OH NO! Not Another Shark!

Jan 04, 2012 posted in Adventure, Photography, Scuba Diving, Travel, Travel Photography, Turks & Caicos, Underwater Photography with 9 Comments

In September, my husband and I flew down to Turks & Caicos (T&C)  for a week of relaxed diving and underwater photography/videography aboard the T&C II Aggressor, a liveaboard dive boat.  It’s a direct route from Houston. But because of all our dive gear and camera equipment, we have to fly large planes, i.e., 737s or larger. Our route took us from Houston to Providenciales, the main tourist center, via Charlotte, N.C. on US Airways. We try to avoid Miami, if possible, due to an unusual amount of dive/camera equipment thefts while in transit.

The Aggressor charters are Saturday to Saturday. Once all were onboard, gear stored, cabins assigned, luggage unpacked, and vessel safety procedures heard, we took sail for the leeward side of Provo. We had a great crew, with Capt. Amanda, at the helm, taking care of all of our needs. Jim and I have been on several Aggressor boats but this was the best of the best. Not only does the Aggressor fleet run a safe ship but the food/dining has always been excellent. We enjoy liveaboard diving because you don’t have to put much effort into it. Once the gear is set up that’s where it stays until the end of the week. And, if you have every been diving, either shore or day boats, it can be a hassle schlepping dive gear and camera equipment to and from the boat every day. The true luxury . . . coming up from a dive, enjoying a nice hot shower (swimsuit/wetsuit) on the dive platform, with a warm towel to greet you, then proceeding to the top deck for a little R&R. Oh, and did I mention the freshly made cookies, muffins, snacks to munch on while relaxing and reading your book, listening to your music, downloading your photos, or just enjoying the quiet peace of the serene seas and the fantastic views of the turquoise waters of the Caribbean.

T&C is a chain of islands located just south of the Bahamas and east of  Cuba. This small Caribbean country consist of 40 different islands and cays, only eight of which are inhabited. These islands are almost as diverse as its people. From the main tourist center of Providenciales to the quiet and tranquil islands of North and Middle Caicos to the historic Capital Island of Grand Turk; each one offers a different experience and a unique character but all offer year round great climate, beaches and underwater activities. I sound like a tourist board, don’t I?

The Caribbean has lost status as a premium dive location. With the recent issue (December 2011)  of Scuba Diving Magazine, featuring the Top 100 Diving locations, only Bonaire and Little Cayman were listed in the top “spots” for Caribbean diving. I would have to argue that T&C should be right up there at the top. Each dive spot provided a unique area to photograph. The corals and sponges living on the wall proved to be one of the healthiest we have seen in a long time. And, for the big fish . . . there were sharks on almost every dive, a city of stingrays, and turtles cruising the top of the wall and reefs. And, it is noted that the humpback whales can be seen in January through March. For example, on one pactricular dive, we swam to the anchor line, and explored a small clump of coral heads. The reef was teeming with sea life, and cruising around were numerous large Queen triggerfish, something quite unusal these days. But a first for me was to photograph a rare purplemouth moray.

Our original charter was scheduled in July but the Aggressor fell victim to a freak wind, which landed the boat on the rocks near shore. Aggressor boats tend to swing on the anchor line which translated from underwater speak . . . you jump in and two minutes later look up . . . NO BOAT! However, just wait a few more minutes and the boat will be back. Well, the wind swung the boat way too much this time.  And, speaking of “swinging,” don’t chase the boat,  you can not out swim it. Trust me, I know. The correct procedure is to swim up to or near the hang bar (a steel / aluminum bar held by two ropes at 15 feet for the purpose of doing a safety stop) and do your three to five-minute safety stop. The boat will always be above you as it is swinging.

