Diving the Kona Coast: Whitetip Reef Shark

Showing posts with label Whitetip Reef Shark. Show all posts

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Sleeping Sharks

There have been a lot of whitetip reef sharks (Triaenodon obesus) in Honaunau Bay over the last couple of months. One morning I found eight of them crammed tightly together under a small ledge in shallow water. In addition to the shark's head in this photo, you can see the back of one and the tail of another.

Monday, June 9, 2014

Snuggling Sharks

Saturday, March 22, 2014

The Reliable Model

whitetip reef shark Triaenodon obesus

This young shark is a very reliable model for me. For several months now, she can always be found at the same resting spot in the early morning. I know it's always the same individual by the distinctive scar behind the mouth on her right side - a memento from an encounter with a fisherman's hook. Sometimes she shares her resting spot with a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas).

Friday, February 21, 2014

Friday's Shark

whitetip reef shark Triaenodon obesus

Monday, February 3, 2014

Bunkmates

This photo shows a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) sharing its resting spot with a whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus). As mismatched as this arrangement may seem, I've actually seen it several times and I imagine it must be fairly common. Both species like to shelter under ledges or in lava tubes during the day and, since such places are in short supply, inter-species co-habitation sometimes occurs. This type of shark has small teeth and feeds on small reef fishes and invertebrates so the turtle is not in peril.

These species like to shelter in tight spaces so getting a pleasing photo of both creatures is difficult. Hence, the shark's face being obscured.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Strange Bedfellows

In my last post, I shared photos of a hawksbill turtle that was, presumably, injured by a tiger shark. Today I have something completely different to share with you. In the photo above, a green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) and a whitetip reef shark (Triaenodon obesus) are sheltering together in a small cave in Honaunau Bay. This is not the first time I have witnessed such a pairing, but it is the first time I was able to get close enough to get a photo (albeit grainy and poor quality).
The whitetip shark has very small teeth and poses no serious threat to the turtle. Whitetip reef sharks feed mostly on small fish and crustaceans and are nocturnal. Green sea turtles subsist primarily on seaweed and forage during the day. Consequently, they are bunkmates for only a short time. As you may be able to see, the turtle is quite awake and may be considering swimming around his companion to start her day. The little orange streaks in the photo are tiny juvenile fish hovering close to the camera.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Something You Don't See Every Day

Last weekend I chanced upon a small Whitetip Reef Shark while diving the north end of Honaunau Bay. That, in itself, is not unusual but what happened after it settled into a small cave was a new sight for me. Two Banded Coral Shrimp started to clean the shark's mouth and teeth with the shark opening wide to allow the cleaning process to proceed unfettered. I've seen these and other shrimp servicing predators like groupers and morays, but never a shark.

I only got one, blurry and poorly lit photo as all this was occurring far back in a very tight cave. But you can get the general idea of what's going on from the photo below.

It seems that no matter how often you dive, the sea always has something new to show you. Have a nice day!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Whitetip Reef Sharks Abounding

Since around March, there has been an uptick in the presence of Whitetip Reef Sharks (Triaenodon obesus) residing just south of the Two-Step at Honaunau Bay. During the daylight hours they have been residing under ledges or in pukas to rest, occasionally venturing out to give snorkeling tourists a possibly unwelcome thrill. There are at least two of them as I saw a pair together. All the ones I have seen have been female.

The shark in the first two photos is small, around 3' in length. Betty found it in a sand-bottomed puka at around 20' depth. This one was quite confident in the security his shelter gave her and sat still for photographs which I greatly appreciated.

A couple weeks later I was in shallow water by myself and decided to check out a ledge where I had seen a turtle resting on an earlier dive. Turtles often stake out sheltered areas to rest in and return to them regularly. On this day, I turned the corner to find the six-foot shark pictured above where I expected the turtle to be. She quickly roused and came in my direction. In the midst of being startled I took this picture which is blurry due to me recoiling in shock as I tripped the shutter.

The big gal swam around me for awhile, clearly displeased at my presence. While I didn't check my gauge, depth had to be around 10-12'. You can see the play of sunlight on the fish as well as the surrounding reef which generally occurs only near the surface.

One last shot. Notice how ragged the tip of her dorsal fin is. She's been around the block a few times!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Whitetip Sighting

Just wanted to share a couple images of a Whitetip Reef Shark I saw while diving on Nov. 20. She has a large, barbed hook imbedded in her mouth on the left side and not visible in these two photos. As a result she was restless and kind of "pacing" back and forth in a little enclosed area of the reef. I Took several shots but most were obscured by backscatter caused by sand she was stirring up. After a few minutes, she left and swam away along the reef.