Possible Shark Sighting at the Promenade in Nice
Two days ago, the beaches along the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France were evacuated due to what was a possible shark sighting. It was never confirmed whether this extremely rare sighting was indeed a shark. It was noted that it could be a mola molas (poisson lune) or a dolphin.
Below is a clip of the local TV report (french):
Later reports cast doubt on the theory of a shark in Nice waters, as it was discovered that a female dolphin was found dead today near the island of Saint-Honorat in Cannes. It apparently died after giving birth leading some to believe that this was what was seen in Nice two days ago.
Photos for the Weekend of 7-4
Tried some water silhouette shots
The holiday weekend passed quickly and without anything extraordinary happening. I got a couple of nice shots in, but nothing as dramatic as last weekend. I did, however, find the same nudibranch that I missed my shot of last week, and I got a passable shot this time. I also got to shoot a bizarre type of miniature spider crab that I found habitating an anemone. I barely saw him, and he’s even hard to pick out in the photos. Finally, I decided to do some more wide angle work (as wide as I can), and came up with a few fun water silhouette and surf shots.
Video of Our Club by Francois Gautier
Below is a video created by Francois Gautier a long-time member of our CIPA (our diving club). I think it’s pretty freakin’ awesome, mostly because I am in it. 
Look for the guy in the wetsuit, and you’ll find me . Anyways, I’d like to give a special thanks to Francois for posting this. To everyone else, I recommend stopping over at his site: OceanColors
CIPA En Hiver by Francois Gautier
Shark Scare in Nice… Oh, was only a Mola Mola or Poisson Lune
What locals suspected as being a shark turned out to be far less dangerous. Photo courtesy of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
We were talking to one of the marine guides down at the port the other day, and the guide recounted the story of a fin sighting in the Port de Nice a few weeks back. People got pretty nervous because they thought it was a shark at first (which is extremely rare to see in this area, there are close to no sharks here), but it turns out that it was just a Poisson Lune, or Mola Mola. Mola Molas are pretty rare to see here too, and are completely harmless except when eaten. Their flesh can be quite poisonous.
According to fishbase.org:
They occur naturally in warm and temperate zones of all oceans.The Eastern Pacific from British Columbia, Canada to Peru and Chile. The Eastern Atlantic from Scandinavia to South Africa (occasionally western Baltic, Mediterranean). And the Western Atlantic from Newfoundland, Canada to Argentina. The fish is found on slopes adjacent to deep water. The fish comes in for shelter and for seeking cleaner fishes. The fish is usually shy. However, it may become familiar with divers in some locations. The species often drifts at the surface while lying on its side. It swims upright and close to the surface. The dorsal fin often protrudes above the water. The species has been filmed in 480 m depth with the help of a camera equipped with baits. The species eats fishes, mollusks, zooplankton, jellyfish, crustaceans and brittle stars.