But I digress . . . we were rescheduled for September, and the weather was perfect, granted it was right in the heart of “hurricane season.”  Each dive begins at 40 to 50 feet, just at the edge of the wall, which means that it was more important to be diligent with the dive computers, i.e., deco time, because of the deeper depth. T&C’s wall has a nice ledge at about 100 feet or so, which is great for me . . . the person terrified of heights. I know, I know, it’s the water stupid. How are you going to fall over the wall? Its a phobia, what can I say. This ledge enabled me to get over my fear of falling into the abyss. I went right over and down the wall to photograph some pretty incredible tube sponges.

I have been told that my posts are too long . . . so I decided to keep it short but include more photos. As I was perusing my photo files of T&C, I noticed that I had done a Snell’s Window. In August, 2011, I wrote an article on Composition for my local dive club, Houston Underwater Photographic Society‘s monthly newsletter. One of the key tools of Composition is framing. An example of framing is a Snell’s Window, better defined by Martin Edge,” is portrayed as an arc or half circle through which the sky is visible. The area around the circle is a reflection of the seascape, and as such is much darker than the sky.” I can’t even express how excited I was to see the photo. It was my first ever Snell’s Window.

SHARKS!

The first day the Captain told us, “Don’t worry you will see sharks.” Frankly, she told us that by the end of the week, we would be saying, “OH NO, NOT ANOTHER SHARK!” And, she was RIGHT.
We had the great luck to dive  French Caye, which was a rarity since most of the time you are unable to dive there because of weather. Sharks were plentiful . . . not afraid of divers. The divemaster brought in the magical triangle with lightning beams that attract sharks. Most would say, “Are you crazy.” But for an underwater photographer, photographing sharks is the one of the pinnacles of their achievements. And, I have had the opportunity to do this many times. But, I must say, that this time, it was slightly unnerving to dive with so many sharks in an uncontrolled situation. On one particular dive, Jim and I were positioned about 10 feet apart, kneeling on a sand chute that lead over the wall, with a clear opening to our backs. Several sharks used that chute, like a yellow brick road,  swimming between Jim and I on their way to the magic triangle. While diving, your peripheral vision is somewhat obstructed making it difficult to keep tabs on what’s in back of you. After a few times of this surprise visit of looking over to see a shark shoulder to shoulder with me, I decided it was best for me to move closer to a small coral outcropping. And, on another dive, I was on the sand shooting a lionfish, when I looked up to see a Reef Shark coming straight for me. He swam over the top of my head. I followed him with my eyes only to see two other sharks approaching to my right, near the wall. As all three sharks swam in a circular pattern, the question at hand, “just how long do you want to stay here photographing this lionfish.”

Nurse sharks, on the other hand, are less aggressive, and only can pose a danger if provoked. We saw several nurse sharks throughout our diving week. I was able to get some closeup shots since these sharks didn’t want to move.

Stingrays

I guess stingrays can be dangerous. We are always warned when swimming or walking in shallow water along the shoreline to be careful not to step on a stingray. Of course, that didn’t help Steve Irwin. We will probably never know exactly how he died at the tail of a stingray while snorkeling near Lizard Island, Australia. The film crew gave the tape to his widow, and she vowed never to release it. I have never been afraid of stingrays . . . in the many dives I did at the famous Stingray City in Grand Cayman, they were crawling all over me, and I never encountered a problem. But, I have experienced the “motoring” teeth of a stingray when my finger got in the way of the fish. Trust me, it hurt and I had a nasty gash for days.

As we were heading back to the boat, we came across this flat sand area, which I suspect was a special hunting ground for the Great Southern Stingray. I must have counted nine to twelve stingrays digging in the sand in search of a quick meal. Surprisingly, I was able to get quite close to these graceful creatures.

An Ending Thought

A great New Year’s resolution would be to promote the protection of our Oceans as well as to help organizations fight the barbaric practice of shark finning. I know some would say because sharks are dangerous its best to be rid of them but sharks do play an important role in the health of the ocean’s reefs.

It’s past celebrating New Year’s but to all my family, friends, loyal followers, and new ones, I wish you a great New Year. And, I will leave you with a creative art photo I did for a contest in December, 2011

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