Live Every week like its SHARK WEEK!
Tribute to Shark Week
This week is one of my favorite weeks of the year – Shark Week. The Discovery Channel dedicates an entire week to these magnificent creatures of the sea. They explore their habits and offer some extraordinary tales of different individual’s interactions with sharks.
I thought I would dedicate a blog to some of my own shark interactions that I was lucky enough to capture in photos or video.
This first image is of a big eye thresher shark. I was off the coast of Fort Lauderdale and we saw something in the water. I jumped in to explore the commotion in the water. To my surprise, there were two thresher sharks. One was 14 feet long and the second shark was about 16 feet long. It’s pretty uncommon to get this close to these sharks because they typically live in waters to deep to explore. One of the sharks was also curious about me, so it came towards me. Luckily, he must have just eaten. I pressed down on his head to guide him away and I got back in the boat. I captured some amazing pictures though.
This second picture is of a lemon shark down in the Florida Keys. He was swimming in shallow waters off the coast of Islamorada. I jumped in the water and she stayed around long enough so I could get a couple pictures.
This next video took place in one of my favorite places in the world, Sumner Point Marina in Rum Cay, Bahamas. There were some sharks near the docks, so I decided to try to film them. This bull shark got a little too curious about the camera and rushed up to give it a head butt!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGHb5rvpeEg
This last video was a lot of fun. This excursion also took place at Sumner Point Marina in Rum Cay, Bahamas. I was on a paddle board fishing and ended up hooking a lemon shark. He dragged me out to the ocean. My friends were fishing nearby in a boat, so they followed and got the whole thing on film. At the 1:27 mark on the video, you can actually see the shark biting the paddle board. I was able to free the 6-foot lemon shark and he swam away.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEMqvmEoZJo
Sport Fishing Magazine deep water anchoring shoot
…..not the most exciting assignment in the world but it was a nice day to spend an hour on Ryan’s 31 foot Jupiter and nail down a quick assignment for Sport Fishing Magazine. here is a sample of the shoot.
Super duper busy….
Here is just a small sample of whats been goin on.
Green Sea Turtles of Rum Cay
The tiny island of Rum Cay, located in the Bahamas, is one of my favorite places in the world. The diversity of fish, sharks and other marine life makes the journey to the south end of the Bahamas a must-see for any sport fishing enthusiast. Bobby Little, the go-to guy of Rum Cay, took me to visit the salt ponds. This area of the island was once a thriving salt mine, but has since become the nursery of Rum Cay. We saw a variety of babies, such as groupers, sharks, lobsters and many more. It’s not often that I get to see these creatures in their infant state. I was in awe!
Green Sea Turtle Salt Pond on Rum CayGreen Sea Turtle Rum Cay
Green sea turtles are abundant in the salt ponds, which provided me with the unique opportunity to get close-up shots of these majestic creatures. Sea turtles breathe air, so they were easy to spot when they popped their heads out of water to take a breath. Although turtles are not known for speed, I had to take the photos quickly. As soon as I saw the turtles, they seemed to disappear. They can swim up to 35 mph. Even in tip-top shape, they would beat me in any race.
Green Sea Turltes of Rum Cay
Researchers estimate that there are fewer than 200,000 nesting female green sea turtles. Sea turtles are hunted for a variety of uses, such as food and their shells, which are used to make jewelry and other ornaments. In the U.S., hunting turtles is illegal, but laws have not yet been put into place in the Bahamas. There are groups who are urging the Bahamian government to act to save the world’s green sea turtle population.
Exciting Times!
So we have lots of new things coming out in 2011, first a new name Jason Arnold underwater…second a new online store http://www.JasonArnoldunderwater.com ……and many other things i cant speak of at the moment. here is a sample of the new girlee shirt and license plates.
White Marlin and Blue Marlin in Venezuela
Blue marlin caught off coast of Venezuela
A couple months ago I had the privilege of going to Venezuela with one of my buddies. As soon as we arrived, I noticed giant propaganda images throughout the airport. I wanted to take some pictures to document my experiences, but the armed guards made me feel a little intimidated. I had heard that it might be a little dangerous, but I found the people of Venezuela to be extremely friendly and accommodating. I would definitely go back for another visit. The gas was only Continue reading
