Shark takeover

Beaches along South Florida are taken over by sharks following schools of migrating fish, and closed to swimmers every year at this time, this video documents over one thousand sharks in the waters off Singer Island.

Gatlinburg TN, Aquarium

I visited the aquarium in Gatlinburg, Tennessee last year. They had an amazing shark exhibit with a tunnel that has you walk through the shark tank. It’s incredible to see sharks, stingrays and all sorts of other fish swimming around you and over your head. Here are some pictures I took from the visit.

Gentle Giant Spotted off of Gold Coast

For the first time in over 30 years a whale shark was sighted and photographed off the Gold Coast in Australia.

At the Palm Beach Reef on Sunday the 6 meter (19-20 ft) was photographed by local fishermen Mark Pease and James Bowden. They were about to head home when the whale shark surfaced around 10am.

“He’s just came up and started nuzzling on the burley bucket and rubbing against the boat,” said Mr Bowden.

Mr. Bowden used his underwater camera to capture the shark on film while he played around the boat.

“He was quite friendly, he just wanted to hang around and have a look at us and we obviously had a good look at him.”

Full story on http://www.goldcoast.com.au/article/2009/01/21/41241_gold-coast-lead-story.html

Photo gallery of James Bowden’s photos http://tools.goldcoast.com.au//photo-gallery/photo_gallery_popup.php?splash=1&category_id=3665

Open Water 2

So I finally got around to watching Open Water 2: Adrift. I loved the first Open Water (I think I’m the only one who did). So I was hoping for another good movie of people stuck in the ocean with sharks circling beneath them.

I sat for an hour and a half, very anxiously awaiting the arrival of sharks. As the plot kept thickening and hope for the  stranded swimmers grew dimmer, I knew throwing sharks into the mix would be the next terrible turn of events. Boy was I wrong. Not one shark. I think one girl mentioned she was scared of being eaten by a shark, but that’s it. No fins, no brushes with a shark, nothing. And there was plenty of blood spilled into the water by clumsy fools trying to act like heros, but just wind up with knives in their stomachs. How they didn’t bring sharks into this movie is completely beyond me.

If you want to watch people tread water and try to climb onto a boat with a rope made of bikinis for an hour and a half then this is the movie for you! But don’t expect anything shark related.

Faster than a speeding… shark?

I’ve seen an ad recently for the new Tmobile G1 phone, that has someone asking “how fast do sharks swim”?

Good question, but unfortunately there’s not just one general answer for it. There are many different species of sharks, all of which have varying speeds in which they swim.

The speediest shark recorded is the Mako shark. Makos are known to leap 15-20 feet into the air.

“Calculations show that for a mako to leap 20 feet (6 metres) into the air, a speed of 24.6 miles (39.6 kilometres) per hour is required — and this for a shark impeded by the drag of a fishing line trailing from its mouth.” (http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/p_shark_speed.htm)

“Unfortunately, no one has yet measured the swimming speed of a White Shark going flat-out. Analysis of White Sharks attacking a video camera-equipped surfboard off the South Farallon Islands, California, give some indication of this animal’s attack speed. Current consensus among shark scientists is that the top swimming speed of the Great White is at least 25 miles (40 kilometres) per hour.” (http://www.elasmo-research.org/education/topics/p_shark_speed.htm)

Megalodon shark bite more powerful than T-Rex

“The most powerful bite of all time has been found — that of the prehistoric giant shark Megalodon, which makes that of T. rex look puny.

The giant shark Megalodon, which means “Big Tooth” in Greek, may have grown to more than 50 feet long and weighed up to 110 tons, at least 30 times as heavy as the largest of its living relatives, the great white shark.”

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Ryan Seacrest: “I was bit by a shark”

American Idol host Ryan Seacrest was swimming about eight feet out in the Pacific Ocean in Mexico when he suddenly felt like what he described as a stick going by his leg.

“I wasn’t sure what had happened.” Exclaimed Seacrest.

Then, he said, “I saw it swim! He took a bite, and he left.”

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Calvin and Hobbes

Calvin and Hobbes was my favorite comic strip growing up. Here’s a strip I particularly enjoy.

Sharks with frickin’ lasers

Just cause it’s so damn funny and involves sharks.

Great White Shark Mysteries

Long considered a mysterious monster from the deep, the great white shark is actually from the shallow — and no longer all that mysterious.
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