community
Sep 26, 2018
By Elisa Chan of the Turtle Island Restoration Network
Over 300 miles off the coast of Costa Rica lies the jewel of the Pacific Ocean, Isla del Coco. Described by Jacque Cousteau as the most beautiful island on earth, this oceanic island boasts a rich marine ecosystem, unique flora, and secrets of the deep ocean. In an effort to continue to learn about the mysteries of the Coco Islands, a team of marine biologists from Turtle Island Restoration Network, the crew from Undersea Hunter, and Park Rangers from Cocos Island National Park worked together to document the behavior of one of the most elusive marine visitors-the tiger shark.
Tiger shark encounters are common and welcomed by divers at Cocos. However, in November 2017, visitors experienced the first-ever deadly attack by a tiger shark. While removing the shark involved in the attack was discussed, there is no photographic evidence from the incident, and therefore, no action was taken. Subsequent close encounters with tiger sharks have been photo-documented, but further data is needed to determine that only one shark was involved.
While this ultimate question remains unanswered, many additional questions need to be answered to adequately understand what may have led to this behavioral change. For example, did environmental changes-like less available food-lead to the attack? If it is a single shark that is involved in both the fatal attack and the increasingly aggressive encounters, is it new to Cocos, and where might it have come from? Is it ill perhaps, or maybe it has been habituated to humans by being fed?
Turtle Island and other research colleagues, as well as park managers seek answers to these questions in order to best manage the situation-protecting both wild and human life.
To drive this effort forward, Todd Steiner and Callie Veelenturf, marine biologists from Turtle Island Restoration Network, proposed luring tiger sharks to the surface using a plastic sea turtle mounted with GoPro cameras to capture feeding behavior, provide footage for photo identification, and deploy acoustic tags on the animals from the safety of the boat to better understand the sharks' movements. This research effort is allowed under special permits from Costa Rican National Park Service.
In August 2018, the team gathered their gear at the end of the dive day and boarded the skiffs to a site known as Manuelita Coral Garden. Tiger sharks are known to frequent this area to feed on boobie chicks that often fall from the cliff's edge. Here the team waited, ready with the turtle lure mounted with GoPros and pole spears loaded with acoustic tags. The plastic sea turtle nervously floated behind the boat, as the team watched intensely for shark shaped shadows in the water.
The first day proved the most successful with five sightings-and distant underwater footage of a tiger shark was captured from the turtle-mounted GoPro cameras. This success provided the team with confidence in their potential new approach for tagging and documenting sharks in the Coco Island region. Additional evenings were spent in the field; however, our team's schedule didn't seem to line up with tiger shark feeding time in this area on those days.
Nevertheless, the team at SeaTurtles.org will continue using this method over the coming months in an effort to uncover the full story behind these tiger shark encounters and create a management plan for the safety of both dive visitors and the tiger shark population. Thank you GoPro for supporting these efforts, from everyone with a love for the ocean and our fishy friends. You're turtle-y awesome.
Click here you're like to continue to support this incredible team. You can purchase items in-need directly, or contribute to their Microplastic research expedition budget. To learn more about our upcoming Coco Island trips, go here.
Elisa Chan is a friend of Turtle Island Restoration Network, a nonprofit dedicated to mobilizing people in local communities around the world to protect marine wildlife and the oceans and inland watersheds that sustain them. She was a guest on the August Undersea Hunter / TIRN expedition.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
16/07/2026
Zixi, a leader in live video delivery and workflow orchestration, and Comcast Technology Solutions (CTS) today announced a strategic new integration to deliver ...
16/07/2026
Blackmagic Design Cameras Capture Immersive Flight for New Cirrus App
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Leader in Personal Aviation taps URSA Cin...
16/07/2026
XenData Announces LTO Archive Appliances with both File and S3 Object Storage In...
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Launched alongside new FreqSoft installer
Designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software, Freqport's FreqInOut FO1 unit provides a simple way ...
15/07/2026
Save up to 55% on software until 23 July 2026
Expressive E have just launched their Summer Offer sale, with discounts of up to 55% now applied across their ...
15/07/2026
Real-time stem-separation tool updated
zplane have recently released a new and improved version of their real-time stem-separation plug-in which they say ma...
15/07/2026
A new benchmark in bass enhancement
Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...
15/07/2026
DMC Production's AR 1 and AR 2 units reverse the conventional OB workflow, keeping all production-critical processing at the venue while operators work remo...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
General-purpose robots and autonomous machines are moving from research labs to ...
15/07/2026
Wednesday 15 July 2026
Screeners and press pack now available: Gomorrah: The Or...
15/07/2026
Trinity's Treasures features Ruth Negga, Eleanor McEvoy, and David Norris, a...
15/07/2026
Join geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, Engineer Tim Joyce and Architect Orla Murphy a...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and iconic gaming companies, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI ...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
community 
