Women in Science and Pelagic Shark Retreat
DAY 1. The girls and unexpected visitors arrive.
As we waited in the rental car reception to pick up the van for our first Women in Ocean Science and Pelagic Shark Retreat, Fernanda’s phone started to ring and I knew straight away that it was something epic! An orca report! A Latitude tour was already out on the water and so an excited Fernanda sent the last reported location of the orcas to Mathias. We continued our day picking up our retreat guests: Joy, Josie, Emily and Keirsten in the van/party bus.
A few hours later Fer messaged Mathias to see if he had managed to find the orcas. He replied that the interactions were unbelievable and that we should really get ourselves there. There was one problem though…. we were missing our final guest, Annie! She was on a bus approximately one hour away. Fer quickly organised two boats in which myself and Mads would go with the guests who had already arrived and she would follow later with Annie. We rushed to the Air BnB and dropped our bags and grabbed our masks, fins and wetsuits and jumped into the van. Hearts racing, engine racing, we were going to find orcas. Heart stopping, breaks on, our ONLY route to the marina was blocked. A delivery truck was stuck in sand in the middle of the road. As time passed, we gave up hope that we would make it to the orcas in time. Frustrated we waited. Next to the truck there was a small gap in the road where there was a high mound of sand. Other frustrated drivers waiting to pass the truck on both sides started to get fed up and were driving over the sand to get past. So, we ditched the van and rushed back to my car which was parked outside the Air Bnb. We quickly ordered an Uber to meet the girls on foot on the other side of the truck and myself and Fer launched my car over the sand dune and raced to the marina. Annie had also arrived and we jumped onto the boat waiting for us and raced out to sea, hoping all our efforts would be worth it. Around twenty minutes later we had made it just in time!! The orcas were there, with their black and white faces popping up over the waves to greet us. The wind had really picked up making conditions tricky but we managed to jump in the water several times and experienced these magnificent creatures below the waves.
Speaker: Clara Calatayud (Mexico Azul)
We returned late to the Air BnB and after all the excitement of seeing the orcas were treated to an excellent talk from our first women speaker Clara Calatayud, the director of the NGO Mexico Azul. She joined us to tell us about the different shark species that we could expect to see during the retreat and also detailed the Pelagic shark monitoring program she has been running for several years. Any data collected by us during the week would also contribute to the program.
DAY 2 – Patricia the hangry mako
Our first official ocean day started and we headed out in search for mako and blue sharks. I gave a talk about shark biology and the data we are collecting for Clara, while Fer and Ellen set up the bait crate and prepared chum which we would be using to attract any pelagic sharks in the area. Just over an hour had passed when Ellen shouted ‘SHARKKKKK!’. It was a mako. Fer put on her mask and fins and slipped into the water while everyone watched eagerly from the surface as the shark swam around the boat. The first two girls got into the ocean and held onto the line. From the surface the visibility looked okay and we watched the mako shark biting onto the bait crate and fish head. It was swimming very close to everyone in the water. Fer popped her head up from the water and told me that she needed me in the water pretty promptly. I wasn’t sure why until I got in. The visibility was really TERRIBLE (less than several meters) and the mako shark, we later named Patricia, was hard to see until she was right up close and personal. Fer had to redirect the shark several times with her hand and I did with my fin. She seemed quite angry and hungry – HANGRY. It was definitely an adrenaline rush and once the rest of the girls had seen Patricia in the water, we decided to call it and we all got out of the water.
Speaker – Marta Palas (Mobula Conservation)
Our second speaker was Marta Palas, PhD Candidate and founder of the NGO Mobula Conservation. We told her about our thrilling day with Patricia the mako shark and she shared with us her research on mobulas around Baja, including some of the problems she has faced as a woman working in marine science and the importance of working with local fisherman.
Day 3 – ORCAS AGAIN?!
Before we were able to leave the marina, Fer came running to the boat! She had just received a call of ANOTHER orca sighting. We couldn’t believe our luck and we headed directly to the location. Clara had joined us on the boat but today was not a shark day anymore and what a day it would be. We spent several hours observing orcas predating on common dolphins. It was a mix of emotions to see the dolphins being hunted by the orcas but it was incredibly impressive and we very privileged to have observed this amazing spectacle. We tried to swim with the orcas a few times but the visibility, like the day before, was bad and the water was green. Instead, we enjoyed watching them from the surface and Mads managed to capture an amazing photo of one of the orcas breaching with a dolphin in its mouth!
Speaker – Katy Ayres (Pelagios Kakunja)
The third speaker was me and I gave a talk about how we can use drones to study marine species. I also spoke about my PhD research on blacktip shark aggregations at Cabo Pulmo National Park, which involves aerial drone surveys and acoustic and satellite tagging to monitor the abundance of sharks close to the shoreline.
DAY 4 – Blue water and both species of shark
The weather was forecast to be pretty windy. We started chumming and the boat quickly drifted several miles. The water was blue and crystal clear with amazing visibility. Before long we were graced by the presence of not one but two mako sharks! On this occasion the sharks were very calm and not Patricia like at all, probably due to the amazing visibility. Sharks are ambush predators and use the element of surprise. Both sharks were female and one was much larger than the other. The smaller one didn’t hang out for long. We were in the water for more than 2 hours and just as we started to think about getting out a beautiful male blue shark joined the party! The mako shark was deterred by the presence of the blue shark and hung back as the blue shark checked out the bait crate and all the guests. We then headed back to land. This was a long and bumpy journey but our Captain Cesar did a great job and we were in high spirits and had the music blasting to reflect our celebratory mood.
Speaker – Katia Silva
Marine biologist and whale watching guide Katia gave a great talk about the humpback whales that migrate to the waters of Cabo each winter. She also told us about global Whale Heritage Sites and how she is planning to help achieve this for Cabo Pulmo National Park.
DAY 5 – Another surprise: a whale shark!
On our final day out on the water we chummed for sharks. We waited, we talked, we laughed and Mads had her camera and took some fabulous photos of everyone. After several hours it was looking unlikely that any sharks would turn up… but to our surprise the LARGEST species of all shark made an appearance by swimming alongside the boat, a WHALE shark!!!!!!
Make it stand out
Speaker – Dr. Francesca Pancaldi (WWF and Pelagic Life)
Our final speaker was whale shark researcher and shark conservation officer Francesca Pancaldi, which was incredibly fitting since we had only just seen a whale shark that very afternoon. Francesca told us about her inspiring journey, her PhD on whale sharks in La Paz, her many scientific publications and about her new job working for WWF. She has recently started a family and it was a great example of how you can be a successful badass shark scientist and also be a mother.
DAY 6 – Beach Day
For our final day, we drove to the east cape to escape the wind on the Pacific coast. We spent the day relaxing and having a few beers while watching the waves and exploring. We had lunch in San Jose and then for dinner we had delicious sushi prepared by the chef who had joined us for the whole week. We then headed to the local Mescal bar and enjoyed a few drinks on our last night together.
The whole week was a great success and thanks go to everyone who made this possible including the women speakers and the five women who joined us. We look forward to organizing more Women in Science expeditions during the next shark season.
