Great White Sharks

 

They call them white pointers here in Australia and there are lots of them around, we're told, Ever since I saw “Jaws”, I hear that duh-duh, duh-duh, duh-duh in my mind whenever I'm swimming or diving in the ocean (sometimes even in the deep end of the pool). We've seen many sharks in our travels and truth be told, once you become accustomed to them being around, you keep out a wary eye, but they usually don't bother you. I've been known to walk on water if one gives me the “I'm hungry for lunch look” once too often. These were not, however, great whites, one of the largest predators on earth.

It didn't take reading the guide book nor the cautions of locals advising us not to swim off the boat when anchored off tiny islands, to give us warning that great whites were in the area. All we really needed to see were all the ads for “Swim with the Great White Sharks … Cage Dive With Great Whites”, to alert us there were quite a few big guys in the neighborhood. A recent shark attack and resulting death of a South Australia man certainly got everyone's attention.

In Port Lincoln, we had the opportunity to do a shark cage dive. We thought about it … for less than a nanosecond. I read the FAQs on the website page. We're PADI-certified divers, but you don't need to be. I mean, what could go wrong? The cost? ~$500AUD/pp, but this includes breakfast/lunch and snacks (for us or the sharks?). None of the FAQs addressed my particular question regarding messing my pants underwater … very tacky, I know, but still, I wondered.

It seems that though great whites account for the most unprovoked shark attacks on humans, we are definitely not their preferred diet. Talks with the locals in Port Lincoln indicated that staying away from sea lion colonies is prudent. Evidently, sea lions are right up there on the top of their preferred dining, especially the pups. Swimming in the open ocean is not advised and, if you remember, Port Lincoln had a caged-in protected area near the jetty for safe swimming.

Because their numbers were dwindling, Australia added the great white shark to its list of protected “vulnerable” species. Great whites have no natural predators (other than man)and it seems the population is slowly increasing since “sports harvesting” is no longer legal although their numbers are not yet where they should be.

A few Great White Shark facts for you …

• Known for their size, average adult great whites range grow to about 21 feet (6.4m) … about half the length of Nine of Cups. Some have been recorded as big as 26' (8m). Lot of fish!

• They mature at about 15 years and it's now thought their lifespan is ~70 years.

• Great white sharks can accelerate to speeds that exceed 35 mph (56 km/h).

More shark facts, try this link.

Talking on Skype with David's sister recently, we mentioned great white sharks in the area and she suggested we move farther west to avoid them …

“Well, they're are lots of them in Western Australia, too”, we told her.

“Well, go further north then”, she countered.

“Then there are salt water crocs. And if you go inland, there are poisonous snakes and spiders and ...” Seems there's always a lot to keep your mind busy and alert in Australia.

David has had no urge to check the hull lately or the prop. We haven't seen any great whites circling the boat yet, waiting to attack. Rest assured, if we do, you'll be the first to know.

Talking Smack

 

Yeah, yeah ... I read the Urban Dictionary and I know that smack talk is dissing someone, but at the marina currently, there's another meaning to smack talk. We're inundated with jellyfish … moon jellies to be exact (aurelia aurita), and the warm water around the boat is thick with them. The collective noun for jellyfish is smack, so we're definitely talking smack here.

We were a little concerned that these are the stinging variety of jellyfish as there are several very poisonous jellyfish that inhabit Australian waters including the irukandji and the box jellyfish. The moon jellies are indeed poisonous, but their stingers evidently cannot penetrate tough human skin, so there are no worries. Doesn't matter, I don't like them much as swimming companions, so I've stayed out of the water. We've seen signs warning against jellyfish at some beaches in the past and we definitely take heed.

I am, however, fascinated with photographing them. Moon jellies, in particular, are quite pretty, especially when their gelatinous bodies contrast sharply against the green water of the marina. Evidently, they're pretty ubiquitous in temperate waters in all the world's oceans. I appreciate the intricacy of the four-leaf clover shaped organ in the center. I found out that it's actually their reproduction organs. Hmmm.

They locomote by pulsation and watching them slowly wend their way through the water and around the boat has kept me amused and occupied just observing and photographing them. Doesn't take much to keep me away from boat chores, huh?

A little jelly smack trivia … In 1991, over 2000 moon jellies were sent into space on the space shuttle

Columbia to study the effects of weightlessness on the development of jellies. Your tax dollars at work.

Winter Moths

 

Winter moths? Really? I'm sorry, I've never heard of winter moths. Moths are nighttime butterflies in my book, but these guys have inundated the area … in December, no less … in the daytime and they're all over everything ... including Lin's house, doors, windows, everywhere. They're freaky, if you know what I mean. They don't belong here … especially so late in the season, in the cold, and in such great numbers. There's actually a National Moth Week celebrated in July. In July, moths are okay. December … definitely not.

We've seen lots of moths in our travels. The largest were called Money Bats in the Bahamas, aka cicadas. Jelly relished catching them at night and bringing them into the galley. They were a novelty at the time and certainly not in great numbers.

We've observed other moths, but usually at night and usually fluttering around the lights. These are normal moth things to do and very acceptable.

These drab winter moths, however, just lay around all day long, clinging to the windows and clapboards of the house, right out there in the open and do nothing. They don't even move when you get near them. There are flocks of them … herds... clouds … what the heck is the collective noun for too many moths anyway?

According to Wiki, this “abundant” species is native to Europe and the Near East and one of few moths that is active even in the dead of winter. They found their way to North America, more specifically Nova Scotia, in the 1930's. They're in several coastal provinces and states now in “infestation” numbers. They're not particularly good critters … they're defoliators causing significant damage to trees and orchards. I know everything has its place on this earth and I apologize to all the moth lovers out there, but geez...