Tag: Cat Island

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks

Oceanic Whitetip Sharks

Cat Island is the last safe haven for oceanic whitetip sharks.

Just 200 yards off the southeastern shoreline of Cat Island, the shallow coast descends into the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. Beneath the surface, the boundary between your field of view and the infiniteness of the ocean varies. But from every direction, the water is like a glassy wall—everything is visible, including the particles in the water and the light rays dancing and decorating the water column. Beyond the border is the haziness and eeriness of the unknown, a dark blue abyss from which deadly predators emerge. This is the type of environment most people would gladly avoid, but in Cat Island, it is the exact location many divers seek out between March and June. It’s the prime habitat for one of the world’s most threatened apex predators: oceanic whitetip sharks.

Cat Island is the last safe haven for globally threatened oceanics. These inquisitive pelagic sharks live in the blue abyss and emerge from the ocean’s depths to scavenge their prey on the surface by following schools of baitfish (tuna, wahoo, mahi-mahi) that migrate through The Bahamas.

Sharks Here, Sharks There

“If there is one thing I love about Cat Island, it is the predictability of the sharks,” reported underwater photographer Andy Murch in a 2018 shark diving report. “The oceanic whitetips that inhabit this deepwater region of The Bahamas have become a menace for sport fishermen that are trying to land their fish. As soon as the sharks hear
a fishing boat engine, they race in and steal the struggling tuna before it can be hauled out of the water. Consequently, once we reach our favorite shark spot, all we have to do is chum and rev the engines of the dive boat as if we have a fish on. The oceanic whitetip sharks show up like clockwork.”

Capt. Renald Butler, the owner of Bowleg Fishing Charters, knows the trick very well. For several years, he was the local captain of the dive boat for Epic Diving, an international dive company running seasonal expeditions out of Cat Island. He also dove with the sharks.

“At first, when I started, I was skittish of them,” says Butler, who has been diving in Cat Island since childhood. Oceanics have a reputation of being vicious sharks dating back to
the 1940s when a U.S. Navy ship was sunk by a Japanese submarine. Oceanics are believed to have ravaged hundreds of sailors left marooned in the sea, earning it a  reputation as one of the “deadliest mass shark attacks in history.”

Gentle Giants?

The International Shark Attack File (ISAF) maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History ranks the oceanic sixth in their global database of shark attacks for the number of unprovoked fatalities. There are only three verified incidents in ISAF’s history between 1580 to the present. It ranks 16th for non-fatal unprovoked attacks with seven. Butler says he saw another side to oceanics while diving with them at Cat Island. “They are not the vicious sharks’ people make them out to be. I dove with them and have seen people rub them down like you are petting a dog.”

To bring the oceanics to the boat, Butler also makes the engines sound like they got a catch. “The sharks love that,” he says. “Once they hear the sound of that engine, they are
coming up to the top to see what’s going on. We wait until we see the sharks and then we jump into the water. This water could be eighty to ninety feet or thousands of feet deep. With the boat and sound of the engine, I’ve brought them into fifteen feet of water.”

Overfished

Oceanics are one of the most threatened species. Their global populations shrank from long-line fishing, outlawed in The Bahamas in 1993. Today, The Bahamas is a pillar of shark conservation. The entire country is a shark sanctuary by law and permanently protects more than 40 shark species in approximately 243,244 square miles (630 square kilometers) of the country’s waters.

“The sharks are really important in the localized area where they are, but they are also affected by threats that can be global,” says Catherine Kilduff, senior attorney at the U.S. Center for Biodiversity. “For example, changes in ocean conditions due to climate change can affect sharks locally. The biggest impact of having sharks locally is that
they can keep local ecosystems healthier. If you are going to maintain healthy dive locations, you want to protect the sharks there.”

Diving With Oceanic White Tips

Diving with oceanic whitetip sharks is different from most other shark species in The Bahamas because it is an open-ocean drift dive, best tried, according to some experts, with previous shark diving experience and specialized training. “You need extremely good buoyancy skills to dive with oceanics,” says Murch, who is also chief executive officer and expedition leader at Big Fish Expeditions. “You are not able to drop down on the sand and compose yourself. If you drop down in Cat Island, you just keep going. There are potentially aggressive sharks which require a level of composure and experience so you can read the sharks.”

