So I decided that I would only post when something cool happens. The day-to-day stuff here is kinda dry for most audiences so I'll just keep it to things that have pictures attached that will get people's attention, like this one.
That is a 10.5 foot tiger shark that was caught on the long lines that we set yesterday afternoon. A long line is basically a really long rope with floaters attached at intervals with hooks hanging off them. Add some bait to the hooks and you have a long line. Here, we generally set the lines at 2 pm, then check every 4 and a half hours or so. Usually there are 6 people in the setting and hauling crew, then 5 in the checking crews. Checkers go out at 6 pm, 9 pm, 1:30 am, 6 am, 10:30 am and then the haul at 2 pm the next day. The schedule is a bit tough for the 1:30 crew, but most sharks are nocturnal hunters so the 9 pm and 1:30 am checks usually have the most sharks.
This was the setting crew. There were a few stumbles at first but it was the first time for all of us so it's to be expected. And we caught this spectacular tiger shark, so clearly we're awesome setters.
Anyways, after the 9:00 crew secured her and did their sciency thing they called back to the lab to get everyone out there for pictures and a quick snorkle. Let me tell you, the first look at that face underwater stopped my breathe in my lungs. This next shot gives you a bit of perspective on how big this shark was.
A bit about tiger sharks. Tigers can grow to over 16 feet long, but usually top out at around 10-12 feet. So this girl was a big one. They can also weigh up to 1,400 lbs. I'm lifting with all my strength here and I barely got her dorsal fin (the one on top that I'm holding) out of the water. Moral of the story, this is a big shark. That being said, people have the idea that they are deadly anytime you get in the water with them, which is entirely false. You can count on two hands how many tiger shark attacks happen per year worldwide, which is an almost irrelevantly small number considering how many people swim in the ocean everyday. Obviously you don't want to just jump in the water with one if you don't know what you're doing, but they're not out to kill all humans. Even though we had it tied to the boat, this one never tried to thrash out or take a bite at any of us in the water and we got to within about a foot or so of her mouth.
After we all swam with her, the crew removed the hook and the tail-rope (exactly what it sounds like) and the shark calmly swam off into the night. We caught a few more overnight (not me, I was on the 10:30 and hauling crews, which rarely get any) but none were big enough to get everyone out of bed. We do this once a month, so look for another long-lining segment around this time in March. Hopefully we'll get some different species and I can expand your education. I have some pretty sweet shots of some baby lemon sharks so maybe my next post will deal with them.
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