Closing thoughts on Sharks

          Meeting Dr. Skolam last Saturday to ask him a few specific questions, cemented in my mind what I've experienced since I was a girl ~ all creatures behave according to their basic survival instinct and from learned experiences, whether you're a shark or swimmer. 

                                                                                                                    

                   As I wrote a few days ago, my first experience with sharks was catching them for dinner as a girl. I wasn't afraid nor was I careless, just rather intrigued. Ancient fish that have survived for so long, relatively unchanged, is impressive (my favorite sea critters are the "soft intelligences" known as the octopus ~ again, stories and experiences are for another time). When Dr. Skomal inscribed his book to me as shown above, I thought, "How did he know that I enjoyed the sharks?" And, of course I'll keep swimming!!

                        As a teenager, my next lessons with sharks happened in St. Croix, USVI. After high school and before college, I was a cabinetmaker working in Alna, Maine. I lived in Harpswell and met a man, Ron Oullette, who  was building a ferro-cement sailboat in what was then Wallace's Boatyard, and is now known as Safe Harbor Great Island Marina. 

                                                   ( Bec Deemer ~ on Pinion in Harpswell, your father, uncle , and                                                                                     Grandparents on Pinon)

                    We finished building the boat together and, after a year of living on it (yes in the winter too, see a trend here?), we sailed from Harpswell to St. Croix. We had two crew members join us for the journey. One was Earl Crandall, who attend Brunswick High School with Ron. If any of you know "Earl-the-Pearl" Crandall, (last I heard he was working one of the boats at the Maine Marine Museum in Bath), please tell him that Baa (my nickname) says, "Hello." The other crew member was a D.A. from the Bronx named Jake Apuzzo. 

                       I took the above picture when I was 19. Pinion, the name of our cutter, had successfully made it during an early morning passage through Hell's Gate and down the East River. Jake was trying to peep into an old girlfriends apartment window. Earl is at the wheel. We were giddy from making it to New York City and knowing our maiden open water (blue water) leg of the trip, from Sandy Hook to the Chesapeake, was only a day away.

                            The rest trip was book-worthy; filled with a hurricane in blue water that last 11 days and all of us incased in a skin of salt, encounters with other live-aboard characters from every part of the country and planet, kindness from strangers and learning to shoot a pistol in the intracoastal waterway because in the early 80's there were real Pirates in the Caribbean who would steal a 48' boat (and potentially kill you) for one point to point drug run.  I've promised my kids and students to write about this journey one day and I will. 

                              After nearly two weeks at sea (in storms between Beaufort, NC and the  USVI), we first anchored at Buck Island, a national park off the north east end of St. Croix. It was the first gin clear warm water I'd ever encountered. Seeing all the fish, corals, and sea life was thrilling. When I made it ashore, I couldn't walk, so I got back in the water. I loved being able the fish I knew were there all along. Jacques Cousteau was  my hero and my curiosity was piqued! For the better part of the year that I lived there, when not working in a sandal or cabinetmaking shop, you could find me in, on, or under the sea. In fact, on weekends I often crewed for friends on their "cattle boats" from Christiansted out to Buck Island. There is an underwater nature trail there and I'd teach the tourists how to use a mask, fins and snorkel. To get them feeling comfortable we'd have them stay near the stern of the boat. But before we went into the trail, another crew member would throw some frozen peas in the water to create a rush of fish, so the tourists would understand how crowded it would be on the trail. The sounds of the shouts through the snorkel still makes me laugh to this day!

                                                (Bec Deemer ~me with your two uncles!

                      If you're from Harpswell, of a certain age and you hear the words "St. Croix", "underwater", "diving", "honored explorer", "innovation", "funniest story evah" "Brunswick", and "wildly successful entrepreneur" in quick succession ~ the narrative will wind its way to Brett Gilliam. Brett had know Ron in Brunswick and had a few years earlier helped Ron find himself after Vietnam in St. Croix. It was there that Ron hatched the idea of building the sailboat back in Maine. Brett and Ron taught me how to scuba dive, free dive and spearfish. Ron and I borrowed all of Brett's gear when we first arrived in St. Croix. Brett owned one of the first and best dive shops on the Island. Plus he had a flotilla of power yachts, with his business, where he'd entertain friends and turn clients into new friends. He was larger than life and extremely generous if he called you his friend. After I left St. Croix and  later when he returned to Maine, I continued to run into him in Bath and Arrowsic. He invited me to a New York Explorers Club Event he was attending and I regret not being able to go with him. He always wanted to swap stories and get updates. A year ago Brett died and below is his obituary, written by his friend,the musician, Jonathan Edwards.

https://www.daiglefuneralhome.com/obituary/Bret-Gilliam?fbclid=IwY2xjawGmFbxleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHWXVo_4O89E2NJbvWSiv3x9GSmreIm9a4N-L9D1K6Q8Guo_UU0vfYzAeSg_aem_8LJS2dInroBtHYzV_vBO9g

                    

                      Back to the sharks, remember the sharks?! Ron and Brett taught me about the underwater neighborhood. Christiansted Harbor is where I lived. I learned to honor and respect my neighbors. I learned where different critters lived and at what times of day they "went out." 