Only a handful of local and international companies lead shark dives off Cat Island,
including the Dive Shop at Greenwood Beach Resort and Neal Watson’s Bimini Scuba Center on North Bimini. Big Fish Expeditions and Epic Diving bring divers to The Bahamas seasonally.

The country’s other most famous shark dives take place year-round in shallow water. Divers spend most of their time on the sandy seabed, passively interacting with the sharks. They kneel in a stationary circle as sharks gracefully cruise by to secure tasty fish heads dished out by professional shark feeders.

Deep Blue

On a Cat Island shark dive, you might see land above the water, but not the seabed below. “There is no real bottom,” says Watson. “You are diving in one of the deepest parts of The Bahamas.” Cat Island sits on a continental shelf and has more than 20 miles of wall diving that starts around 40 feet deep at its shallowest spot and drops off to approximately 3,000 feet.

In addition to the uniqueness of the ocean, Cat Island is no ordinary island. It is more remote and underdeveloped than the other popular shark diving islands of Bimini, Grand
Bahama and Nassau.

“The diving is more advanced and the location is more advanced,” says Watson. “There is no Hilton hotel on Cat Island. Cruise ships don’t go there. It’s a little wilder, and the sharks and the fish around Cat Island are more indicative of that Out Island experience.”

Even though diving with oceanics is very different than other shark dives, divers have had sightings of many other species while in search of oceanics, including blue marlins, mahi-mahi, and tuna as well as hammerheads, tiger sharks, blue sharks, silky sharks, reef sharks, dusky sharks, and blacktips.

By Noelle Nicolls, Southern Boating May 2019

Cat Island

Cat has the gin-clear water, beautiful beaches, fishing, and diving you would expect to find in these islands, but it also has some of the best surviving evidence of American Loyalist settlers and many of the most interesting stories and characters you will find anywhere. Traditionally referred to as one of the Out Islands of The Bahamas, Cat Island lies well south and east of the more heavily traveled Abacos. Because of its relative isolation, Cat is less frequented by cruisers and barely touched by tourism. As a result, its unspoiled environment provides a wonderful window into the history and culture of The Bahamas.

Approximately 50 miles long but as little as 1 mile wide in some locations, Cat lies slightly north and east of the Exumas across Exuma Sound. The western waters are shallow banks typically 10-20 feet deep, while the east coast faces the Atlantic Ocean and is bordered by beautiful but dangerous reefs. Cat is easily reachable by boat from Eleuthera, Long Island or the Exumas. Entry onto the banks is typically in the north from the vicinity of Little San Salvador or from the south at Hawksnest Creek.

New Bight
One of the best anchorages at Cat is in the south off of the town of New Bight. New Bight offers a number of services along a nice beachfront. Near the north end of town, a collection of take-out restaurants draws cruisers like a magnet. A variety of traditional Bahamian dishes paired with fish, lobster and conch prepped in imaginative ways make for an excellent lunch or dinner. Hidden Treasures, a unique restaurant where Denise will welcome you like family, serves an outstanding lobster dinner among many other top quality dishes. Next door at Sunshine, another take-out spot, try the conch fritters with a cold beer in the afternoon, or go for the conch salad for a deliciously fresh dinner. These are strictly outdoor dining atmospheres under the palms and casuarinas with your feet in the sand—just what you envisioned!

Rake -n- Scrape Music
Rake -n- scrape is an important part of the traditional folk music of The Bahamas. The key instruments are the accordion or concertina, goombay drum and a crowd favorite, the saw. Traditionally played by scraping with a nail, the saw drives the rhythm and practically defines the sound of rake -n- scrape. Cat Island is a hotbed of rake -n- scrape and the residents are committed to preserving this traditional style. The annual Cat Island Rake And Scrape Festival is held near Arthur’s Town during The Bahama’s Randol Fawkes Labour Day weekend in early June every year. Bands from across The Bahamas perform, and expect to see the Bahamian Quadrille and Heel and Toe Polka dancing that developed on the islands from the mixed African and European heritage.

