chowe Loc: Summer, Northern CA, Winters, South Florida

These are from the Aquatrek Shark Dive. This is my fourth attempt to upload them. I've greatly reduces the file sizes to see if that is my problem. According to the instructions, these are supposed to be automatically reduced. What do the rest of you do to the size before uploading?

sailorsmom Loc: Souderton, PA

What fantastic, kinda scarey, shots, chowe! I think that pretty yellow and black fish is gonna be history! :)

chowe Loc: Summer, Northern CA, Winters, South Florida

Hi,

The pretty Yellow and Black fish is a Juvenile Golden Trevally, and they always seem to be in front of the Lemon Sharks, who look really dangerous because of the exposed teeth, but they are not in any danger at all, they are like pilot fish or remoras that the sharks tolerate. The sharks probably get some benefit, but I'm not sure what that would be from the Trevally. The interesting thing is, if the shark turns, they are in front of it, and within about 2 seconds are back in front of it again.

Lenf Loc: Strasburg,PA

Very nice shots , I love to photograph sharks, you have some great shots in clear viz.

chowe Loc: Summer, Northern CA, Winters, South Florida

Thanks Lenf.

Actually though the viz isn't so great at the Shark dive. It's a sandy bottom and the sharks stir it up pretty good. Most shots more than six feet away are pretty useless. The Gray Reef Shark was in good viz but not at the shark dive.

Critter-Hunter Loc: Indiana

Enjoyed your shark pics, one of my favorite was the Bull. Were you in the Bligh Waters at 100' or was this a hand feed site with bait ?

chowe Loc: Summer, Northern CA, Winters, South Florida

Hi Critter Hunter,

The shark dive is the famous one in Beqa Lagoon, just outside of Suva. The first time I did this we were on Beqa Island and it was a 2 hour boat ride to the dive site. The last 3 times I've been at Volivoli where its a 4 or 5 hour bus ride that starts at 4 am and ends at 6 PM now that the road across the middle is done. It used to be 9 PM. Still, I wouldn't miss it if I could help it. This was my 4th time.

They hand feed with almost no protection. Last year, the guy who started the whole thing was wearing a chin mail glove, somone asked him what was up with the glove and he said, "I,m not getting any faster".

They really cater to the photographers. If you have a big camera, as they say, you get to be up close and personal. This time I had a personal body guard with a stick that looks like the shoulder end of a crutch. When the sharks get too close he'd push them away. At least 3 times a Bull shark made contact with my dome port. The year before, I was the only one on the dive with a "big camera", so they had me lie on the bottom with a guy behind me, an one iin front luring the sharks to me with a fish head on a stick.

It is a great dive. The last two times I've been there, there have been around 30 Bull Sharks, a dozen Tawny Nurse Sharks, 4 or 5 Sicklefin Lemons, and a couple of Silvertips. If you go away from the feed, circling the area are Gray, Whitetip, and Blacktips. These never come into the feeding area though. They say if a Tiger comes in all the other sharks leave. Never seen a Tiger though and they are becoming rarer.

The other fish you see there are also amazing. Always see Star Puffers and large Napolean Wrasses. Giant Trevally are everywhere.

This trip I stayed a week at Volivoli and dove the Bligh Waters, then did a week on the new Siren that sails (actually motors) from there.

I never did get an answer to my question though. Do you guys reduce the size of your pics before posting them?

Critter-Hunter Loc: Indiana

Thanks foe the info, have not made Beqa yet, always went to Taveunie and the North end of Viti Levu. Going to use The Siren next Jan in Philippines for 12 days out of Cebu. Then another week in Turtle Bay dive resort. Hope to catch Thresher Sharks on that trip.

Regarding posting pics, I have loaded 1.5 meg JPEG files without issue

chowe Loc: Summer, Northern CA, Winters, South Florida

Thanks Critter Hunter

I think all my photos are over 5 mb. I like the Sirens, we did the one in Palau last year.