one. Hope you post it soon.

Redzlan aka Tabib said...

Nice video!.
Love to see that baby sharks swimming along the mother.
I had seen only Tiger Shrike here. ;)