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
Howdy, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam responses? If so how do you prevent it, any plugin or anything you can suggest? I get so much lately it’s driving me mad so any support is very much appreciated.
Wow! This blog looks exactly like my old one! It’s on a totally different topic but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Great choice of colors!
Wow! This blog looks just like my old one! It’s on a entirely different subject but it has pretty much the same layout and design. Wonderful choice of colors!
Does your website have a contact page? I’m having problems locating it but, I’d like to send you an email. I’ve got some suggestions for your blog you might be interested in hearing. Either way, great website and I look forward to seeing it expand over time.
Amazing blog! Do you have any suggestions for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you recommend starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many options out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any ideas? Bless you!
My programmer is trying to convince me to move to .net from PHP. I have always disliked the idea because of the costs. But he’s tryiong none the less. I’ve been using Movable-type on various websites for about a year and am nervous about switching to another platform. I have heard excellent things about blogengine.net. Is there a way I can import all my wordpress content into it? Any kind of help would be really appreciated!
First of all I want to say great blog! I had a quick question in which I’d like to ask if you do not mind. I was interested to know how you center yourself and clear your head prior to writing. I have had difficulty clearing my thoughts in getting my thoughts out there. I do enjoy writing however it just seems like the first 10 to 15 minutes are generally wasted simply just trying to figure out how to begin. Any ideas or hints? Kudos!
Hi there would you mind letting me know which web host you’re utilizing? I’ve loaded your blog in 3 different internet browsers and I must say this blog loads a lot quicker then most. Can you suggest a good web hosting provider at a reasonable price? Many thanks, I appreciate it!
Hello I am so thrilled I found your blog page, I really found you by error, while I was researching on Bing for something else, Regardless I am here now and would just like to say thank you for a incredible post and a all round thrilling blog (I also love the theme/design), I don’t have time to go through it all at the minute but I have bookmarked it and also included your RSS feeds, so when I have time I will be back to read much more, Please do keep up the fantastic job.
My spouse and I absolutely love your blog and find almost all of your post’s to be just what I’m looking for. can you offer guest writers to write content for you personally? I wouldn’t mind composing a post or elaborating on many of the subjects you write related to here. Again, awesome site!
I was curious if you ever thought of changing the layout of your site? Its very well written; I love what youve got to say. But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better. Youve got an awful lot of text for only having one or 2 pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?
Greetings from California! I’m bored to tears at work so I decided to browse your blog on my iphone during lunch break. I enjoy the knowledge you present here and can’t wait to take a look when I get home. I’m amazed at how quick your blog loaded on my cell phone .. I’m not even using WIFI, just 3G .. Anyhow, superb site!
I’m not sure exactly why but this website is loading very slow for me. Is anyone else having this problem or is it a issue on my end? I’ll check back later and see if the problem still exists.
I’m curious to find out what blog system you are utilizing? I’m experiencing some minor security issues with my latest blog and I’d like to find something more risk-free. Do you have any recommendations?
Hi just wanted to give you a brief heads up and let you know a few of the images aren’t loading correctly. I’m not sure why but I think its a linking issue. I’ve tried it in two different internet browsers and both show the same outcome.
Heya! I know this is somewhat off-topic but I had to ask. Does managing a well-established website like yours take a lot of work? I am brand new to blogging but I do write in my diary every day. I’d like to start a blog so I can share my experience and views online. Please let me know if you have any kind of ideas or tips for brand new aspiring blog owners. Appreciate it!
Its like you read my mind! You appear to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but other than that, this is great blog. A great read. I will definitely be back.
Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to protect against hackers? I’m kinda paranoid about losing everything I’ve worked hard on. Any suggestions?
Hi there, i read your blog occasionally and i own a similar one and i was just wondering if you get a lot of spam responses? If so how do you reduce it, any plugin or anything you can advise? I get so much lately it’s driving me insane so any help is very much appreciated.
Superb blog! Do you have any hints for aspiring writers? I’m hoping to start my own website soon but I’m a little lost on everything. Would you suggest starting with a free platform like WordPress or go for a paid option? There are so many choices out there that I’m completely overwhelmed .. Any recommendations? Many thanks!