Rogue sharks, or as Shark Week refers to them, "Great White Serial Killers" (thanks again for all you do for sharks, Shark Week, barf) are sharks that have supposedly developed a taste for humans and intentionally target us. It just so happens that I met and interviewed someone in South Africa who witnessed one of the rare occurrences of a white shark consuming a human. That particular area, Fish Hoek, has had two apparent consumptions. Does this mean there's a rogue shark in those waters? Several years after that interview I asked Dr. Christpher Neff about his work on the "rogue shark theory." ​

What's wrong with the phrase shark attack?  After all, the term is used so commonly that even scientists and shark advocates use it.  Dr. Christopher Neff helps explain how using the phrase is damaging for both sharks and people.
Watch the full one hour interview at whitesharkvideo.com/chrisneff

#sharks #sharkattack #sharkbite #sharkpresence #sharkthreat #sharkencounter #sharksighting #chistopherneff #skylerthomas #whitesharkvideo #greatwhitelies #wsv #sharkcull #mediahype

This is an extended scene from Great White Lies featuring Dr. Christopher Neff.  For the sake of pacing I cut all my interviews heavily, but All of Dr. Neff's words are worth hearing so I am rolling out his entire interview to the public over the next several days.
In this segment we are discussing his early research regarding Western Australia's reactions to shark bites and basically predicted Colin Barnett's shark cull.  He then goes on to explain how killing sharks is a political platform, whether it makes people safer or not.  Perhaps most disturbing is that manipulating the public rather than educating them puts them at even greater risk.  

Nothing spectacular here, just a fun and unexpected encounter with a large group of baby great white sharks.

​Oops, I mean leopard sharks. :)

Wolf Bear and Skyler decided to share a little info about these sharks, even if they aren't great whites.

Active-swimming predators, groups of leopard sharks often follow the tide onto intertidal mudflats to forage for food, mainly clams, spoon worms, crabs, shrimp, bony fish, and fish eggs.

The leopard shark occurs in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean, from the temperate continental waters of Coos Bay, Oregon to the tropical waters of Mazatlán, Mexico, including the Gulf of California. It favors muddy or sandy flats within enclosed bays and estuaries, and may also be encountered near kelp beds and rocky reefs, or along the open coast. 

There are a few sharks that use the word "leopard" in their title.  The leopard shark featured in this video is found on the Pacific coast of North America.

zebra / leopard (Stegostoma fasciatum) Australia / Asia

leopard catfish (Poroderma pantherinum) South Africa

leopard shark (Triakis semifasciata) Pacific North America

Footage shot by Skyler Thomas for White Shark Video unless otherwise stated. Stock footage licensing is available at www.whitesharkvideo.com/footage

Dogs and sharks!

Un perro se encuentra con docenas de tiburones

#dogsandsharks #paddleboarding #paddleboardingwithsharks #leopardshark #skylerthomas

I wish I was making this stuff up, but my parodies are inspired by the behavior of so-called "researchers" and "shark advocates" who appear on Shark Week.  Yes, they are credentialed scientists and the cameramen and hosts are familiar with sharks...which is what makes it so bad.  The willingness to lie and portray situations in a false light while being fully aware of what they are doing is something I can't stomach, although most "shark fans" I know are quick to turn a blind eye when someone they know commits the crime.  If that wasn't bad enough, the "research" I made fun of are actual studies. 
I'm not sure what's more upsetting, that humans are so detached that we consider what should be common sense to be "amazing discoveries" or that the scientists milk our ignorance and portray these things as unprecedented science.

#SharkWeek, #sharkweek #falsescience #savingnothing #boostingcareers #fishingshows #shame #fakescientists #sellouts #craigoconnel #joeromeiro #gregskomal 

Watch our first Shark Week episode below

It's Shark Week 2018! Every year the question for shark advocates is, "Should be we happy that it's Shark Week or dreading the new shows?" Make sure to watch our first Shark Week (parody) episode - Blood Resurrection. ;) What's your opinion of Shark Week in recent years? Is it getting better or worse? Our parody was inspired by accidentally seeing a few minutes of Shark Week 2017's Phelps VS. Shark right before going diving with Blue Ocean Dive Resort in South Africa so we were a little amped up on the silliness of Shark Week narratives and spontaneously recorded this on our way out to dive with the sharks of Aliwal Shoal. Can you really blame the producers when humans consistently show that they love fear and drama? Maybe, maybe not. All footage shot by Skyler Thomas, Ollie Putnam, and Dan Abbott. Music by Tyler Newman.