                        Black tip and White tip reef sharks were common around the clock, but were most active at dawn and dusk. There were also Lemon, Tiger, Nurse and Hammerheads. The only one I didn't meet was the hammerhead. As a literary agent, in the 1990s', I had the privilege of going to Hawaii. I taught in Maui at a Writer's Conference and visited Kauai as well as Oahu. I learned where my neighbors lived and how they behaved. I swam and dove with locals and listened more that I spoke. When I was in the Galapagos with group of my students in 2012, I also missed spotting a hammerhead, but I know I will one day. I did get to play "Simon Says" with a young sea lion and swim along side iguanas and penguins! On the Great Barrier Reef in 2015 with some other students we saw many wonderful creatures. But all these places are dying and the fish I knew as a girl, don't grow as big as they did in my youth.  The other sharks are all reliable and easy to share the environment, if you follow the neighborhood rules:

1.  Don't drag your dinner (speared fish) home in a net bag, as it's an open invitation for the sharks to join the meal. 
2.  Always bring a stick or baton to ward off unwanted attention or company, especially at a drop off. Christiansted has a barrier reef between the harbor (which is relatively shallow with a dredge channel) and a gigantic drop off, a fairly sheer wall, into the Puerto Rican Trench that falls down hundreds of feet rapidly on the north shore and not too out to miles of deep.
3.  If the company doesn't take the hint, punch them near the eye/gills or if things get heated, stuff the baton (or a piece of coral or rock) in the neighbor's mouth, as they can't see when their mouth is open (Brett taught me that one). 
4. Usually if they bump you, they are a dumb teenager who thinks you're a sweet treat and a shoving them aside is often enough to confuse them and make them doubt themselves. 
5. Let sleeping neighbors sleep. Don't go poking Nurse Sharks sleeping under a rock or in a cave. Don't pull an octopus out of it's shell or grotto. Don't try to grab an eel who is playing peak-a-boo. It's just not polite. These are all gentle creatures who are just trying to get some shut eye or restore.
6. Tigers are the least relaxed. Try to stay away from their turf. They aren't as mutually respectful as the others. Little things tick them off or they imagine that humans are competing for resources. Either way, stay clear ~ not out of the water, just know where the live and their habits. 

The Neighborhood. Depths in fathoms. 1 fathom = 6 feet.

            By the time I left St. Croix and returned to Maine to attend USM, the doctor conducting the mandatory medical exam asked me, "What is it your do?"  

                       Curiously I said, " Why do you ask?" 

                    He said, "Because I've never seen ears so open, lungs so clear, your eyesight is 20/10 and your body is pure muscle!" 

                    I answered, "Until recently I did a great deal of walking, swimming, rowing, diving, physical labor, sailing and holding my breath for minutes at a time, down to between 40-80', to follow my ocean friends. I didn't own a car for over a year until I returned to Maine." 

                    "That explains it," said the doctor. 

                    Back to New England, Harspwell, White Sharks and Dr. Skomal. 

                    I only opened the book, saw the inscription, read the table of contents and saw that the last chapter was entitled, "A Slap In The Face" after I'd already posted my previous shark insights to you all. Dr. Skomal was really startled about what happened in Mackerel Cove four years ago. So much so that he dedicated the final chapter of the book, in large part, to the event. Once I'm done reading it, I'd gladly lend it to whomever would like to borrow it and perhaps it can help you to understand and appreciate these ancient and ever present creatures as much as I do.

                        Last little note: If you surf or are really afraid of shark encounter, Sharkbanz have been wildly successful as deterrents. One on your ankle as a surfer or one on a wrist and another on the opposite ankle if you're an Open Water Swimmer who wears a wetsuit prove effective. They also have products to keep sharks from stealing fish from recreational and commercial fishermen. I can connect you to the founder if you're interested and it will make you feel more confident while learning about your neighbors. 

