Expedition leaders: Dr. Tristan Guttridge and Sorantaa Bain

Crew: Brianna, Jason, Rayden, Ryan and Tayshaun - Brianna, a passionate shark conservationist, had her position on the expedition fully sponsored by Saving the Blue. Saving the Blue also hosted local marine science student Tayshaun (from BAMSI). Tayshaun is working with Saving the Blue as an intern on a research project.

Introduction

Six species of shark caught, and some incredible moments that we’ll treasure forever… Learn more below!

Day 1

With the build up and buzz surrounding Shark Week our team were eager to head out to Andros to conduct research! As always, we flew from a semi-private airport from Fort Lauderdale, directly into Andros, The Bahamas. The views from the plane were spectacular!

Once on the ground we made our way to our locally owned accommodation, listened to a safety briefing and were quickly out on the water for a day of BRUVs (Baited Remote Underwater Videos). Tayshaun, a local marine science student is working with Saving the Blue as an intern and he, along with Dr. Tristan Guttridge are responsible for the project. BRUVs is a research technique for surveying marine life found in The Bahamas.

Once back we cleaned equipment and sat down to review footage and eat dinner, while making plans for the following day.

Day 2

Today we started early as we planned to set more BRUVs and blockrigs which we hoped would allow us the opportunity to capture and tag a variety of sharks.

We had an extremely successful day with many BRUVs set, and many sharks caught, 12 in total, however, the highlight of our day was the amount of Caribbean reef sharks we caught, seven!

With a busy, tiring day we headed home for dinner and BRUV review. Blacknose, Caribbean reef and nurse sharks all seen on the BRUVs.

Day 3

An early start for more of the same! BRUV deployments and shark captures. We had another successful day with three more sharks caught.

We pride ourselves on creating a great atmosphere on our trips, forming amazing memories that we hope will last a lifetime. Our team experience and learn so much in such a short period of time. if you would like to join a trip with us you can learn more HERE.

Day 4

Today we started in one location, before moving to another! In one location we caught a beautiful blacktip followed by some nurse sharks in shallow water, and in the other location we caught silky sharks in the pelagic zone.

All research assistants are fully integrated members of our team and are trained for every activity. They receive lessons on basic boating, knots, and essential shark anatomy, among other fascinating topics. Depending on experience level and education they are taught theory and are given hands on experience on how to process and ‘work up’ a shark for research, including taking DNA samples and tagging where appropriate.

Day 5

Today was a busy day! The first shark caught was a nurse shark! Occasionally we bring smaller sharks onto the boat see below) as this is the fastest way to ‘process’ them (usually under one minute). Sometimes in pictures it looks stressful for the shark but we promise we do this for them, not us. It can actually be more dangerous for us, however this is truly the best/fastest way to work.

With four more sharks caught and more BRUVs deployed and retrieved it was time to head home. On arrival back to the lodge we cleaned our equipment like always and sat down for dinner before reviewing our BRUV footage. What a surprise we got while reviewing the footage , a juvenile tiger shark was spotted! This rare treat excited everyone as the juvenile tiger sharks stripes are prominent and beautiful to see up close.

Day 6

We started the day with more shark research in a shallow water habitats. We caught blacknose, Caribbean reef and nurse sharks!

After a busy morning and few days the team was given a treat; observing lemon sharks in the shallows! All enjoyed some close passes as the sharks swam around their feet. This experience is so relaxing and enjoyable people never want to leave! After our fun, we headed back to collect our BRUVs followed by our usual evening of cleaning gear, reviewing footage and eating dinner.

Day 7

Our last morning, and we ended our trip with a bang! A HUGE tiger shark was caught and tagged by our team. For many this was a once in a lifetime moment and the experience really left the team on a high. What a way to finish the week!

Sad goodbyes were shared as we boarded our plane, although we know we will see many of you again in the near future.

Thank you

Thank you to our research trip leaders Dr. Tristan Guttridge and Sorantaa Bain for guiding the team through an incredibly successful week. A huge thank you to our research assistants for their passion, determination and endless enthusiasm to work hard, learn and produce results. We would also like to thank the Andros Island Bonefish Club for their hospitality, and the hardworking and ever professional Cole from PFO Charters for his top class boating and captaining skills.

Gratitude must also go to all on the trip for their generosity in allowing us to use their images in this blog, particularly Brianna.

Early results

Blacknose - 3

Blacktip - 1

Caribben Reef Shark - 10

Nurse shark - 13

Silky Shark - 4

Tiger Shark - 1

Total shark count for the week: 32