Friday, July 11, 2008

Island of the Great White Shark-Harvard

From Richard Theiss CEO of RTSea Productions this afternoon:

There will be a screening of Island of the Great White Shark on July 17th at the Harvard Museum of Natural History

I'd like to think that it's because the documentary resonates with people other than die hard shark lovers. Hopefully the realistic portrait of white sharks, the ongoing research, and the conservation message presented in the film will reach as many people as possible, especially those people who are convinced that great white sharks are the Darth Vader of all sharks.

I will not be in attendance at the screening, but Dr. John Mandelman, resident shark expert from the New England Aquarium, is scheduled to be there for follow up questions and discussion about shark issues. Things couldn't be in better hands.

So, if you're in the Boston/Cambridge, MA area next Thursday, check it out.

Shark Productions-Case in Point

This email came in this morning. Not sure where we'll go with this one as at least one of our hard and fast criteria for good shark productions does not seem to be there, the all important "budget". Although it does seem "interesting":

Hello there,

I have a film crew and actors all of which are at the very least dive master certified, and one of which is a marine biologist specializing in shark research. We are filming a television show that showcases our travels and adventures across the world. Right now half of our crew is out in Koh Tao, Thailand filming and due back at the end of August. We are low budget and high thrill show with a crew and cast ranging between 5 and 8 people. I saw on xxx that you are offering exclusive trips for film crews and was curious if you would accept our company on one of these voyages. Hope to hear from you soon.

Cheers,
XXX XXX
XXX Biscayne Blvd, Suite XXX
North Miami Beach
(317) XXX-XXXX

Remember that "Unicorn Shark?"

We blogged about one of the most unlikely looking critters we have ever seen a few months ago. At the time only a few images of the deep water "Unicorn Shark" were available. Now a video has surfaced with even more shots.

Either this is a hoax, or as we said back then, a new shark "we're hoping get's to 20 feet in length so we can go dive with it!"

Hunt on for shark in Tuggerah Lake

Remember that 21 foot white shark discovered lurking about Tuggerah Lake, Australia? We blogged about it last week.

You gotta hand to to the Aussies. When not battling all the "things that will kill you" in their country, they are alternately grilling, drinking beers...and hunting down the "things that will kill you".

Case in point a semi-serious effort is being mounted-as we blog-to catch that 21 foot white shark:

THE hunt is on for a huge 7m "son of jaws" great white shark cut loose from a fishing net off Canton Beach on Wednesday.

It is the second great white found in Tuggerah Lake since 2005. It comes on top of three other shark sightings in the lakes system in as many years. Experts fear the great white may be trapped in the lake unable to reach the sea because The Entrance channel is too shallow.

Of course the crew here at Shark Diver are available as "consultants" if anyone down under wants to hire us as white shark experts. Unlike George Burgess-we work for BBQ and beers. Given that this "hunt" should last well into the summer, we're thinking that's a pretty good deal!

Florida Surfers and Sharks

A pretty cool news story out of New Smyrna Beach, Florida this morning as local surfers share the waters with leaping sharks of all sizes:

It happened in the blink of an eye, but some people told Eyewitness News they still don't believe the tale of a wave-jumping shark in New Smyrna Beach even though it was caught on camera."He said, 'I hope I got it,'" said eyewitness Skipper Eppelin.It was three frames, one half-second of photography and a once-in-a-lifetime shot."I looked at the camera and go, 'You've got to be kidding me,'" said professional photographer Kem McNair.

Of course there's a catch and that is about 73% of the people who have seen this image set believe it's faked. Since we're not experts we'll let you decide.