Mako Sharks off SoCal... Dr. Bill's Ramblings

[drbill]

My latest "Dive Dry with Dr. Bill" newspaper columns cover critters seen during a shark dive with SCUBA Luv 12 miles off Catalina a week ago. I thought I'd share the links here in case anyone wants to look at the articles and the accompanying pix. Yes, they're written with the same warped sense of humor as my other columns.

This column (the latest) focuses on the shortfin mako sharks we saw on the dive:

Star Thrower Educational Multimedia (S.T.E.M.) Dive Dry Column

If you don't have the backbone for that one, try the previous column about the salp Cyclosalpa affinis which also attracted much of my attention when the sharks were ignoring us (or plotting their plan of attack):

Star Thrower Educational Multimedia (S.T.E.M.) Dive Dry Column

Enjoy!

Dr. Bill

 

[Thalassamania]

Bill,

Here's John Heinie's take on how to do blue water diving, there is a more recent edition but it's not free on the web. Blue Water Diving Guidelines

 

[drbill]

Oops, did we do something wrong, Thal?

 

[Thalassamania]

Wrong? No. You did the same I did the first time I was out in blue water. The techniques that Bill Hamner developed, and that were later refined, just make those dives much easier and permit you to focus more closely on collection, observation and documentation with less concern over you or your gear disappearing into the deep. I thought it might be an interesting read.

 

[drbill]

Ah, thanks for the clarification. Will have to give it a read.

Surprised there isn't more interest in the articles by others.

 

[docmartin]

is the fact that you see mainly juveniles around SoCal a consequence of over fishing or do the big boys just hang out in different regions?

 

[drbill]

Decades ago we used to see many more blues including adults. The era of long lining and gill netting in the Channel appears to be closely correlated to their decline. Where we might have seen dozens of sharks without chumming, now we have to chum to draw just a few in.

Seems to suggest that the adult blue sharks have declined significantly, although with the makos it is believed that juveniles are more common in SoCal waters than adults anyway.