                            Brett Gilliam's Shark Attack Survival Story. The year it happened was, wait for it, 1972!  If you listen to the entire interview, you learn that what caused the white tip sharks to behave aggressively was the US Navy sending high frequencies underwater! The Navy was being a bad neighbor!!!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q44xzF_Yw_8

                     

                                

 

Insights into our neighbors ~White Sharks. (HOWS preview =becoming Open Water and "Ice" Swimmers).

                                                                     Notes for HOWS

           Beyond the Breakers Conference Saturday 9 November 2024  Bentley College in Waltham, MA. 

                    Sharks! Yes, Sharks. I know many of you are learning how to be comfortable in the cold ocean of Maine, but first we must address our neighbors, the Great White Sharks. When I first came to Harpswell it was the summer of 1972.  

                    1972: The #1 movie in America was, drumroll, JAWS! I grew up in a huge family and whenever we went swimming that summer, always in the ocean, one of us would start singing the refrain from the movie ~ the music that let you know, a Great White was coming for you! We knew there were sharks in the water, because we used to catch and eat dogfish/sand sharks from kayaks and canoes. That was until we caught a pregnant shark and felt horrible when the babies revealed themselves.  

                    1972: The year that the Marine Mammal Protection Law was passed. Seals and other Marine Mammals were being slaughtered for sport, food and spite. It was  the era when Harpswell fisherman would shoot seals that they felt were competing for their fish, bait, or lobsters. Instead of seals washing ashore with jagged tooth marks, then they were found riddled with bullet holes. 

                     1997: The year that the Great White Sharks became protected. The author of Jaws, Peter Benchley spent much of his life after the books were turned into film, trying to save White Sharks and ultimately all sharks with a conservation effort. He tried to unteach the fear and educate folks about the sharks necessary and vital position in the environment. 

                    The White Sharks arrive in the North Atlantic in trickle in April, slowly gather over the summer, and in are peak numbers August through October. Sharkbanz was a Gold Star sponsor of the event and I attended the co-founder's session. My goal with this section is to reassure you that although we share Casco Bay with the White Sharks, but there are many ways to deter and mitigate our interacting with them.

                    I attended Dr. Greg Skomal's session entitled: "Swimming with White Sharks." To say he is an expert on all things Great White would be an understatement. Dr. Skomal is a diver, scientist, researcher, innovator, author, and photographer. He describes his work on the East Coast as trying to "curb conflict" between humans and sharks. As the seal populations have ballooned back since the Marine Mammal Protection Act was enforced, the population of sharks has grown proportionally. One of his many titles includes working for the Mass. Div. of Marine Fisheries, in the Fisheries Biology, Recreational Fishing, Survey and Assessment section as the Program Manager covering Large Pelagics and Diadromous Fisheries. 

                    As a former English teacher and Literary Agent, I'm all about definitions! According to NOAA (https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/pelagic.html), this is the definition of a Pelagic fish:

                    "Pelagic fish can be categorized as coastal and oceanic fish, based on the depth of the water they inhabit. Coastal pelagic fish inhabit sunlit waters up to about 655 feet deep, typically above the continental shelf. Examples of species include forage fish such as anchovies, sardines, shad, and menhaden and the predatory fish that feed on them. Oceanic pelagic fish typically inhabit waters below the continental shelf. Examples include larger pelagic fish such as swordfish, tuna, mackerel, and even sharks.

                 There is no distinct boundary from coastal to ocean waters so some oceanic fish become partial residents of coastal waters, often during different stages of their lifecycle. However, true oceanic species spend their entire life in the open ocean.

                Pelagic fish get their name from the area that they inhabit called the pelagic zone. The pelagic zone is the largest habitat on earth with a volume of 330 million cubic miles. Different species of pelagic fish are found throughout this zone. Numbers and distributions vary regionally and vertically, depending on availability of light, nutrients, dissolved oxygen, temperature, salinity, and pressure."

                Diadromous fish is general category describing fish that spend portions of their life cycles partially in salt water and partially in fresh water.  Here in Harpswell that would include: Pogies/Herring/ Menhadden, Sardines, Shad, Sturgeon, Eels, Striped Bass, and Salmon. These fish either lay eggs in freshwater and then live in saltwater or the other way around. The summer of 2020, there was an abundance of these fish in the waters around Harpswell, which are prime food for juvenile White Sharks. 

                  Dr. Skolam studies the prey of the young and mature White Sharks. The prey of the young sharks is almost exclusively fish, while the prey for the adults is primarily marine mammals, as you see in the charts below. The picture of the "new born" Great White is on the left and a mature Great White on the right.  White Sharks become "mature" when they are 8-10feet long. Notice how their diet changes as they grow. 

