Six Gill Sharks in Seattle

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cool stuff eric.

this may sound like a dumb question, but are six gills dangerous? i've dove with lots of sharks, but don't know much about this species. my understanding is that they are deep water sharks that usually don't come to scuba depths except in a few locations. not much is know ... maybe they are a bad assed shark ready to kick some ass. they look like big lazy sharks to me ... but i really don't know.

this may sound like a dumb question, but are six gills dangerous? i've dove with lots of sharks, but don't know much about this species. my understanding is that they are deep water sharks that usually don't come to scuba depths except in a few locations. not much is know ... maybe they are a bad assed shark ready to kick some ass. they look like big lazy sharks to me ... but i really don't know.

I think any animal as large as a Six gill is potentially dangerous, but I wouldn't consider them particularly aggressive. I've dove with them a number of times off Hornby Island and have never felt threatened, but I wouldn't want to grab one by the tail to see how long I could hold on. I understand that there cousin, the seven gill, is reported to be considerably more cantankerous.

this may sound like a dumb question, but are six gills dangerous? i've dove with lots of sharks, but don't know much about this species. my understanding is that they are deep water sharks that usually don't come to scuba depths except in a few locations. not much is know ... maybe they are a bad assed shark ready to kick some ass. they look like big lazy sharks to me ... but i really don't know.

People bump into them frequently here in Seattle, and I have never heard of an incident.

Of course only about a dozen people world-wide are killed by any type of shark each year, so I think it is pretty safe to say that sharks are not much of threat.

As with most sharks, the sixgills present more of a thrill than a threat. The species is not known to attack humans, but their size (up to 15ft) and varied diet suggest that they should be treated with caution. Obviously, when you introduce bait into the equation – as was the case with our dives – the shark's behaviour shifts up a gear. In this case, the sharks became extremely bold and inquisitive; the larger individuals were completely unafraid of divers and tried to enter the cage. The Hydrus team has gone to extraordinary lengths to make this a safe encounter, but warns divers that in a few cases the cage has taken some punishment.

From my own experience, one of the most surprising physical aspects of this shark is its flexibility: its movement through the water is serpentine, and they have an ability to turn round 180 degrees in a speedy, fluid lunge. Tweaking their tails would be a really bad idea.

Interestingly, the related broadnose sevengill shark Notorhynchus cepedianus has been known to behave aggressively toward humans in unprovoked scenarios, and human remains have been found inside one specimen. As for the sixgills, they are iconic ambassadors for the deep water environment, and I consider it a rare privilege to have observed them in relatively shallow water.

SimonR

The commotion created by the divers and sharks did not go unnoticed - dungeness crab, shiner perch, ratfish, dogfish, and various flatfish all wanted a taste (literally!) of the action.

The crabs seemed greediest, tearing away at the bait to no end. And when not eating, they took the time to attack their reflection in the dome port .

I've posted my full trip report. Enjoy.

http://echeng.com/journal/2008/08/29/sixgill-sharks/

Very nice report, Eric!

hey eric, is it true you can do the same thing in Manado? I heard some of the local fishermen caught some six gill sharks and they ended up in the fish market

btw... the footage of the dogfish VS the crab is almost like finding nemo's scene don't you think ?

Eric,

I have been with sixgills many times and have seen many photos of them, but all your photos of these amazing animals are at the top of the list! Awesome!

Sorry I missed you while you were here, Eric. Next time look me up

You're very lucky to have seen a SixGill. I've only ever seen two, and some divers I know have done the same sites thousands of times and still have yet to see one.

Cheers,

Calvin Tang

Northwest Dive Club

Hello, all!

The segment on Oregon Public Broadcasting has finally aired. See it here:

http://wetpixel.com/i.php/full/sixgill-sha...segment-on-opb/

Great stuff Eric. Beautiful footage and stills. Congrats!