TIGER BEACH : CROISIERE PLONGEE AUX BAHAMAS ( DE VERONIQUE LEGER)
« This is not a vacation, this is a shark expedition ! » (ce ne sont pas des vacances, mais une expédition requins !) nous lance Jim Abernethy, spécialiste et grand défenseur des requins, avant notre première plongée à Tiger Beach aux Bahamas avec des requins citrons, des requins gris et des requins tigres. Nous avions eu un long briefing le matin même nous expliquant les consignes à suivre et les gestes spécifiques pour ce genre de rencontre sous-marine hors du commun.
J’avais déjà croisé des requins en plongée, au Mexique, aux Philippines, à Cuba, mais il s’agissait de rencontres furtives qui laissent un goût d’inachevé. Ensuite aux Maldives, j’ai plongé de nuit parmi des dizaines de requins nourrices et cela n’a fait que décupler mon envie de les approcher de plus près. Chaque fois que j’ai observé des requins patrouiller les récifs avec leur allure si élégante, j’ai ressenti une sensation d’harmonie. Ils sont vraiment les seigneurs de l’océan, des créatures parfaites façonnées par 400 millions d’années d’évolution.
La croisière de plongée nous emmène à Tiger Beach et sur les récifs environnants aux abords de l’île de Grand Bahamas. Sur le Shearwater, un bateau de 20 mètres, on plonge requins, on parle requins, on fait des images et on rêve requins. Le carré du bateau est tapissé de photos impressionnantes. On plonge quand on veut, autant de fois qu’on veut, toujours avec un « dive master ». Jim Abernethy et son équipage font de leur mieux pour que nous profitions au maximum de cette expérience unique. Une vidéo est réalisée pour chaque expédition.
Ils utilisent des appâts de poisson dans des caisses à lait autour du bateau et sous l’eau afin d’attirer les squales. A nous alors de nous jeter à l’eau et de savourer l’instant. On s’aperçoit très vite que les requins citrons et gris sont inoffensifs, on finit même par les caresser derrière les branchies ou sous le ventre. Il faut juste être vigilant quand les requins tigres apparaissent, toujours garder le contact visuel et savoir qu’ils viennent parfois heurter la caméra tellement ils sont curieux (attention aux caissons!). Pour ceux qui comme moi disposent d’une petite caméra, on nous fournit un bâton qui permet de délimiter son territoire. Il s’agit d’animaux qui peuvent atteindre 8 mètres. Emma, la femelle tigre mascotte du capitaine, qui est enceinte, atteint plus de 4 mètres et a un ventre bien rebondi. Elle est enjôleuse et mutine, cherche le contact et possède sa propre page sur les réseaux sociaux. Parfois au moment du « safety stop » à 5 mètres, il arrive que des requins gris très curieux nous tournent autour en se rapprochant de plus en plus. Il m’est arrivé d’en repousser doucement un qui se montrait trop familier. Les plongées donnent aussi l’occasion d’observer les stations où les requins font la queue pour se faire nettoyer la bouche et la peau par des poissons spécialisés. Ils sont toujours accompagnés d’un entourage de poissons pilotes et ventouses (rémoras). L’hiver on peut aussi observer les requins bouledogues (« bull sharks ») et les requins marteaux.
Les requins ont malheureusement encore mauvaise réputation et c’est injustifié car il arrive à peu près 10 accidents mortels par an dans le monde, causés par l’ignorance et la maladresse humaines. Les requins ne sont pas par nature des mangeurs d’hommes mais ils peuvent confondre les baigneurs et les surfeurs avec leurs proies habituelles ou être attirés par des activités humaines. Avant d’être notre terrain de jeux, l’océan est leur domaine. Respectons cela. La demande pour les ailerons de requins, l’huile et le cartilage ainsi que la surpêche exterminent 100 millions de squales par année ! Plusieurs espèces sont gravement menacées. Comme on ne protège que ce que l’on connaît, je recommande à tous les plongeurs de tenter l’aventure de Tiger Beach et d’en parler autour d’eux afin de sensibiliser le public.
écrit par VERONIQUE LEGER
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