One of the highlights of a stop at New Bight is the chance to experience rake -n- scrape in its most traditional form. Pompey “Bohog” Johnson is known across The Bahamas and internationally as a legend of rake -n- scrape. Pompey is also known for his band, Bohog and the Rooters. Crystal Smith plays the saw and Cedelle Hunter is on the goatskin drum. Both are in their 20s and are deeply committed to preserving this music. Although their standing joke is that Johnson is 44, Smith claims he’s been 44 for a very long time. The Rooters often perform at Sunshine for the cruisers and tourists when enough boats gather in the anchorage. Seated in the open air, they play and Pompey sings stories telling of life in the islands. bahamas.com/islands/cat

The Hermitage
Father Jerome, born John Hawes in 1876, England, built a small, stone monastery near New Bight. He began his adult life as a well-known creative architect, but quickly felt a calling to the church. He was ordained as a priest in the Church of England in 1903 and was later posted to The Bahamas where he designed the first of many churches, which are still prominent in Clarence Town, Long Island. After a long period of travel and reflection, Hawes chose to convert to Catholicism, became a priest and was sent to Australia, serving as a priest and architect in the Outback for nearly a quarter-century.

Perhaps exhausted by that work, he returned to his beloved Bahamas as Father Jerome. He purchased Como Hill, also known as Mount Alvernia, and built the medieval-style monastery to serve as his home and retreat from the world. This is a place of stark beauty, where the lush landscape and broad views of the sea contrast with the austere structure in which Father Jerome lived out his days. He built the home entirely by hand and on his own at the very top of the hill. Stations of the Cross, each one hand carved by the Father, line the steep stone staircase up the hillside. The unadorned, uncomplicated living and worship spaces are evidence of this man’s unique soul.

If you choose to visit the monastery, you will likely find yourself admiring the panoramic views and wondering about the man who did so much for his parishioners and eventually retired to build and live in this remote spot alone. But once you experience the wonders of Cat Island for yourself, you’ll understand its charm.

Bimini getaway
Labor Day weekend marks Denison’s adventurous Bimini Rendezvous (September 2-5) at Resorts World Bimini. The weekend will offer snorkeling at a plane wreck, stingray excursions, conch cracking competition, water activities at Paradise Beach, a scavenger hunt, wine tasting, yacht hop, casino night, white party, festive dinner parties, and family activities. Learn more at denisonyachtsales.com/bimini.

By Rex Noel, Southern Boating Magazine August 2016

Saving Sea Turtles

Thirty years dedicated to sea turtle research in The Bahamas has led to sharing that passion with younger generations.

Unique encounters with marine life can turn a fun dive into an unforgettable experience, and there’s little that beats the privilege of gliding alongside a sea turtle—other than running into a shark. If divers revel in these up close encounters, cruisers, too, love to watch turtles swim and see them pop up in some of their favorite anchorages such as in The Bahamas’ Little Harbour, Clarence Town, Elizabeth Harbour, and Little Farmer’s Cay.

Sea turtles are, indeed, beautiful, fascinating creatures in their own right, but they are also keystone species that are major players in the ecosystems. Hawksbill turtles, for example, which are found in Bahamian waters, feed on sponges that grow on coral heads. Sponges compete with new coral growth, which without the hawksbill would damage the health and diversity of the coral reefs we all love to dive and explore. Yet the hawksbill has been exploited for centuries—harvested for its meat and shell—and despite a ban on sea turtle harvest implemented in 2009, the hawksbill and other species continue to be poached. But the future of marine turtles looks brighter.

For nearly 30 years I was the captain of Geronimo, a 70-foot training and oceanic research vessel owned and operated by St. George’s School, a coeducational boarding school in Newport, Rhode Island. I have been working with sea turtles since 1982 when Bob Hueter—now the senior shark scientist at Mote Marine Laboratory—introduced me to the late Archie Carr, who was the world’s leading authority on sea turtles. On a flat calm day just south of the Gulf Stream on our way to Bermuda, Carr and I captured two small loggerheads. That was the beginning of a lifelong fascination with these ocean navigators.

Years later when time came to retire, my companion Barbara and I developed the Family Island Research and Education program (FIRE) to study sea turtles in The Bahamas and educate the next generation of scientists. FIRE has proven an excellent program for a couple of aging retirees. Capturing sea turtles in their Bahamian feeding habitats keeps us active, and working with eager students makes us feel like we are part of the future.

The primary purpose of our current research is to survey turtle populations after the harvest ban came into place—and we are happy to say that they are slowly increasing. Yet long-term institutional commitments are needed for their conservation. For us, that means inspiring the next generation of marine biologists.

