Marine Life & Conservation
Great Shark Snapshot Results Are In!
The results are in! Hundreds of divers took part in the first Shark Trust Great Shark Snapshot at the end of July. All around the world, shark and ray survey dives were conducted by individuals, dive clubs, liveaboards and dive centres. From the UK to Australia, Palau to The Bahamas, Hawaii to the Philippines, the sightings poured in. Nearly two thousand sharks and rays were recorded over the 7 days of the Great Shark Snapshot. 49 different species were spotted in 14 countries.
Caroline Robertson-Brown, Marketing Coordinator at the Shark Trust said “I am delighted with how our first Great Shark Snapshot has gone. What I loved most was getting so many messages from people saying how much they enjoyed taking part. Many dive centres I have spoken to have now decided to run regular shark and ray survey events and will be adding their sightings to our Shark Log database.”
Whether divers were seeing their first shark, celebrating their 100th dive, seeing a shark or ray they had not seen before, or seeing sharks in huge numbers, the stories from the first Great Shark Snapshot have been uplifting. Some examples shared over social media during the week, using #greatsharksnapshot, include Lahaina Divers in Hawaii seeing 78 Scalloped Hammerheads, Tenerife Diving Academy seeing a Duckbill Eagle Ray and Sundive Byron Bay in Australia seeing 58 wobbegong sharks on a single drift dive. The very first shark sighting to come in was from Thresher Shark Divers in the Philippines who saw 5 Pelagic Thresher Sharks on their first dive of the Great Shark Snapshot. Basking Sharks, from Basking Shark Scotland, and Blue Sharks, from Celtic Deep, were spotted in Scotland and Wales respectively.
Prodivers Instructors and Manta Trust Marine Biologist at Hurawalhi Island Resort, Lhaviyani Atoll, Maldives
Aggressor Adventures had around 100 divers, on 5 of their liveaboards, take part in the Great Shark Snapshot. Cole Watkins, Director of Content Strategy at Aggressor Adventures said “We were delighted to help participate in this year’s Great Shark Snapshot. Not only did our liveaboard staff enjoy conducting the census, but our customers did as well. We understand that this information is important in maintaining healthy ecosystems and gives a better understanding of how populations of marine species can and do change over time. Aggressor Adventures is looking forward to participating in the Great Shark Snapshot for years to come”
Divers are in a unique position to be able to record the sharks and rays that they see. Their input to the Shark Trust Shark Log sightings database is crucial. Whether it is an exotic holiday of a lifetime, or diving the local coastline, all shark and ray sightings are valuable to help increase knowledge and understanding of sharks, skates and rays.
Thresher Shark Divers in The Philippines
Non-divers also did their bit, with 380 eggcases, from 8 different species, recorded in the Great Eggcase Hunt database. The Shark Trust will soon have a new app available to make recording shark and ray sightings, as well as eggcase finds, even easier. Watch out for more news on this soon.
The Great Shark Snapshot is a wonderful way for divers to get together, go diving, and do something to help shark conservation. The Shark Trust wants to thank everyone that took part in this first event. Dates for the 2023 Great Shark Snapshot will be released early next year.
For more information about the Great Shark Snapshot: https://www.sharktrust.org/the-great-shark-snapshot
The Shark Trust is excited to announce that, for two more days only, all donations, large or small, will be doubled in the Big Give Green Match Fund!
Donate to Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants
The Shark Trust is hoping to raise £10k which will be doubled to £20k. This will go towards Basking in Nature: Sighting Giants. And they need YOUR help to reach they’re goal.
The Shark Trust’s citizen science project is to monitor and assess basking sharks through sightings; encouraging data collection, community engagement, and promoting nature accessibility. This initiative aims to enhance health and wellbeing by fostering a deeper connection with British Sharks.
Campaign Aims
- Increase citizen science reporting of Basking Sharks and other shark sightings to help inform shark and ray conservation.
- Provide educational talks about the diverse range of sharks and rays in British waters and accessible identification guides!
- Create engaging and fun information panels on how to ID the amazing sharks and rays we have on our doorstep! These can be used on coastal paths around the Southwest. With activities and information on how you can make a difference for sharks and rays!
- Promote mental wellbeing through increasing time in nature and discovering the wonders beneath the waves!
Donate, and double your impact. Click Here
Marine Life & Conservation
Leading UK-based shark conservation charity, the Shark Trust, is delighted to announce tour operator Diverse Travel as a Corporate Patron
Corporate Patrons provide a valuable boost to the work of The Shark Trust. The Trust team works globally to safeguard the future of sharks, and their close cousins, the skates and rays, engaging with a global network of scientists, policymakers, conservation professionals, businesses and supporters to further shark conservation.
Specialist tour operator Diverse Travel has operated since 2014 and is committed to offering its guests high quality, sustainable scuba diving holidays worldwide. Working together with the Shark Trust will enable both organisations to widen engagement and encourage divers and snorkellers to actively get involved in shark conservation.
“Sharks are truly at the heart of every diver and at Diverse Travel, we absolutely share that passion. There is nothing like seeing a shark in the wild – it’s a moment that stays with you forever!” says Holly Bredin, Sales & Marketing Manager, Diverse Travel.
“We’re delighted to celebrate our 10th year of business by becoming a Corporate Patron of the Shark Trust. This is an exciting partnership for Diverse and our guests. We will be donating on behalf of every person who books a holiday with us to contribute towards their vital shark conservation initiatives around the world. We will also be working together with the Trust to inspire divers, snorkellers and other travellers to take an active role – at home and abroad – in citizen science projects and other activities.”
Paul Cox, CEO of The Shark Trust, said:
“It’s an exciting partnership and we’re thrilled to be working with Diverse Travel to enable more divers and travellers to get involved with sharks and shark conservation. Sharks face considerable conservation challenges but, through collaboration and collective action, we can secure a brighter future for sharks and their ocean home. This new partnership takes us one more valuable step towards that goal.”
For more information about the Shark Trust visit their website here.
For more about Diverse Travel click here.
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