If you are interested in sharks, this is YOUR opportunity to receive first hand authoritative information about these top predators of the seas instead of relying on dubious TV documentaries and internet stories! A friendly relationship has developed over the past 12 years between us and Dr. Erich Ritter, who visited us for the first time during the JBL workshop at the Red Sea and also gave us an introduction into this subject in South Africa in 2006. Each time he waived his fee for friendship’s sake! The idea of having a JBL workshop exclusively about sharks also featuring the tenfold free-diving world record holder Christian Redl was born.
We will be flying with Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Miami on June 11, 2018, have one overnight stay there, before continuing on our way to Eleuthera/Bahamas. There we will lodge in double room bungalows very near the water front, just a few walking minutes away from the dive center. Food is self-catering, you can either use the supermarket and bungalow kitchen or eat at the nearby restaurant.
The six day workshop will start the next day. We will learn from Erich’s lectures what he learned as a biologist in over 6000 shark dives: “gathering data” about sharks, their intentions and interpretion, patterns of swimming behaviour and their meaning, common and rare behaviours, interpretations of the surroundings and their attractiveness for sharks, reasons why in rare cases it comes to accidents with sharks, how to avert accidents, introduction to ADORE-SANE, the shark-human interaction concept and, of course, the issue of overfishing, destruction of the shark nurseries & shark protection.
Every other day we will take a boat trip (max. 30 minutes) to the surrounding shark spots and while snorkelling and diving put into practice what we have learned about communicating with sharks. We will have good opportunities to observe tiger, hammerhead, bull, reef, nurse and lemon sharks. For the dives with sharks gloves are a must! With the help of Chris Redl we will also all learn how to double the time we hold our breath in the pool and in the sea. Freediving with sharks will in turn open up new possibilities since the absence of air bubbles coming from the diving equipment will allow us to approach the sharks without disturbing them. Although it is unlikely we will manage the 7.5 minutes Chris can hold his breath, 2-3 minutes should still give us enough time to interact with any sharks present.
There will be 22 of us, divided into 2 teams, the snorkelers and the divers. One team with Dr. Erich Ritter will go by boat, the other team with Chris Redl will enter the pool or sea (from the beach). The teams will swap over the following day.
In addition to the lectures we will also have sufficient time for one to one discussions with Erich and Chris who will answer all our questions in detail. Roland Böhme, the head of JBL, who doesn’t want to miss this extraordinary event, will be with us as a private person. I will be joining as the workshop leader and photographer, our JBL sales director Didier Lergenmuller will be there to ensure there is always a good atmosphere and our expedition doctor Ludwig Neurohr will be ready, as in all expeditions, to deal with any aches and pains.
Then, on June 19, 2018, we will return from Miami (no overnight stay) to Frankfurt, where we will arrive on June 20, 2018 at 8 am.
Anyone who has some experience in snorkeling and/or has a diving license can join us. All participants need to take along their own snorkelling equipment and diving suit. Ideally the scuba divers will also have jackets and regulators. A dive computer is a must. Rental equipment is also available in the dive centers. We expect water temperatures of 25-26 °C. Thanks to our informal cooperation with mares each participant can order diving equipment from mares through JBL at special prices.
This promises to be a great time, with like-minded people and two globally recognised experts in their fields!
Cost of travel
- € 798 Lufthansa flights Frankfurt-Miami-Frankfurt
- € 539 flights Miami-Eleuthera-Miami + € 50 for luggage / 1 overnight stay
- € 1600 workshop incl. transfers, accommodation in 2 bed bungalows, boat excursions, lectures and freediving course, self-catering, either using the supermarket or the restaurant (to be paid on site)
Total cost approx. € 2987