As such, we joined forces with the Bahamas Department of Marine Resources and several conservation organizations to develop a plan to eliminate the illegal harvest of sea turtles that continues despite the ban. Our part in this project is to gather anecdotal evidence of illegal harvest by interviewing fishermen, fisheries officers and citizens of all ages. As part of our efforts we visit schools to offer special talks. At the beginning of each school presentation I always ask students, “How many of you have eaten sea turtle?” All too many of them raise their hands.

Among our favorite islands for our research is Cat Island because there are several creeks full of turtles, and we get special assistance from “Uncle” Mark Keasler and his Barracudas. Keasler is a local bonefish and ecotour guide who started the Barracuda program to teach local Cat Island children how to swim. He has also been bonefishing off Cat Island for 25 years, so he knows the creeks far better than we ever will.

One hot morning, Keasler met us in Joe Sound Creek with six of his Barracudas all fired up to help us capture turtles on the ebb. We divided the kids between our boats and went to work. An hour into the ebb we found only two turtles. But as the tide fell the turtles started to appear and soon they were everywhere. Each boat caught 5 turtles, and 3 of the 10 were recaptures.

By the time we had processed and released them the kids were exhausted. They had had the thrill of capturing and handling the animals—even the youngest helped with measuring, tagging and recording data.

We always look forward to our next Cat Island adventure to tag more turtles with the help of yet another group of eager students. In the meantime, Keasler keeps the vision alive with his Barracudas, swimming and learning about the creeks and the importance of turtles in the Bahamian waters. We hope cruisers remember that, too, the next time a turtle pops in by their boat.

— By Stephen Connett, Southern Boating Magazine May 2016

Coral planting in the Florida Keys

On World Oceans Day in June, 70 volunteers with the Coral Restoration Foundation (CRF) attached 1,600 staghorn coral clippings with special glue onto existing coral in the Florida Keys. It was the organization’s most prolific output in a single day. The Plantapalooza aimed to raise awareness of the importance of restoring, preserving and conserving the only living coral barrier reef in the continental United States. Since its inception in 2000, CRF has planted 30,000 corals on upper and middle Keys reefs. coralrestoration.org

Ongoing spruce-up at Boynton Harbor Marina
With the demolition of an old dive shop building, Boynton Beach will create a green space and boardwalk for the public at its marina. “This will create more space for the public,” said Vivian Brooks, redevelopment agency executive director. “We want people to enjoy the area. Right now there is really nowhere to sit and no shade.” A 250-foot boardwalk and new sidewalks will be built by July 2016. Hibiscus plants and 17 coconut trees will also be planted. Boynton Beach’s redevelopment agency has spent nearly $20 million to refurbish Boynton Harbor Marina with a master building, new entryway features and boat slips since its 2005 purchase. catchboynton.com

Keeping tradition alive
Seminole maritime history comes to life twice a month at the Upper Room Art Gallery in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Traditional Seminole artist Pedro O. Zepeda uses a chain saw, his adze and other hand tools to carve an indigenous canoe out of cypress. The 200-year-old cypress log he shapes weighs more than a ton, is 19 feet long and was recovered from 2005 Hurricane Wilma. Working on the project since February, Zepeda says the 12.5-foot canoe should be completed this month. “For me, it was a way to maintain the canoe culture for us,” Zepeda says. “It’s always good to share your culture with other people; it lets them know we are still here and still practice our culture.” upperroomartgallery.com

Bridge replaces ferry
A pontoon swing bridge in South Carolina replaced the ferry crossing at Estherville Minim Creek Canal on the ICW (mile 411.5). The bridge closes to marine traffic only when a vehicle needs to cross with yellow flashing lights warning vessels to come to a stop. Wildlife refuge personnel and equipment at Cat Island’s Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center use the bridge only twice daily, if at all, says wildlife director Jamie Dozier. “[The bridge] swings open in about 20 seconds, and we can get everything across and back in 4 or 5 minutes.”

Florida bridge under repair
Work continues at Hillsboro Inlet Bridge (AIWW 1053.9) with completion expected in November. Vertical clearance is reduced by two feet. The north and south side channels are closed to navigation as turbidity barriers are in place and a small barge is behind the fender system. Mariners may request an opening by providing a four-hour advance notice to the bridge tender or by calling (954) 943-1847.

By Nancy E. Spraker, Southern Boating Magazine, September 2015

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