#sharkweek #blueoceandiveresort #sharkweek2018 #sharkweek2017 #sharkfear #hype #greatwhiteserialkiller #skylerthomas #ollieputnam #danabbott #sharks #sharkshows #discovery #fearoreduction #southafrica #aliwalshoal #durban #sharks #raggytooth #oceanicblacktips #whiteshark #whitesharkvideo #wsv #greynurseshark

​How are Endothermy, Climate Change, and Increased White Shark Sightings Related?
Endothermy is a pretty special physical feature of white sharks, but did you know they aren't born with this capability!?

Instead, it develops as they get older.   I learned that for the first time at a lecture where both Dr. Chris Lowe and Dr. Aaron Carlysle presented their research regarding the movements of white sharks (and other lamnid sharks) along the California coast and how water temperature affects these movements.  Why is that significant?
There's been a bit of hype the last two years regarding increased sightings of white sharks in California, sometimes in areas and times of the year, we don't expect them.  There's a pretty good chance these are juvenile white sharks that have altered their normal course, but why?  For that, you'll have to watch the video.

Many people won't take the time to read research papers, so I turn the research into quick videos like these, but, for those of you interested in learning more, here's a link to Dr. Lowe's work
http://www.csulb.edu/shark-lab

And Dr. Carylsle's presentation can actually be found on Youtube via Moss Landing Marine Labs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QPBjVVKLmX8

Specifically, thank you, Dr. Lowe, for sharing your Power Point presentation.  Footage shot by Skyler Thomas for White Shark Video unless otherwise stated.  Segments of both the researchers' data appear in the video. White shark footage in the bonus section provided by Skyler Thomas and Andy Dellios.

A little fun today reviewing movies from a "sharky" perspective.

In a special edition of Shark Minutes, Skyler Thomas reviews Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. Why would a shark channel review a dinosaur movie? Well, for fun, but mainly because what's wrong with the Jurassic Park series is the same as what's wrong with shark movies; They all depict that nature is out to get us. In this video we reflect upon Fallen Kingdom, Jurassic World, Jurassic Park, The Meg, The Shallows, 47 Meters Down, Indianapolis: Men of Courage, JAWS, and Deep Blue Sea. 

Yes, it's logical to argue that it's "just Hollywood" and shouldn't be taken too seriously, but let's also keep in mind that the movie JAWS is often blamed for the perception of and slaughter of sharks. AS each generation of human spends less and less time outdoors or interacting with the natural world it is reasonable to assume that a little bit of Hollywood's negative portrayal of predators is imprinted on the same people's minds. 

1. Number one in the countdown - Dinosaurs take a break from fleeing from an exploding volcano to stop and eat people and each other.  Naturally.

Here are a few of the more ridiculous moments:
1. Fallen Kingdom: Dinosaurs fleeing from lava and volcanic explosions take the time to stop and try to eat people rather than continue to safety.
2. Jurassic Park: T-Rex, upon being free of his pen, decides to try and eat anything that moves rather than enjoy freedom and escape further into the island.
3. Jurassic World: The pterodactyls break loose from their giant bird cage and their first stop is to go kill people rather than fly far away.
4. The Shallows: A massive white shark is obsessed with eating a skinny woman even though it has a whale carcass available for round-the-clock feeding.
5. JAWS: A 25 foot white shark decides to focus its attention on eating people instead of whatever it was eating to get that big in the first place.
6. 47 Meters Down. A collection of all the biggest white sharks ever gather in one place to desperately try to break into a steel cage in order to eat two girls, rather than look for food elsewhere in the ocean.
7. Indianapolis: Sharks are so anxious to kill people that they ignore explosions, fire, oil, and general chaos in order to eat people. They then seek out the living survivors of the sunk ship rather than focusing on the corpses.
8. Deep Blue Sea: A giant mako shark, genetically modified to be super intelligent, makes a plan to escape from its enclosure. But when freedom is finally in reach, it turns around because it just can't resist killing one more person.
​9. The Meg - The biggest shark to ever exist decides to focus its attention on tiny prey, like humans. 

