The "Wall" and friendly Reef Shark: San Salvador

 Hello! 

My name is Taylor DeSilva and I am an upcoming junior here at USC Beaufort. I am a student of the  USC Beaufort Marine Biology Program, and have taken the Natural History of the Bahamas maymester course this May, led by Dr. Kim Ritchie and Dr. Joe Staton! This course has been the highlight of my student career so far and it’s a trip that I definitely will never forget! 

We did many great and exciting things on this 11 day trip but one of my favorite activities was going out to the drop off. The “wall” or “drop off", is essentially an underwater cliff face that drops a few thousand feet where all you see is the deep ocean blue below you. For some, this might be a living nightmare, but for me it was so incredible to witness. It is quite a swim to get there as the wall is a little under a mile off shore, but there were many fun things to occupy the time and distance along the way. We saw so many fun creatures such as Jaw fish, Queen Conchs and Sand dollars before even making it to the wall, which made the trek out there well worth it. Once we made it to the drop off we watched and observed the different organisms that were inhabiting the edge of the wall. We saw many different species of fish including the infamous Barracuda, which are quite curious creatures by nature and loved to trail and watch us from a distance. However, one of my absolute favorite organisms we saw that day has to be the Reef Shark. 

Yes you hear me right a SHARK! Despite their reputation as ruthless predators who will attack at any given moment in the media, sharks are actually quite docile creatures who usually don't come looking for trouble unless provoked. This particular species is a tropical, bottom dwelling shark who tends to inhabit coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangroves. However, they can also be seen on edges of drop offs, much like the one we were prospecting that day. A little fun fact about me is I have been obsessed with sharks since I was little. Because of this, a major dream of mine as an upcoming marine biologist was to see one in person out in their natural habitat. I watched in awe as this shark Reef shark just swam about his business completely unbothered by our presence. I must have watched this shark swimming below me for 5-10 minutes before he decided he had better places to be, and swam off into the deep blue disappearing from eyesight. It was definitely an experience I will forever cherish as the little girl who is obsessed and fascinated by sharks was screaming and giggling in happiness. 

It’s important to talk about sharks in a positive light as most of them are sadly endangered by human hands. Reef sharks in particular are considered near threatened because of overfishing, being caught in bycatch, and hunted for the meat in their fins. I implore you to read more at https://mote.org/news/article/global-study-finds-reef-sharks-now-at-a-higher-risk-of-extinction

The first step in helping conserve these wonderful creatures is showing how they aren't totally how the media portrays them to be, how they can actually be quite timid creatures who don’t bother you unless you bother them.

I will always be so thankful for San Salvador delivering a life goal of mine and a memory I will surely never forget…

Photo taken by: Taylor DeSilva