Well, I am finally back at my computer after a wild – and wildly successful, I might add – two weeks of travel! The whirlwind tour began with a Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation scientific expedition to Tiger Beach in the Bahamas, followed by appearances at Guy Harvey’s Island Grill in Orange Beach, AL and Panama City, FL and Bealls Department Stores in Bradenton and Naples, FL. A lot of miles, but also a lot of fun. Many thanks to everyone that came out to see us in AL and FL.

The Tiger Beach trip was as exciting as ever. I was joined by two of the world’s foremost shark experts – Dr. Mahmood Shivji, director of the Guy Harvey Research Institute, and Dr. Michael Domeier, President of the Marine Conservation Science Institute - on an exploratory trip to study the tiger sharks at Tiger Beach. The tiger sharks were out in full force and the expedition team was able to document and study the site’s shark population. This trip served as a pilot study for what will be a large-scale, long-term study of the Carribean tiger shark population, which is in serious peril due to overfishing.

A tiger shark tries to swim off with the chum bucket during a recent Guy Harvey Ocean Foundation scientific expedition at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. Photo courtesy of Bill Watts.

The trip to Tiger Beach was documented by a crew of photographers, videographers and journalists. For a great account of the expedition, read Susan Cocking’s article from today’s edition of the Miami Herald. Also, be sure to visit the GHOF fan page on Facebook to see some great photos from the trip.

Cheers!

Hi All -

Sorry for the time away from the blog – I have been busy planning and packing for my trip to study the shark populations at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. This amazing area, which is really a sand bar located about a quarter mile from a deep water drop-off, is home to many shark species, included Caribbean reef sharks, Lemon sharks and the area’s name sake, the Tiger shark.

This is a follow-up to a trip I took to the same location last year. This year, I will be accompanied by three of the top shark experts in the world, as well as by several top photographers and a journalist, all of whom will be diving with us to document the trip.

Here are a few photos from last year’s trip:

A Tiger Shark patrols a reef at Tiger Beach. Photo by Neil Hammerschlag.

Tiger Sharks wait for visitors beneath the "Gulf Stream Eagle". Photo by Neil Hammerschlag.

A 14 ft. Tiger Shark inspects my camera lens at Tiger Beach. Photo by Neil Hammerschlag.

Stay tuned for updates from this year’s expedition, which will include more incredible images of the sharks of Tiger Beach!

Cheers!