Monday, November 10, 2008

Tiger Shark

Yes, that is a really big shark. This is the first time I have seen a Tiger Shark, and he was a big one: Twelve to fifteen feet was the final thought. Divers on the boat spotted what they thought were small, innocent, playful dolphins splashing on the horizon, so we took the boat in for a look. NOT dolphins! As we neared the splashing, we noted that it looked too... side-to-side? for dolphins, and then we saw the fins: Greyish brown, floppy, and a large space between dorsal and tail fin. Too large! We came right up on him and the Captain killed the engines. We gathered at the edge of the boat to see what he was after, because we could see the blood and, well, bits... floating on the surface. The shark nudged the body again and it flipped over to reveal hoofs: He had a goat. We stayed with him for a few minutes as he leisurely chomped away, and with one final swoop on the surface, he flashed his stripes, rolled his eyes back, opened his jaws and took the goat down into the depths.
Huge.
Wide.
Stripey.
Makes me aware I am not at the top of the food chain!

I didn't take this photo: A guest on the boat, Joyce B., took this photo and a few more, which I await via email.