Share your love of sharks
Shark Trust MD Paul Cox wants to share your shark stories , but first he wants to tell his own elasmobranch epic
an important part of their cultural identity . Animal rights activists have long disagreed , deeming the slaughter cruel and unnecessary .
September ’ s hunt has reportedly shocked some Faroese : the scale of the kill – 1,428 in one day – is more than six times the number usually killed in an entire year . Some locals have criticised the slaughter because there were too few people to handle the dolphins , and say it took too long .
As this is a special edition of SCUBA , I decided to have a break from talking about the overfishing of sharks . Don ’ t worry , I ’ ll be back on that again next month ! But , for one month only , I thought it would be good to come at this column from a different angle .
We all have a little moment . A dive , a snorkel trip , or even a boat trip , where we have a moment with a certain animal . And that moment can stick with you for years . My
Author in backpacking moment with a shark days happened many years ago . I was travelling – doing that gap year thing – up the west coast of Australia . I was desperate to swim with a shark , any shark . You can ’ t return from Oz without a shark story . Tight on funds , we only managed a couple of dives off Exmouth . Stunning dives but sadly lacking in sharks . So , heading south , we took advantage of the coast-hugging Ningaloo Reef to get in a few snorkels . I spent hours pootling around the reef , checking out turtles , fish , nudibranchs , coral . But no sharks .
And then , on our final day , I went for one last snorkel . Out across the reef into the open water beyond . And there was my shark . Just a black tip . With a few mates . They decided to take a closer look at the mysterious clumsy creature . What better way than to swim in an orderly circle , gradually edging closer . It
was like a display of their magnificence , almost deliberately showing themselves off in their full glory .
I didn ’ t have time to check my watch , but I ’ m guessing it was about a minute before they tired of me and peeled off to find something more interesting . But that minute sticks with me to this day . I ’ ve had many shark encounters in the years since that day . But that was my first ( and second , third and fourth ) and it cemented a love that was , until that point , based solely on words and pictures . We all have a moment when we connect with another animal . Not everyone reacts so strongly that they end up making a career out of it , but it does have an effect . And , in the case of marine animals , I believe it ’ s our duty to share those stories . Because not everyone is as lucky as us . Not everyone gets to experience life underwater . Our stories , repeated and shared , filter through and create a reality . And the reality is that our ocean is filled with beautiful , fascinating and engaging animals . And they deserve a break . So , don ’ t keep your stories to yourself .
So please , send us your Shark Love Stories to caroline @ sharktrust . org and we ’ ll help you share your moments with the world . www . sharktrust . org
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