Up at 4am and on the road by 4.30, we arrived the best part of an hour early for our boat. This was one adventure we were NOT going to miss! I was beyond excited to get underway. Getting in the water alongside sleek, elegant blue sharks in British seas was eagerly anticipated and we had a full compliment of photographic equipment – underwater cameras, Go Pros, topside DSLRs and our trusty iPhones to capture the encounter from every angle.
Weather and sea conditions were not ideal but were good enough for the trip to go ahead with seven enthusiastic snorkelers on board, accompanied by the skipper and our shark whisperer. Ninety bone-rattling minutes later and the boat engine was cut. We had arrived at our destination and the shark whisperer began chumming the water.
As the boat drifted with the tide, 20+ miles offshore, an oily slick of fish guts stretched westwards and we waited somewhat impatiently for a blue shark to pick up the scent with its super-powerful senses. Despite being warned it might be several hours before the first shark appeared we were kitted up in our wetsuits within minutes. As it happened we didn’t need to wait long before the call, ‘Shark’, went up. Seven eager pairs of eyes peered over the side for our first glimpse.
The foremost thing that hit me when I saw the graceful outline of a shark below me was how incredibly BLUE it was! It was just the exact shade of blue that is my very favourite colour. A kind of mix between cornflower and the blue of the night sky at dusk, when the first stars start to twinkle. While the back of the animal was this colour, the sides, fins and snout were picked out in pure silver. As a rare ray of sun peeped between blankets of grey cloud, the shark appeared lit from within as its colours burst through the choppy grey sea’s surface. Then it was gone.
Again we waited while our shark whisperer explained how timid these animals are. They have learned to be wary of boats which they associate with being caught on the end of a hook and line. Our skipper described how he has to play cat and mouse with the angling boats which are always watching to see where he goes so they can target the sharks themselves. While the anglers mostly practice catch and release it is often a long-winded and exhausting affair for the shark which may end up with a stainless steel hook left in its mouth, or worse. Our guides told us that they have come across sharks with these kind of injuries.
But here she was again, drawn by the chopped up mackerel, one of her prey species. Again and again she passed by the boat, disappearing beneath only to appear again by the chum basket and be rewarded with a lump of fish. Every now and again she would investigate one of the drifting jellyfish, only to recoil from its sting a moment later. After twenty minutes or so of building her confidence the first snorkeller quietly slipped into the water. Kitted out in all-black and with strict instructions to lie quietly at the surface, no splashing and staying alongside the boat, the aim was to see how the shark would react to a person in the water with her. Would she be scared away or would she realise we posed no danger and hang around? Luckily it was the latter and our snorkeller was rewarded with close encounters and the experience of a lifetime. Nevertheless, with only one shark in attendance it was decided we should restrict ourselves to one person in the water at a time. As the first snorkeller exited the next one slipped into the water. It was Steve, my husband, with his array of underwater camera, lights, wide-angle lens and Go Pro mounted on top. As I watched from the boat, the shark approached him from behind and we directed him which way to turn for the best view.
All too soon it was the next person’s turn and then a forth was allowed in – two people in together. At that moment a pod of dolphins came powering through behind the boat. As all eyes turned to look at them the shark took her chance and snatched the entire net of chum, disappearing off with it into the depths, no doubt alarmed by the sudden commotion. With both dolphins and shark gone the snorkelers climbed back on board.
And so began a long, long agonising wait. Our shark did not reappear and neither did any others. The hours ticked by, we ate our lunch and a constant stream of chum trailed behind the boat. Every now and again a shark or two appeared but they didn’t hang around. Finally, with around forty minutes before we had to head home, a couple of sharks seemed quite interested and we decided to test them with someone in the water. It went well. They hung around.
Suddenly it was my turn and I slipped quietly off the back of the boat, camera in hand. The water was green and murky with lots of fish bits and a few small jellyfish drifting around. The sky was dark grey and the sea a bit choppy as I bobbed up and down beside the boat, waiting. And then I saw her (apparently the sharks here are all female). A shape emerging slowly out of the gloom and heading unhurriedly straight towards me. As she got closer I could see her long snout, her black eyes looking at me (or my camera light). And then at the last second she dipped slightly and passed beneath me so I could see her blue back and sleek, beautifully streamlined outline as she effortlessly turned and picked up a lump of fish.
The blue shark has to be the most beautiful of all sharks. With its stunning purpley-blue colour, its graceful shape and big puppy-dog eyes, how could you not fall in love with it? As for scarey – this shark was as scary as a fluffy cushion. Rather it was to be admired, treasured and appreciated as a thing of wonder, of evolutionary perfection, the apex of an entire food web, a precious and fragile being.
These sharks are being decimated right here in our North Atlantic. A reported catch of around 40,000 tonnes is taken each year by commercial fisheries and this has tripled over the last decade. In fact blues are the most heavily fished species of shark, with most countries having no restriction on the amount that can be taken. They are disappearing almost unnoticed right in front of us – heading down that one-way road to extinction. Looking at this wonder of nature it is heart-breaking to think that in a few more decades they may no longer be a summer visitor in our waters.
With two blue sharks circling around, passing close by and then swimming into the gloom, to return again and again, I was in a kind of watery heaven. All too soon my time was up and I had to climb back onboard to let the next snorkeler have their turn. But my heart was full of blue sharks. What a privilege to swim with these masters of the high seas, so effortlessly graceful in their element, so powerful and in control and yet at the same time so vulnerable and threatened by our careless attitude and ignorance. So timid and sensitive, how did they ever acquire such an erroneous and unjust reputation?
Once you have had a taste of swimming with blue sharks there is an overwhelming urge to return. A few fleeting moments in their presence is not enough. The next encounter might be for longer or with sharks that are a little bolder and more inquisitive; you might get better photos or be surrounded by half a dozen of these blue beauties. If you didn’t already love sharks you certainly will after meeting them. We will definitely be back. In the meantime we will be doing all we can to spread the word about the plight of these wonderful creatures – find out how YOU can help them here.
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