Threshold

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Underwater image of a silky shark mating aggregation
ROV “Neptune 1” documents the annual silky shark mating aggregation near an underwater seamount in the Gulf of California.
Underwater image of endangered black coral
A deep-water reef, covered in endangered black coral. The entranceway into the Gulf is an underwater canyon, with rich diversity.
A female mako shark, presumed to be pregnant.
Location: Cabo San Lucas. A female mako shark, presumed to be pregnant. Cabo is a rare reproduction zone for mako, who give live birth to a small number of relatively large young.
A shark making direct, but gentle contact with the speaker. There were no attempts for investigational bites, only pausing and occasional touch.
A school of trevally
Location: Revillagigedo Archipelago. A school of trevally wildly changes directions below while being hunted by a school of silky shark at Isla Roca Partida. The island is a reproduction zone for sharks, with a nursery area on an adjacent island.

Samantha Schwann

Samantha Schwann is an international award-winning photographic artist whose work concentrates on ecologically unique areas of the o…

Topics
Animals Environment Marine Environment
Sub Topics
Conservation Endangered Species Environmental Degradation Marine Conservation Wildlfe Protection
Regions
Mexico Pacific Ocean
Shark Habitat

About Threshold

Scattered around the ocean are areas of such significance, that their protection is scientifically recognized with the ability to impact global ocean health. These areas are known as Hope Spots, and the Gulf of California was the very first one.

Within a very narrow radius of the entranceway into the gulf, lies a global shark hotspot – attracting seasonal migrations of several radically declining open-ocean shark species. The animals arrive, linger, and then continue on. While not yet fully understood, there is something special here.

The area is ecologically unique: presenting a junction of three separate water masses mixing above the continental shelf, leading into a deep-water canyon, and nearby underwater mountain ranges (seamounts), all of which are seasonal habitat. While shark activity is easily studied at the surface, little is known about the activity and behavior at deeper depths.

Why are the sharks here, and what are they doing? Is there something deeper to be discovered? What role can modern technology play in saving a keystone species?

“Threshold” is a photographic project which seeks the answers to these questions, in a blend of exploration, science and conservation. Working with a small team of local shark scientists and conservationists from Mexico Azul and Cabo Shark Dive, and utilizing sound and underwater remote operated vehicles (ROVs), the project documents the activity in critical shark habitat beyond the reach of traditional underwater photography.