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Sharks, namely great white sharks, are an integral part of life in the ocean. As the apex predator they have a huge fan base as well as a large portion of the population that despise them. Great whites have made it onto the endangered species list and protection of these creatures is now widely accepted.
As a regular user of the ocean I have an interest in finding and photographing anything that moves in the ocean, and all life below the surface holds a measure of intrigue for me. Watching how these creatures big and small behave and interact in the ocean has a special place in my every day. From the smallest pipefish to a massive humpback whale, any sighting whilst on a dive is an amazing experience. As a regular ocean user, I also have a vested interest in shark movements.
No matter what you find in the ocean, a Google search will bring up heaps of information, photos and stories from any number of people, all willing to share the knowledge and information they have on the creatures they have experienced. Google ”research on pipefish” and there are thousands of articles, a massive amount of information and any number of publications.
Do such a search on great white sharks and the picture is very different. Sure, there is information out there and all of it interesting to read, but my concern is add “Cape Town” to your search and you come up almost empty handed.
There is a host of companies that make a living of these creatures by taking people to see them, dive with them and photograph them. All of these operators offer an amazing experience and for a fee share all of their knowledge and experience with you and ensure you have an experience of a lifetime. These operators are running a business, funded by their own efforts and dedication to doing what they love. With this I have no issue and in fact the vast majority of knowledge and available information on great white sharks around Cape Town comes from these people.
Cape Town has a host of research projects, funded by other people’s money, donations, and sponsors and yet much of the information gathered by these people is either not widely publicised or I just can’t find it. There is no end to the lists of ”projects” and pages of ”we plan to…” items on any number of websites but hardly a word of what they have done when or why.
We know great whites come closer to shore in summer, but do we know why? We know they have tracked great whites in the False Bay area for hours and hours and on a surf site there was a post regarding a great white tracked in False Bay for 24 hours, but so little real information.
So, where does one find the information? Any ideas?
4 Comments
Documentary: Air Jaws « Learn to Dive Today
29 Nov 2010 11:11 pm
[...] and marine mammal movements in False Bay. The lack of publicly available research on sharks is one of Tony’s (and my) bugbears, and to see a for-profit operator providing such a level of disclosure, and demonstrating such an [...]
Bookshelf: Great White and Eminent Grey « Learn to Dive Today
03 Mar 2011 07:03 am
[...] said, Fallows is one of the few people involved with sharks in Cape Town who is prepared to share his knowledge, and for this Tony and I – as regular water users – are deeply grateful. The depth of [...]
Bookshelf: Blue Meridian « Learn to Dive Today
30 Mar 2011 07:03 am
[...] poor state of great white shark research at that stage – the book was published in 1971 – is illustrated by the team’s [...]
Bookshelf: South Africa’s Great White Shark « Learn to Dive Today
21 Apr 2011 07:04 am
[...] are as easy to get information from as it is to open a giant clam with your bare hands. We find this hugely frustrating as regular users of the ocean – in my mind, I compare it to withholding news of traffic [...]
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