Its one thing to talk/plan/prep for an adventure. Its a whole different animal to execute the plan the way you see it happening in your head. Thats how it was for the when we set out for Cat Island, Bahamas for the 2011 oceanic whitetip season. In my mind that was what we were going to do, we were going to head out, in perfectly calm seas and just get slammed by shark after shark. That is the way we could all see it happening...in our mind. Of course the ocean has her own ideas, and her own agenda, and she is not going to give up her treasures so easily. We were going to have to earn them and pay our dues - the hard way.
I got to Cat Island, Bahamas on April 17. Me and Charlie Estrabeau, (Head shark feeder for Phantom Divers, bull shark dive, in Playa del Carmen, MX) arrived on Cat, there is a true rawness to this island, that makes you feel like you are truly off the beaten path. It has such a frontier feel to it, that the other Bahamian island no longer have, due to the commercial world overtaking them with pizza huts, and homedepots and such. Plus the people here on Cat are just amazing and always fun to chat and share a beer with. When we arrived at our beach house, the fire of the adventure just exploded within me. There is nothing that spells adventure like stepping out of a car, feeling the scorching sun, with an ocean breeze hitting your face, and seeing a beautiful empty beach just a few hundred feet from your dwelling. It really does inspire.
This is the view from our front patio. Hell just the snorkeling here was amazing. In the early mornings, you could find turtles, spotted eagle rays, reef sharks, and little brown sharks "LBS." I saw a shark species here I have yet to identify. I just love a good mystery.
Image by Steve Jenkins
The following morning we headed out to the marina to set off on what I was hoping was going to be the perfect day on the water. We headed out to Charlene’s reef, a spot we named last season for its multiple species encounters. Expectations were high, but after only 10 minutes of motoring out we knew we were in for a long and rough day. The wind and the swells were pushing us around, and a 2 hour boat ride turned into a 3 hour ride. Once we arrived at our destination we began chumming but the currents were pushing our chum in the wrong direction and we ended the day with no sharks. Nothing spells disappointment like arriving somewhere with high expectations only to be let down. I understand this game well and I am not easily discouraged, as I know everyday is different and the ocean is not a zoo. It is alive and it moves and breathes and is ever changing. But this was our first day after a year of planning and plotting, needless to say, we were all very disappointed.
The following day the weather again gave us a rough time, and again we had a tough day at sea - with no sharks. The weather was also turning for the worse, and we were forced to turn back early. On our third day, we decided to try another spot due to the weather, and we again returned sharkless. Let me tell you as someone who has been leading trips for 9 seasons straight and with a track record of always finding the shark, there is nothing more heart wrenching then returning to port with no story after a three day effort in sharky waters. It just breaks your heart.
We headed out to sea on our fourth day, and we had to find an alternate site to chum due to the churned up seas in the open ocean. We spent some time studying the area, and decided to try something different, we laid out our plan for the best possible day of chumming, dropped our chum, and prepared for a full day on the water. I tell you my nerves were shot - I was nervous as hell, a fourth day with no sharks would really just kill us mentally. After about 2 hours we had one shark visit us, which was not an oceanic, but I took it as a good sign of things to come. About the 3rd hour, our buddy Ken Steil, saw a shadow, and pointed out a shark he saw about 50 yards out coming straight up our chum line. I rushed up the tuna tower. Charlie started saying it was an oceanic, I told them to hold up on the call, as the shark was still too far out to determine what it was. I was not sure of the species, but whatever it was, the shark was big. As soon as the shark neared the boat, there was no doubt in my mind what it was. The entourage of rainbow runners and pilot fish left no doubts in my mind that we had our first oceanic of the season. We all cheered with excitement. A huge wave of relief washed through me. Hugs and high fives soon followed. I tell you, there is no greater feeling then chasing a dream, and then seeing it materialize before your very eyes. The shark came in and stayed with us for over two hours before we finally called it a day. She was a large female, super sweet and was just a solid player. A perfect day to kick off the season. Plus it was my birthday and was truly a beautiful gift from the sea.
Despite their bad reputation, these sharks when sticking to interaction rules are extremely well behaved and a shark photographers dream.
MORE BAD WEATHER
The weather took a turn for the worse, and forced us to stay at port, which will drive a person mad, with ocean fever. Being so close to these sharks, yet so far is a terrible thing. Finally after 4 days the weather laid down and got better, so we again returned to the same area where we found our first shark. This time we had a male oceanic visit our chum slick. Again the wait was over 3 hours long. We were excited about finding another sweet spot for oceanics, which is good when our other spots are closed up due to really foul seas. The shark showed up and stayed with us for over 2 hours before we again called it a day. I was curious to see if the males acted any different from the females. I was pleased that at least this male was very laid back and cool.
Yes the sharks sometimes come in very close to check out our dome ports.
A few days later, with the weather laying down we decided to try out our spot over by Charlene’s reef again. By now our knowledge of how to chum these waters was better understood, and we had our strategic game plan in place. We marked our clocks when the chum boxes were dropped in and waited. We did not have to wait long before that first shadow appeared on our chum slick. We had our first oceanic show up within 35 minutes. A record for us. We started throwing on gear, and before we knew it a second shark showed up. By the end of the day we had 4 female oceanics visit us, one of them, we were excited to see was very pregnant. We also had a silky shark visit us along with over 10 reef sharks. Charlene’s reef was extremely productive today. We all stayed in the water for a very long time, and before we knew it, almost 5 hours had passed, when we finally called it a day.
We had four oceanics visit us for a memorable 5 hour session. A perfect day. Charlie dropping down to get some sillouette shots.
Our trips so far have been very successful and it gets me fired up knowing we still have 4 more weeks before we say good bye for the 2011 season out here. I am looking forward to seeing what tomorrow brings? Maybe a mako or a dusky, or that elusive white shark, which I am way over due for. Hey - it could show up on our chum slick. I know white sharks are not common in these parts, but I can dream right? and with these sharky waters around Cat Island...you just never know!
Double trouble...Gotta love cat Island!
Keep checking back, for our Brazilian video trip reports from our 2011 Cat Island oceanic whitetip shark adventures
For more info on our 2012 trip, click here.
