European sharks?

I guess the trouble is that the shark diving industry in Europe is very small scale and not very reliable. Hopefully things will change in the future - as long as there are still sharks around to see!

 

Cheers, Simon

I've got a few secret places in western Norway that have a very nice hit rate on Dogfish. Roughly 100% in March-April. They'll be sleeping under the ice in undersea seapenn forests.

There are also other good places where whan can find them schooling. It's harder to find them, but it's an amazing thing to see hundreds of sharks swimming over you. Like a mini hammer migration...

Espen

Wow schooling Dogfish sounds like a fantastic spectacle!! I've heard that small Tope school as well, although I've never heard of anyone actually seeing this. Sounds like you've got a great spot there Espen!

Cheers, Simon

Wow schooling Dogfish sounds like a fantastic spectacle!! I've heard that small Tope school as well, although I've never heard of anyone actually seeing this. Sounds like you've got a great spot there Espen!

 

Cheers, Simon

The fact that there is a wreck there adds to the mood of the place. I have been hoping to capture everything in a scene but the light's so low its difficult to get anything useful with the speed theese guys are flashing by at...

The schools appear in september october but I have not seen them the past two years, but I haven't really been trying.

The ones sleeping in the seapenn forests are still there though.

Espen

Espen,

That is a great seapen photo! Where is all of the backscatter? Really nice job.

How secret are the spots? If I were to come to Norway would you take me there?

cw

Simon-

More porbeagle info... please! That sounds unbelievable. Where are you going to do that? UK? When? Do you need another person to pitch in for fuel?

chris

Chris, we're doing the Porbeagle week in mid July which I guess wouldn't fit in with your schedule. Either way there's not any more room on the boat I'm afraid and if anyone does drop out I think there's already quite a few others already on standby. Sorry because I know it's a great chance to film a rarely seen shark If we're successful I'm sure we'll all be spilling the beans on how to do it as it's primarily a conservation/shark eco tourism project. Any cash we get from footage/photos/documentaries will hopefully be ploughed back into shark conservation projects.

Espen that sure is a cute dogfish! I'm jealous of your clear waters around Norway - do you fancy sending them a little south down to us??

Cheers, Simon

Hi,

Backscatter? The viz down there can be anywhere from 15-40m most of the time so backscatter isn't a problem except if you fin to close to the mud. Now that will fill your frame with stars...!

How secret? SECRET! B) Last time I mouthed of about a special place I ended up having nothing to photograph. Sorry but some of the last pearls are best left un-televized.

Besides, Helium is difficult to get hold of these days.. here anyway..

A friend of mine has proposed we do a winter baiting after greenlandsharks in Sognefjord. There should be quite a few of them left there still. It would have to be a night dive as they don't go shallow during daylight..

Perhaps we can lure one up from the 1200m deep fjord if we position ourselves close to a drop off.

Espen

Hey Espen,

I understand, I'm not a mixed-gas guy anyway. However, if you get that greenland shark deal going I'm definately interested. Never been to Norway.

Simon,

I watched the interview on your website with Richard Peirce, and I dig what your doing. If you ever get it going in a viable way, I'm in. If for no other reason other than support for a good cause.

chris

Backscatter? The viz down there can be anywhere from 15-40m most of the time so backscatter isn't a problem...!

Then how come when I went to Bognes for the orcas, the viz was crap?!?

How secret? SECRET! B) Last time I mouthed of about a special place I ended up having nothing to photograph. Sorry but some of the last pearls are best left un-televized.

Agreed... keep it a secret...last bastion and all that... but you can tell me. I don't share secrets

I'd love to film basking sharks and am surprised that I have seen so little footage on them. England and BSAC has a ton of divers, albet cold water, but so what when you can get unique footage. Anyone need someone to crew for them?

Steve B)

Heya Steve

The Baskers have been a labour of love and frustration for me! I've seen them rarely, but when I have it's never been possible to film them for one reason or another. Poor weather/sea conditions, 0m vis, can't get close enough to them etc etc.

I've never heard of anyone seeing them while diving on a reef like you would see a Whaleshark for example, so you really need to actively go out and look for them. They can been seen at the surface for only a few months a year. Occasionally a group of divers will spot some feeding at the surface between dive sites and all jump in to take a look, but that's rare. The rest of the time they spend in deep water below recreational limits (as far as anyone knows).

You can charter a boat for a week of searching for them well in advance, only to find that despite ideal conditions there none are around. They are one of the most unpredictable sharks around, so it's no wonder you haven't seen a lot of footage of them!

I'm already organised for this year, but if anyone wants to get together in Cornwall or the IoM next year then we could charter a boat and go looking for them. Considering my past success rate though you may not want to take me along!!

Cheers, Simon

Wow, thanks for the clarification. I was under the impression that for a couple of months in the year they were all over the place and easy pickings. From your description it sounds as if one is really gambing with their cash. That's how I felt after diving Scapa Flow in Aug. several years back. Horrible conditions, picked over wrecks, and such lousy visibility I never even brought the cam underwater. Actually, that was a long time ago, was using a Sony 101 hi 8...time goes by quick.

Steve B)

It's never easy diving in the UK as even in summer we have unpredicatable weather. If it's not the rain then it's the wind!

Some people are more lucky with the Baskers than I have been, but they are still by no means easy to see. I've spoke to people who have searched for them for 10 years before they ever saw one! For me though it's gone on so long now that I'm determined to see it through and get them on film one day! Maybe this year, maybe.....

Cheers, Simon

You get 'Teabagged' in the cages down the southcoast..

Crikey.. I thought that fetish was for enthusiasts only.

Sign me up..Not for the recieving part obviously, but, I suppose if theres a shortage

Dive safe

Dean(teabagged indeed)B

You're just the right size to get Teabagged Dean B)

So Chris, did you manage to decide on which particular unpredicatable European Shark you were going to go for??

Cheers, Simon

In the papers today it said that a rare Goblin Shark was discovered and caught in a net in Tokyo Bay. They brought it alive to the Tokyo Sea Life park but it died in a few days. It was 4 ft long.

Steve B)

Baskers n Cornwall--been there for the past two years in summer. Could not find a boat that is really intersted in inding them.There were shaks around, phoned local operators who told me they are fully booked for club diving on a reef , and that maybe I should hang around for a few days and maybe we will find something later.Well that is what people do in Cornwall , they hang around .

Pity, there are numerous planes in the air , taking tourist sightseeing.It has not dawned on the operators to use this to their advantage and buddy up with the planes, to do some spotting for them..

Sure there are basking sharks in Cornwall in the summer -but we need a operator with some "vision."

Maybe we should team up and do it ourselves

any suggestions

Sadly i cant help with Cornwall, but i can help with the IOM, one of my old classmates still lives there and has a boat/tanks/the lot, for recreational use only of course I might head out there this summer for a weekend to see what's going on. If anyone needs a Marine Biologist guide with a boat let me know and i'll forward your details!

Thank you all for your input, but unfortunately, a two month spending freeze at corporate has gotten in the way. And, after it is over there won't be enough time to complete the project by the deadline.

Thanks again, I really learned a lot about european sharks!

chris

Just to let it be known:

In the UK Basking Sharks are a protected species and this includes no 'disturbance'. In theory at least you should ask Natural England if intending specifically to film or photograph them. Isle of Man (GB not UK) has probably similar requirements. Essentially you should allow a basker to swim to you not the other way around.