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74 | FALL 2016
spears. No Nassau or black grouper could survive to
this size in these waters without protection.
THE SHARKS OF JARDINES DE LA REINA
We enjoyed many dives with Caribbean reef sharks.
I expected them — part of my research for this trip
was watching a 60 Minutes episode about the Gardens
of the Queen with Anderson Cooper. It aired five years
ago but was still very informative and well done. The
significant populations of sharks were a big talking
point in the program, with healthy shark populations
being directly correlated to healthy reefs. (See youtu.
be/K2nMUnK7S-A.)
We did not have sharks swarming around us like in
that video. We might see four or five on a dive, and
occasionally they’d come near enough for a good photo.
The crew noticed how excited we all were whenever
a shark photo was in the evening’s image reviews, and
eventually the cruise director asked our opinion about
putting a bait box in the water. He assured us it would
be a very low-key thing — more of a “scented” dive than
a “baited” dive. The divemasters wouldn’t be donning
chainmail and actually feeding the sharks. Would we
mind? We assured them we’d be quite happy with that.
The bait box was transformational in facilitating
close encounters with the Caribbean reef sharks.
They circled the box constantly, and divers who had
no interest in shark photography proceeded with a
relaxed dive on a gorgeous coral reef. Divers who
were interested in shark proximity could have many
close encounters on these scented dives. We were
consistently rewarded with beautiful environmental
portraits of shark and coral reef. All in all, the action
with these sharks on the reef was very mellow.
We didn’t bother with the bait box on every dive.
It was so productive early in the trip that we tended
to concentrate on other subjects later in the week.
But sharks were there on almost every dive. Most
were Caribbean reef sharks (Carcharhinus perezii),
but a couple of dives purposely featured silky sharks
(Carcharhinus falciformis).
While C. perezii are reef sharks, C. falciformis are
dwellers of the open sea. According to
“[Silky sharks] have an extremely strong sense of
hearing. This acts as a great advantage for locating
their prey, mostly consisting of bony fish (especially
tuna), octopuses, and squids.… They dive together into
large groups of fish and attack them with lighting-fast
speed and wide-open mouths.”
To find the silkies we motored westward and dived
along some deep coral canyons in 60-80 feet. The bait
box was deployed about 10 feet beneath the boat. We did
our dive, and when we ascended back to about 30 feet we
saw the silkies had come to play. Probably 12 or 14 large
sharks were darting about, but always in a fairly subdued
and deliberate manner. They did amp up when small bits
of bait were tossed into the water, as they raced to claim
their share. But it was never overly frenzied, and I don’t
recall any bumps or uncomfortably close encounters.
Anyone preferring a more passive encounter could stay a
few yards farther from the bait box. The combination of
very clear water and abundant sharks made this the most
productive spot for silkies I’ve ever dived.
THE QUEEN’S CROCODILES
Since I’ve been home and posted some of my crocodile
shots on social media, I’ve had several inquiries about
when we’d do our next “croc trip,” as if that was the
reason we went to Cuba. I found this kind of comical,
because a typical Cuba dive expedition does not
involve a lot of time with these crocodiles. But the high
probability of an encounter, especially for someone
who has never seen a crocodile up close and in clear
water, means for that day, that hour, it is a croc trip.
There is an area back in the mangroves where dive
operators over many years have developed a relationship
with a few resident American crocodiles (Crocodylus
acutus). Less aggressive than the infamous Nile and
Australian crocodiles, American crocodiles are normally
shy, but not in the Gardens of the Queen. Once we get
near the site the guides call out the name of a familiar
crocodile, “Niño, Niño!” If it is the right time of day
and the mood strikes, he’ll often swim out to the boat.
Almost all the crocodile photos you’ve seen lately in
photo competitions and dive magazines are of Niño. He
works hard for the little bit of raw chicken they give him