    

                Now, why the heck am I sharing all of this with you????  Because as Dr. Skolam continued his session addressing Open Water Swimmers (who swim in White, Bull, and Tiger shark infested waters all around the world) he said that his 40 years of studying sharks had revealed a great deal and contributed to the "curbing of conflict on Cape Cod" however he'd been "totally startled" by the strike and death of the swimmer in Harpswell, ME. I raised my hand at that point, said I was a swimmer from Harpswell, and had heard reports of the victim being in a grey wetsuit, with juvenile seals in the cove, and there being excessive bait barrel wash in the water that day. He said that was reported to him as well. The South East end of Mackerel Cove has deep water, with a drop off, and is very near ledges populated by seals throughout the tide cycles. The perfect storm for our Harpswell victim, as she was swimming in bait barrel wash, a grey wetsuit, and in a cove with young active seals ~  not safe practices, as we would learn over the course of the hour. Here is a nautical chart of the exact area:

                     Dr. Skolman was interviewed in this DownEast article in 2020 about the fatal attack:

https://downeast.com/land-wildlife/shark-attacks-in-maine-were-unthinkable-until-last-summer/

                 In the Down East article from 2020, you'll notice that he says they had tagged "230 animals" (White Sharks). At the session last Saturday in Waltham, Dr. Skolman said they now have "380 individuals tagged" which he thinks accounts for 10-20% of the adult population the North Atlantic. So we have more sonic insight, but we also need to realize that we are always swimming with sharks. 

               Per the definition of Perlagic Fish, the White Sharks stay in deep water most of the time, 100-600 meters. However, when hunting they can come into 30-40 meters to scan and troll the shores-ledges for marine mammals. In his studies of the Cape, many sharks hunt for the high value blubber of the North Atlantic Seal in less than 15 feet of water. 

               The clearer the water, the less likely a swimmer will be "accidentally" attacked. What does clarity have to do with it? Teenage sharks, transitioning from a mostly fish diet to a mostly mammal diet, will often bump their prey to make sure it's a mammal. They may "bump and abort" if it feels like the wrong prey. However, they can also take a taste and leave. When the water is murky they are less like to see waste the energy to strike.  Dr. Skolam has added accoustic monitors, like those on the Cape, to track Sharks in Casco Bay. They are gather a great deal of information about individuals as well as population behavior. There are apps like Sharktivity to download for recent reports of "tagged" individual sharks and unconfirmed human sightings in Casco Bay/Harpswell. 

              That fateful day in July 2020, seals had been swimming in Mackerel Cove all day. From great depths, a dark bathing suit or wetsuit may have a swimmer being scanned as a seal by a White Shark. In the article it stated the victim and her daughter where "diving and splashing" for hours that fateful afternoon, which are seal-like behaviors, and remarking on the "clarity of the water" (which would normally be a deterrent- as they could usually discern human from seal). 

                 When I asked Dr. Skolman about the practice of surfers painting their wetsuits with stripes across their suits to break up their profiles from below, he said, "that is a good deterrent." (In a later session, I asked the co-founder of Sharkbanz, Davis Mersereau,  the same question, and he replied that he's heard of surfers and swimmers painting their suits and agreed it was a decent deterrent to add to one's safety strategy).  I haven't not worn a wetsuit in nearly 8 years. When I do swim in Open Water, you'll find me in suits with crazy patterns, never solid colors, to look like the water's surface or a light bellied fish, not a seal.

                 Finally, the Down East article also said that the strike happened in the afternoon. If you look at Davis Mersereau's chart (below), you'll see some of what the best safety strategies for Open Water Swimmers sharing the oceans with sharks:

              Take home messages from Dr. Skolman:

      

                                                 ***********************************

            A big part of why I'm writing all this today is to hopefully have you join me year round, not only as a dipper and plunger, but ideally to encourage you to venture into the world of Open Water Swimming and in the winter, Ice Swimming.  At the Beyond the Breakers, one of the Speakers, Bob Fernald, offered to come give his presentation to our group in the new year. He was the director of the Nubble Challenge, is a Triple Crown swimmer and, most importantly, a wonderfully positive coach and person. 

        

          Finally, I hope to wrangle, either in-person or on Zoom, Rena Marie Demeo, (see her credentials in her slide) to also address HOWS. She is a really inspirational person, who was also not a "pool swimmer" in her youth and now guides many of us to do more than we think we can ~ while simultaneously having fun and being safe!

                                                 See you Sunday Funday at Mitchel Field Beach!