THOMAS P. PESCHAK

Less than 2 weeks after returning from a trip to photograph my favorite tiger sharks at the Aliwal Shoal Marine Protected Area off South Africa's east coast for a Africa Geographic magazine feature, my friend Mark Addison of Blue Wilderness Dive Expeditions called me with some devastating news. A few days ago a young fishermen who should know better caught and killed three tiger sharks within the MPA and landed them openly in broad daylight. Tiger sharks are a protected species within the Aliwal MPA as they are the main attraction for thousands of tourists who come from across the world to dive the shoal and see these sharks. One dead tiger shark might fetch a once off payment of no more than $50-100 dollars for the fisherman, but alive that same shark might be worth in excess of $10 000 every year in marine eco-tourism. Further investigations revealed the sobering news that a further five tiger sharks were killed the week before. Shark diving tourism at Aliwal shoal is one way to sustainably utilize our ocean resources in a non-consumptive manner and in the process create much needed employment for hundreds of people in the tourism and hospitality industry along this section of South Africa's coast. As this recent incident has demonstrated marine law enforcement at the Aliwal Shoal MPA is practically non-existant at present and poachers are able to operate with impunity from arrest or prosecution. If the sharks of Aliwal shoal are to remain a model of non-consumptive utilization of South Africa's marine wildlife heritage then the government, NGO's and tourism operators must combine forces and act quickly to stamp out these reckless, selfish and destructive acts that could destroy one of the world's true last shark paradises in just a matter of months.

Dartboard, a female tiger shark (pictured above) is bold, inquisitive and playful, the three character traits on every shark photographer's wish list. I last photographed her one year ago and was delighted by the news that after having left the shoal during the winter she was encountered again there just one week ago. Now I wish she had stayed away a bit longer.   Being so bold and inquisitive it is likely that she would readily take a baited hook if presented to her. Since no photographs were taken of the caught tiger sharks we will probably never know which individuals were killed. In a perverse twist of fate I have also just been informed that at least one of the dismembered carcasses was purchased by a Aliwal shoal shark dive operator for use as bait to attract tiger sharks for his international diving clients. Granted tiger sharks frequently feed on other sharks, but to me purchasing the meat of an illegally caught tiger shark as bait to attract more tiger sharks for eco-tourism purposes is nothing short of insane. While I also recently learned that a arrest might be imminent I am not holding my breath on that one, but maybe the strong publicity over the weekend has galvanized the authorities to act. I will keep posting on this topic as more information becomes available.

Sometimes even the best laid plans are thwarted by mother nature, as was such when I set out with Mark Addison (Blue Wilderness), Cheryl-Samantha Owen and Charles Maxwell to photograph Zambezi (Bull) sharks on a remote and rarely dived reef of the Maputaland coast. For one week the wind blew from the wrong direction, the game fish were not running and while seeing many zambezi sharks on every dive, they were shy and always retreated to the inky depths below on every approach.  However after almost one week of  not getting any Zambezi shark images, my persistence was rewarded by the best whale and raggedtooth shark encounters of my career. A incredibly playful whale shark stayed with the boat for more than 1 hour and regularly approached and tried to gently bump me. She hung vertically and stationary in the water for minutes at a time, gulp feeding on dense assemblages of plankton. At one stage she almost swallowed the camerea in her cavenous mouth, resulting in a unique set of whale shark images to be published later this year. I also had the priviledge of diving with a dozen or so raggedtooth sharks in crystal clear waters for two hours.

Early November marks the beginning of the Cape Fur Seal breeding season and testoterone charged bulls compete for territory and the right to mate with females. Myself and Cheryl-Samantha Owen travelled to Shark Alley, a channel between Dyer Island and Geyser rock, to photograph cape fur seal bulls fighting underwater. Mature male fur seals can exceed 3m in length and are very agressive during the breeding season. For me this presented a constant internal struggle between getting close enough to the battles to get good images, but not so close that they would consider me a competitor. For one thing is certain I would not last long battling a 350 kg fur seal bull.

Southern Right Whales travel from the Antartic to shelterd bays along the South African coast to give birth to the calves during the winter months. De Hoop Nature Marine reserve holds the most important calving and nursey grounds and I was delighted to except an invitation from friend and reserve manager Peter Chadwick to participate in a helicopter survey of these whales. We have been flying surveys for great white sharks for a number of years, but this was my first whale survey at De Hoop. Photographing whales from the air nototriously difficult and more often than not sea and wind conditions are not favorable. With great luck, conditions were perfect, the sea was almost flat and the wind just a light onshore breeze. In ca. 2 hours of flying I photographed not only two mating events but also a white calf and its mother.  Along just 10 km of coastline we counted in excess of 300 southern right whales.

My final assignement in the Seychelles was for the Save our Seas Foundation. I photographed whale sharks and scientific research carried out by scientsts of the Marine Conservation Society which is funded by SOSF.  Faced with strong winds, rough sea condition, bad visibility and only sporadic whale shark sightings, the week was challenging to say the least. Nontheless I managed to leave with the start of a portfolio and feature story and have been commisioned to return in 2008.

Bird Island sits around 100 km north of the main island of Mahe at the edge of the Seychelles Bank. This tiny coral island plays host to one of the world most spectacular seabird spectacles. Between June and October ca. 750 000 sooty terns congegrate to breed. In addition significant populations of greater and lesser Noddies, Tropicbirds, and fairy terns are also in attendance. Bird Island Lodge which was my home for almost 10 days, is one of the most ecological sensitive tourism development I have ever come across. In course of my stay  Nick and Jo, the island and lodge managers became good friends and I cannot wait to return to Bird Island in 2008.

Approaching Silhuette Island by sea one cannot help to find similarities to the fictional setting of the film Jurrasic Park. A rainforest clad mountain that plunges near vertically into the sea, its peak almost permantently obscured by billowing clouds.  Silhuette becam my home for a two week period, during which I photographed the astonishing cast of terrestrial crabs that inhabit the islands forests and beaches. No less than 10 species of crabs co-exist here, from the large and fearsome looking Cardisoma carnifex with a claw span of up to 30 cm to the Coenibita hermit crabs that carry their sea shells home with them wherever they go.

The St. Lucia Great Wetland Park and World Heritage Site located in the northeast of South Africa is home to estuarine dwelling populations of both hippos and nile crocodiles.

The Sardine run has always been one of my greatest nemisis. What should be every underwater photographers dream, is often nothing short of a nightmare. When oceanography, visiblity, winter storms and the sardines themselves don't cooperate then the days are long and nights often sleepless. However in 2007mother nature rewarded by persistance and patience by providing me with the most exhilarating and incredible hour in the ocean of my life. In 20 m visibility I was treated to a near stationary sardinr baitball attended by hundreds of of bronze whaler sharks, common dolphins and half a dozen Bryde's whales. To see more images click here or see my Wild Seas Secret Shores of Africa book.

The tiger sharks of Aliwal Shoal, a rocky reef off the east coast of South Africa are like old friends. Several times each year I free dive and photograph these gentle giants. For me this is without doubt the best shark dive in the world. To visit South Africa and see these sharks is akin to going to Egypt and not visiting te Pyramids. Despite my image library overflowing with tiger shark images I nontheless choose return again and again. The utimate tiger shark image is still out there, and one day I will find the right shark and situation to help me create it.

To meet the tiger sharks contact my good friends Mark and Gail Addison of Blue Wilderness Dive Expeditions.