Expedition Leaders: Emily Spurgeon, Shane Molander and Sorantaa Bain

Crew: Gavin, Jennifer, Matthew, Ricardo, and Shivani

Introduction

A week full of sharks, reef snorkels, and lovely company! Read below to get the day by day breakdown.

Day 1

The team arrived at the airport early, made up of both familiar and new faces. While the plane was being loaded, everyone spent time catching up and getting to know the newest team members.

After arriving on Andros, the team piled into taxis and headed to the lodge. Once there, everyone grabbed their gear for the day and had lunch before attending a trip debrief and safety briefing. Soon after, the team headed out onto the water to begin setting drum lines in hopes of catching sharks. Five drum lines were deployed, and although there were many checks throughout the afternoon, no sharks were caught.

Even without any catches, the day ended on a high note with the team gaining hands on experience with the fishing methods and techniques, ready for the week ahead. Towards the end of the day dolphins swam alongside the boat, reminding everyone of the incredible wildlife Andros has to offer.

Day 2

After a quick breakfast, the team was on the water by 8:00 a.m., hopeful that their luck would improve after a slow first day. During one of the checks, a large shark was seen swimming near the lines, though it was never hooked the team experienced the adrenaline of fishing over catching - Nothing is guaranteed with fishing and the anticipation is everything!

Later in the day, the team immediately noticed when one of the lines started to be dragged. Upon reaching it, excitement spread across the boat as a great hammerhead shark was brought alongside! The shark was quickly measured, tagged, and safely released. Catching a hammerhead is often a dream animal to see up close, however these animals are sensitive and so the team had to move fast. It was a fast, clean workup, and the whole team came together perfectly to ensure the shark was released quickly - This shark was fitted with a satellite tag (learn more about tags HERE) and we received data from it later that day!

Not long after, another bite led to the trip’s second species: a Caribbean reef shark. Following the final checks of the day, the team celebrated with a snorkel at one of Andros’ beautiful reefs, where they encountered a sea turtle, multiple southern stingrays, and a variety of reef fish. After returning to the lodge for dinner, everyone headed to bed early in preparation for another early morning.

Day 3

The team was on the water by 7:30 a.m. after breakfast, optimistic that the momentum from the great hammerhead sighting would continue. However, despite setting all the lines and completing many checks, no sharks were caught. With fishing you have highs and lows, excitement and stillness.

Yesterday we caught a globally critically endangered great hammerhead, and today nothing! In research we call days like today ‘catching your 0’s’ which can be just as important as catching lots of sharks. We need to know where they are, and where they are not, and seasonal variation.

Back at the lodge before dinner, trip leader Emily gave an educational presentation about the sharks of the Bahamas. Many of the fishermen staying at the lodge joined in to listen and learn.

Day 4

To avoid rough weather and strong winds, the team traveled to the west side of the island. After the long boat ride, all five drum lines were set, and within minutes the first shark was caught. The catch turned out to be the trip’s third species: a blacktip shark! The shark was quickly measured, tagged, and released.

As we finished processing the shark, another line started to move, resulting in a second blacktip shark. After several more checks, two additional sharks were caught and tagged! The first shark was a nurse shark, the fourth species of the trip and the next line saw us catch and tag the trip’s fifth species, a lemon shark! The action continued throughout the day, with eight additional blacktip sharks caught! We conducted an ultrasound on several of the females sharks to determine whether they were pregnant and one of them was!

As mentioned yesterday, with fishing you have highs and lows, and you never know what you’ll get! After such an exciting day, the team headed back home tired but thankful for such a wonderful day on the water!

Day 5

The day began with an early search for one of the rarest elasmobranchs on the planet, the smalltooth sawfish! Although unfortunately none were spotted it was an exciting activity nonetheless! Along the way, the team observed numerous southern stingrays and a rare Caribbean whiptail ray!

After our search it was back to fishing and once the lines were set it was back to waiting. The team hoped something large was in the area — and they were right. The sixth species of the trip was caught: a large female bull shark! Bull sharks are extremely rare to see or catch in Andros, making this an especially exciting moment for the team. After measurements, tagging, and an ultrasound examination, the shark was quickly and safely released.

Later in the day, the team stopped to snorkel among vibrant reefs filled with fish and Bahama sea stars. After dinner that evening, everyone spent time stargazing under the clear Bahamian sky.

Day 6

The team hoped to end the trip with another exciting day on the water. To start the morning, they visited the naval buoy, a Fish Aggregating Device (FAD) known to attract juvenile silky sharks. Because the site was located in open ocean waters, float lines (poly ball) were used instead of our traditional weighted lines.

The strategy paid off, as the team caught the seventh species of the trip: silky sharks. Three silky sharks were successfully measured, tagged, and released! During a later snorkel, one silky shark even approached the group to investigate them. The team also saw wahoo, barracuda, and many other fish species while practicing their free diving skills.

After our success catching and tagging silky sharks we moved location. At the next location, all five lines were set, and it did not take long for the eight species of the trip to appear: a blacknose shark. Soon after, another blacknose shark was caught!

Later in the afternoon, one line began rapidly pulling away, and the team quickly realized they had something special on the line. To everyone’s excitement, the NINTH species of the trip was a juvenile tiger shark!! The shark was measured, tagged, and safely released, marking an incredible moment and achievement for the expedition.

With catches of a great hammerhead, bull shark, and tiger shark, the team had successfully encountered all three of Andros’ major coastal apex shark species.

The excitement continued as we went on to catch two Caribbean reef sharks! Both were quickly and successfully tagged and released. By the end of the day, the team had caught 25 sharks representing nine different species! One final reef snorkel capped off an unforgettable day on the water.

Day 7

On the final morning, the team headed out early to walk and snorkel with lemon sharks. They did not have to wait long before several lemon sharks approached the group. A blacknose shark also appeared, allowing everyone to observe two species during their last day on Andros.

Afterward, the team made one final attempt to locate sawfish before returning to clean and pack away all of the gear. Once everything was loaded up, the group headed to the airport for the journey home.

While waiting to board the plane, the team watched a Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules take off from the runway and fly overhead. It was the perfect ending to an incredible week in Andros — a trip filled with sharks, wildlife, research, and unforgettable memories that left both the team and pilots excited to return again someday.

Thank you

Thank you to our research trip leaders Emily Spurgeon, Shane Molander and Sorantaa Bain for guiding the team through an incredibly successful week. A huge thank you to our research assistants for their passion, determination and endless enthusiasm to work hard, learn and produce results. We would also like to thank the Andros Island Bonefish Club for their hospitality, and the hardworking and ever professional Marvin for his top class boating and captaining skills.

Gratitude must also go to all on the trip for their generosity in allowing us to use their images in this blog.