Have you ever asked yourself why JAWS did what it did to sharks, but Cujo didn't negatively affect dogs? Maybe the movie was just that good. Or maybe it's because we are unfamiliar with sharks, thus we fear what we don't know and our imaginations can get the best of us (with a little urging from Hollywood).
​If you enjoy these shows give a like, subscribe, and maybe even order a Shark Minutes t-shirt. Thanks.

Shark Minutes! 5 facts about hammerhead sharks in 60 seconds. I want to give a shout to Dr. Erich Ritter, who's podcast reminded me of how amazing hammerhead sharks are. These casts are packed with information and refreshingly honest. I had never heard that the pectoral fin size is related to the cephalofoil size so that's a new one for me ( and I hope Erich is right about it, ha, ha).
​OK, here we go!

1. The broad head expands the range of downward-facing ampulae of Lorenzini, aiding the shark in finding prey hidden on the ocean floor.
2. Hammerhead sharks have a 360-degree field of view!! I can't imagine processing that information.
3. The hammerhead shark has the tightest turning radius of sharks, likely assisted by the hammer (cephalofoil).
4. Pectoral fin size is related to cephalofoil size.
5. Hammerhead sharks have a relatively small mouth, which could be a disadvantage when taking down prey, but again, the foil helps make up for this since the hammerhead shark uses it to pin prey down.

​There are several species of hammerhead shark; the ones featured in this video are great hammerheads, filmed by Skyler Thomas in the Bahamas.

Watch all Shark Minutes episodes at SharkMinutes.com

Aprende sobre el gran tiburón martillo con tu anfitrión Skyler Thomas​

​#hammerhead #greathammerhead #cephalofoil #erichritter #sharkminutes #sharkfacts #whitesharkvideo #skylerthomas #bahamas #bimini #shark #sharkadaptations

Return to Shark Alley!

Thrilled to have an old "shark friend" of mine, Lalo Saidy, participate in our first shark talk show.  Why should you be excited?  Lalo has been working with white sharks on a near daily basis for fourteen years, some of those years spent in both South Africa and Guadalupe.  In 2004, 2007, and 2014 Skyler and Lalo were able to spend time together observing the sharks in Gansbaai.. and SO MUCH has changed there over the years.  Like what?  Lalo sheds light on the shark situation there and much more in this interview.

Full Story
Skyler met Lalo in Gansbaii, South Africa, in 2004, when they were both working on different shark boats. Skyler and Lalo hung out again in Gansbaii in the summer of 2007 and again briefly in the same location in 2014. There have been drastic changes to the sharks, diving community, and ecology of the area during that time. Since Lalo has worked on shark boats that entire time we decided to ask him about these changes. Since Lalo was with Skyler the day he went snorkeling in Shark Alley back in 2004, we thought we’d ask Lalo to help us address some of the comments and criticism posted on Youtube regarding the video of that event. 

Complete topic guide:

• How does photographing white sharks in Gansbaai compare to doing the same in Guadalupe?
• How is white shark behavior different in the two locations?
• Can you tell what the scars on the sharks are caused from?
• How do you defend cage dive tourism against critics?
• What has happened to the white shark capital of the world?! Where are the white sharks and what has caused their disappearance?
• The deeper story regarding orcas killing white sharks in South Africa.
• How stupid was it to snorkel in Shark Alley in 2004? Is it dangerous or not? Why or why not?
  
• ​What’s next for you (Lalo) and where can we buy your photos?
  

Humorous relief as Dan Abbott reads the top “mean comments” posted on Skyler’s short film “Swimming in Shark Alley”

​All photographs and video footage by Lalo Saidy except the breach footage, captured by Skyler Thomas.
2014 interview of Skyler and Lalo filmed by Maarten Jozef Billen
Follow Lalo’s work at http://thisismysharklife.com/ 
Follow Skyler’s current film at http://www.whitesharkvideo.com/monsters
​Dan’s next project includes filming endangered orcas in British Colombia. Support that project at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/48340301/searching-for-chinook