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Tiger Beach, Bahamas 45 images Created 27 Mar 2018

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  • Vincent Canabal interacting with Rodeo, one of the resident ladies at Tiger Beach.
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  • When the tigers aren't around on Tiger Beach, you can always rely on those gorgeous Caribbean reef sharks to entertain you for a while!
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  • Tiger shark extraordinaire Emma comes close to check out my legs (and camera) :)<br />
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Because it's time for Shark Week, let me just point out that there are NO dangerous sharks. <br />
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I'm sure there will be plenty of quality shows this week but also the usual programmes exploiting many people's irrational fears. Even a tiger shark the size of Emma (~15ft/5m) can be pushed away with ease when the situation is handled correctly. Again: there are no dangerous sharks. There are however potentially dangerous situations. Poor visibility, food in the water and people doing foolish things (like swimming away, splashing around etc) can make a shark investigate with its mouth. If their other senses aren't enough to determine what you are, that's simply the only thing they have left. Humans use their hands every day to figure out what something is, but sharks obviously don't have that tool available to them. As long as you keep a close look on the shark, you can always remain in control of the situation. We have to remember that we are only guests in the ocean, so let's treat all its inhabitants with the respect they deserve. Please just keep that in mind as you enjoy this year's sharky programmes :)
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  • This is Tequila, a female tiger shark and long time resident at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. These sharks are truly magnificent and despite their enormous size, they hardly ever harm people. Incidents with tiger sharks are usually the result of their curiosity and divers not paying close enough attention to their movements. Swimming away from an approaching shark or showing erratic movements, for example, will always peak their interest, as that is what their prey would normally do. Simply standing one's ground and gently pushing them away is all it takes to show them that you're in charge. Despite having 5 to 6 tigers around for the majority of my diving at Tiger Beach, not once was there any hint of danger or aggression. Despite chum and bait in the water, the animals move at a very relaxed pace. In fact, I would say that diving at Tiger Beach is the perfect thing to do if you're afraid of sharks. It is impossible not to see their beauty, and how they are not the mindless killers the media like to make us believe, after spending some quality time with them in this beautiful environment.
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  • A large female tiger shark called Emma swimming through a group of divers at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. These are very confident animals that know they don't have to fear anyone that's down there with them. This however doesn't mean that they are aggressive in any way. They will expect you to make way for them and will run you over if you don't, but there are hardly any serious incidents involving divers and it is surprisingly easy to steer them away should they get a bit too close for comfort!
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  • In many countries, today is Mother's day! Let's celebrate it with this beautiful, pregnant tiger shark!
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  • Even though the lovely ladies at Tiger Beach usually move quite slowly, they do expect divers to move out of their way. After all, they're the biggest fish in that particular part of the sea. This can cause some confusion, especially when divers don't keep an eye on the sharks that surround them. Notice the diver that got knocked over by the tigress in this picture? Notice the lemon shark just next to him? No reaction. Despite what the media would like you to believe, even a diver losing control and falling over right next to a shark doesn't just end up as shark food, let alone someone that remains in charge of the situation. Sharks are used to other animals trying to get away from them, so people standing their ground (or swimming towards them even!) actually confuse and intimidate them quite a bit. Every species is different though. Tiger sharks for example are too curious and confident to care much about what other animals or people do or don't do, whereas hammerheads get spooked very easily. Remaining passive while keeping an eye on the shark is usually the best way to get a good, safe interaction.
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  • Posting some pictures from last year this week. This today it's another bunch of sharks from Tiger Beach. There are three different species in this picture! Can you name them all?
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  • You might miss something, like this pregnant lady
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  • Following up from my previous post, we move from a pond near the Everglades back to Tiger Beach in the Bahamas, where tiger sharks can still be seen in good numbers. Sadly, even here they have dropped by more than 50%. While dives with around 20 tigers were the norm only a decade or two ago, today you'd be very lucky to see 10! Thankfully, these are very curious creatures so the ones you get tend to stick around. Having six tiger sharks swirling around you is still an amazing experience! I'd love to know what it's like with 20 of them! Have you ever dived with tiger sharks? If so, where and how was it?
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  • There's nothing quite like having a tiger shark swim just over your head!
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  • Peacefully is how we should interact with these beautiful animals. Just admire their beauty, strengh and elegance and refrain from consuming products that contain shark and today can be a good day for sharks wordwide.
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  • Sharks have amazing eyes, very much worth a closer look! Tiger Sharks for example have diamond shaped pupils, as can be seen in this image. This is the first in a series of close-up photographs of sharks that I will be posting in the coming weeks.
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  • Another older image, taken at Tiger Beach last year. The eye of a Caribbean reef shark. Can anybody tell me what those things are to the left of the eye? Some sort of parasite, I assume?
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  • Part two of my Shark Close-ups series shows the face of one of the most beautiful of all sharks, the Caribbean Reef Shark. You can see its eye, mouth, nose and part of the sensory array they use to detect electrical signals from their prey.
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  • Part 3 of my shark close-up series shows the eye of a Lemon Shark, one of the most common species of shark at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. It is important to keep in mind though, that although they may seem abundant there, their numbers are in rapid decline around the world and they could be threatened with extinction very soon!
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  • Tiger Beach might be famous for its tiger sharks, but that doesn't mean that they're the only species of shark that frequent these waters! Caribbean reef sharks, lemon sharks, nurse sharks, the occassional great hammerhead and bull sharks can all be seen on the dives as well!
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  • Did you know that at least every other breath we take contains oxygen generated in the ocean? This fact alone should highlight the importance of this vast ecosystem that covers around 70% of our planet's surface. <br />
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Despite its importance though, we as a species have been doing our very best to destroy marine ecosystems through run-off, overfishing and plastics, just to name a few. <br />
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Thankfully, many countries are now starting to re-think their relationship with (single-use) plastics, but lots remains to be done! It's important to remember that every little bit helps. Taking your own cup on your daily coffee run alone can help avoid hundreds of pieces of plastics that can potentially end up in the ocean. And that's just for one person! Try and get your friends, family and co-workers to be more aware of their impact on the world and little by little we might be able to make the change the world needs!<br />
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Tiger shark, Tiger Beach, Bahamas
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  • Let's make the next 12 months a good year for the conservation of our oceans! Many countries are now heading in the right direction regarding the use (or rather ban) of single-use plastics, but there is still lots to be done! Every little helps! You can be a voice for our oceans. Convince your favourite restaurants and takeaways to get rid of plastics and say no to products sourced from sharks. I captured this gorgeous pregnant tiger shark at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas, one of the few places left in the world where you can see these apex predators in good numbers.
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