The Sharks of Palm Beach County

[HalcyonDaze]

Mickey and Cameron put this together from Sunday's dives on the Emerald; based on the sharks' markings I believe our two tigers were Donna and Alice (with Lady Snooty representing the Lemon Ladies). Interesting, because both tigers were at the Bonaire this time last year. Donna's much slimmer than she was last year; she must have either been pregnant or was just pigging out then.

That's my strobe Alice makes a grab for at 4:35.

[video=youtube;pRgqN9KDqx4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRgqN9KDqx4[/video]

 

[mscott556]

Here's my vid from Saturday.

[video=youtube_share;_4b4zULEnWs]http://youtu.be/_4b4zULEnWs[/video]

 

[HalcyonDaze]

What did the gender ratio down at that site look like? Aside from Snooty the Lemon Ladies have been conspicuously absent from the Bonaire lately.

 

[mscott556]

March 28, 2015 - Deep Ledge & Bonaire Wreck
Tiger - 3
Bull - 6 (1 at the wreck, 2 more as we were drifting, 3 on the ledge)
Lemon - 2

What did the gender ratio down at that site look like?

Didn't notice. I keep forgetting to check.

---------- Post added April 1st, 2015 at 11:33 PM ----------

Tiger, Bull & Lemon Shark video from 3/28
[video=youtube;PPAX2j2nz1Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPAX2j2nz1Y[/video]

 

[HalcyonDaze]

It would be interesting if the Lemon Ladies were taking a leave of absence from the Wreck Trek to go hang with the boys down south at the Lemon Drop. This is one of the reasons I'd like to try and ID individual sharks - see how much area they're covering and how frequently they turn up for feedings.

I wonder if there's any kind of longer-term pattern; right now Donna and Alice (tigers) are back at the Wreck Trek at the same time they were around last year. Would be interesting if they pack up and leave at the same time they did last year as well (I think they stopped showing up around the end of May). Also, I'd like to see if the hammerhead sightings pick up now like they did last year, and if it's possible they're the same individuals as last year.

---------- Post added April 3rd, 2015 at 10:10 PM ----------

March 21, 2015 - Lemon Drop
Tiger - 2
Lemon - 3
Nurse - 2

We had the biggest Tiger Shark that I've personally seen so far and she appears to be pregnant! The first Tiger Shark was smaller and didn't come in close.

View attachment 205218 View attachment 205219
View attachment 205220

Mike, I've been trying to take a closer look at the tigers in some of these YouTube clips and photos to see if we're getting repeat customers from last year. Mostly I've been looking at the demarcation lines around the head and gills; those seem to vary by individual. Think this tiger Ramon Llaneza got video of at the Lemon Drop last year is the same "big momma" you saw? She seems to have been in a lot of different clips from the Lemon Drop last winter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byc68XEOjiQ

 

[mscott556]

April 4, 2015 - Lemon Drop & Shark Canyon
Lemon - 1
Caribbean Reef - 4

We had a surprising lack of sharks on Saturday; even w/a crate full of fish (Lemon Drop only) and a strong current to advertise it.

---------- Post added April 6th, 2015 at 10:37 AM ----------

Mike, I've been trying to take a closer look at the tigers in some of these YouTube clips and photos to see if we're getting repeat customers from last year. Mostly I've been looking at the demarcation lines around the head and gills; those seem to vary by individual. Think this tiger Ramon Llaneza got video of at the Lemon Drop last year is the same "big momma" you saw? She seems to have been in a lot of different clips from the Lemon Drop last winter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=byc68XEOjiQ

IDK, the markings on the tiger recorded by Ramon are much more defined. Could they have faded out like that in a year?

 

[HalcyonDaze]

April 4, 2015 - Lemon Drop & Shark Canyon
Lemon - 1
Caribbean Reef - 4

We had a surprising lack of sharks on Saturday; even w/a crate full of fish (Lemon Drop only) and a strong current to advertise it.

Heh, maybe they were all at the wrecks. Sunday was off the freaking chain:

• Dive 1 (Deep Ledge): We didn't have bait, so the estimated 8-10 bulls didn't come close. No cobia on them either. Some of us were lucky enough to spot a sailfish that darted through.
• Dive 2 (Esso Bonaire): We got the Tiger Troika - Sophia, Djenny, and Alice all at once. Alan Egan got a great shot of the three of them all crossing paths in front of the bait crate. Really interesting to see how they have different, well personalities for lack of a better term. Sophia is very calm while Djenny and Alice can be handfuls. I had to nudge both of them a couple of times with my camera (I don't feel comfortable yet letting them inspect me too closely, and I'm more inclined to use the camera as a prod than try the Vulcan Nose Rub). There was also a nice-sized great hammerhead that turned up; he didn't come in for the bait but circled around the group on the way up. My first sighting and managed to get some okay pics.
• Dive 3 (Esso Bonaire): Sophia left, but we still had Djenny and Alice plus the hammerhead, a small bull, and two lemons (Flat Top and another female). At one point I had all four species in view. Djenny and then Alice followed us all the way up to the boat at the end.

IDK, the markings on the tiger recorded by Ramon are much more defined. Could they have faded out like that in a year?

I think it's the lighting. I'm not looking at the stripes, just at the line between the white belly and the gray flank/top color. The individuals seem to have their own patterns of "squiggles and spots." The back coloration does get darker as they age and the stripes fade until they're almost gone on the older ones.

Talking to Randy yesterday we determined that big tiger was the original "Donna;" as far as I know she's stayed at the Lemon Drop and not come around the Bonaire. Last year the first tiger to turn up at the Bonaire, although noticeably shorter, was either pregnant or overweight and at least some of the divers thought she was "Donna." When she showed up this year she had dropped the excess weight and picked up a couple of hooks plus a new spaghetti tag, so the thought was that she was a new tiger and she was named "Sophia."

 

[HalcyonDaze]

Interesting find the other day - was checking on Spearboard and found this thread. Guess now we know where, when, and how Sophia picked up her new tag: Spear Tagging Sharks for Science - First Test of New Approach - Success! - Spearboard.com - The World's Largest Spearfishing Diving Boating Social Media Forum

Also, confirmation she doesn't seem to be just hanging at the Bonaire, seeing as a cobia shooter encountered her about 5 miles to the south two weeks after the tagging.

 

[soundfield]

Here's a new video we just completed: "The Sharks" of Palm Beach County. Filmed April 3-4, 2015 with Randy Jordan of Emerald Charters. All footage was shot with a GoPro and flip 3 filters in ambient light. Enjoy! https://youtu.be/Jc1zh9gLAkQ

 

[mscott556]

April 12 - Deep Ledge & ESSO Bonaire Wreck
Tiger - 1
Great Hammerhead - 2
Lemon - 3
Nurse - 3
Bull - 3 (Deep Ledge)