The 200,000 Hook Gauntlet - Amazing

What happens when you hold a festival in South Korea featuring mountain trout?

You get a 200,000 plus fishing event that takes your breath away. The images from this event are hard to comprehend.

"Hundreds of thousands of people have descended on a frozen river to drill through the ice to hook mountain trout - or even fish for them with their bare hands. Visitors to Hwacheon in South Korea have arrived for the annual Ice Festival, which saw 200,000 people visit over the weekend, and which organisers anticipate will see more than a million taking part by the end of the three-week event."

Complete Story.

Free Gaffing Makos - Mumbling Excuses - Shepherd Smith

Shepherd Smith. Looking like a warmed over corpse and wearing too much pancake makeup proceeds to "interview" one of the crew members who allegedly free gaffed a Mako shark this summer in Florida.

Allegedly? Almost certainly? You decide.

Listen carefully to the tale this guy spins up about how they caught the shark, released the shark, "got a hook in it," and then dragged it home. If this was a court of law this guy would be behind bars for "inconsistent story telling."

Unfortunately, he is happily doing FOX News interviews with good old Shepard, who seems more than happy to promote the untimely and most certainly unsportsmanlike catch of a breeding aged Mako shark.

We hear tell Shepherd also hunts ducks with Patriot Missile batteries on loan from the Defense Department.

Goblin girl on... sharky holiday destinations!

I'm suffering from allergy, so now when it is spring time I walk around like a zombie, always tired and with a runny nose. The last days I have started to hallucinate about a long sandy beach, some palm trees and lots and lots of sharks! Somewhere in this picture I can see myself as well... The question is: where do I go?! I have a few criteria: it must be affordable for a poor swedish marine biologist, not too advanced when it comes to diving since I'm only a open water diver and there should be A LOT of sharks! Any suggestions? Anyone that needs some sharky field work done?!

This picutre is taken in paradise! Five years ago I went there on a job. We made a shark film in Rangiroa, French Polynesia. It is sometimes shown on Animal planet. "Science of shark sex" it is called. Anyway, there are lots and lots of grey reef sharks in the famous Tiputa pass, and the mating of these animals was all that this film was about. The problem for me was that the sharks gathered at 50 m and deeper. I didn't get to see any of these at all! Instead I snorkled with blacktip and whitetip reef sharks and fed some lemon sharks - which was still better than nothing.

I've been thinking of liveaboards in the Red Sea, but my ears always tends to be a problem after a few dives... The Maldives could be nice I guess, but not cheap... Any ideas of where I should go?!

Top 5 Sharky Holiday Gifts Under $40

Tis' the season and we thought we would get a head start by sharing with you a few our favorite shark gifts under $40.00

1. Shark Trust Wines

This great little wine brand delivers a full pallet of taste and 10% back to sharky conservation efforts around the planet. You may enjoy the fact (as we have) Shark Trust Wines are doing their part to save sharks while you sip your way to a better tomorrow. Don't take our word for it go to the website and buy a case today-they ship too!

2. Bite Back Shark Calendar

For the second year the U.K's Bite Back has attracted legendary names in underwater imagery including David Doubilet, Doug Perrine, Jeff Rotman, Chris Fallows, Brian Skerry and Michael Aw head a unique cast of photographers who have generously donated breathtaking images along with individual commentary on the exploitation of the marine environment to create a unique, high quality, 2009 calendar. Now with 30% more sharks!


3. Adopt a Shark

It's a novel idea from the good folks over at Iemanya Oceanica you get to Adopt a Shark. For adopting a shark, you will receive a membership package that includes your Certificate of Shark Adoption, an Adopt a Shark T-shirt, post-cards, stickers and bumper sticker, and a subscription to our electronic newsletter. Yeah we know the cost is a "tad" over $40.00 but if you have it-the sharks need it!

4. Island of the Great White Sharks DVD

Island of the Great White Shark brings out the dramatic behavior of great white sharks themselves and the sheer thrill of the divers viewing the King of the Seas, up close and personal. Perhaps more importantly, the film features shark research and conservation at work, and bravely faces the tremendous teeth of threats facing sharks worldwide. These are your favorite sharks from Isla Guadalupe and a ground breaking film from RTSea Productions. Just the thing to curl up next to a roaring fire while you sip your Shark Trust Wines.

5.Sharks Derek Heasley

Last season we got to meet Derek Heasley from Ireland. His shark imagery is some of the best we have seen shot from a surface cage in the years we have been at Isla Guadalupe. His Tiger Shark work is also amazing.Derek has recently completed a desk top calendar and we thought we would bring it to you today. His work has been featured in magazines all over the planet. As we have to come know over the years, you can never have too many shark pics.

Happy Holidays from the UT Crew

'Tis the season for best wishes to all. From us here the UT Crew, we wish you the very best this holiday season. 2008 will bring about a whole new slew of amazing Underwater Thrills and the UT Crew will be here to bring them to you.

If it's wet, if it's bizarre, if it's wild, you'll find it here at UT.