Where Did All The Sharks Go?

Over the last six months of traveling, Grace and I have had the privilege of scuba diving or snorkeling at more than 25 different sites across the USA, South Africa, Seychelles, Vietnam and Thailand. While we’ve seen beautiful reefs and marine life, we’ve also noticed an alarming trend - especially in Southeast Asia - that’s hard to ignore. Shark sightings are becoming more and more rare. And, when they do happen, they are often in low numbers.

We are always excitedly on the lookout for new and different animals in their natural habitats. This is especially true when we dive and our absolute favorite animal to see has always been sharks. In the last six months, we've been lucky enough to spot nurse sharks in Florida, a few white tips in the Seychelles, Great Whites in South Africa and a grey reef shark as well as a leopard shark in Thailand.

Leopard Shark at Koh Bon Point, Similan Islands, Thailand

While we’ve had these experiences, they are notably few and far between. You would probably be surprised to hear that the most sharks we’ve seen in the last six months have been in tanks at fish markets in Vietnam.

Sharks for sale in Phu Quoc, VIetnam

While on a liveaboard in the Andaman Sea off the west coast of Thailand, we talked to our divemasters about this topic. They said that sharks were not always so scarce on the reefs but unfortunately, illegal finning has begun to take its toll on the diversity and quantity of sharks in the area. As an aside, sharks are primarily caught for their fins for use in shark fin soup, a delicacy in parts of Asia. The fins are cut off and the sharks are thrown back into the sea, often still alive. While we had never seen shark fin soup for sale before, we've now seen it on several restaurant menus in Asia and most recently being offered by food vendors at Chinese New Year festivities in Singapore.

Now, I assume finning is not news to anyone who watches Shark Week or has visited an aquarium in recent years. We certainly knew about it before traveling to Asia. But to see the absence of sharks firsthand on an otherwise healthy reef is a wake-up call. Shark overfishing is not becoming a problem, it has been one for quite some time.

As large as the ocean is, it is not large enough for the sharks to hide.

Because Grace and I are interested in this topic and still plan to dive in the Philippines, Australia, Indonesia and Hawaii on this trip, we wanted to learn more. The research about shark populations and the things that threaten them is expansive and varies based on location, species and legislation. Although it seems unanimously agreed upon that most shark species populations are on the decline, some, such as oceanic white tips, thresher sharks and hammerheads, are disappearing at a much faster rate than others.

In order to understand a bit more, I poked around scientific journals and pulled some information from an article called Global catches, exploitation rates, and rebuilding options for sharks. Below are a couple of facts that really got my attention.

• A conservative number of sharks killed a year is 100 million but could be as high as 273 million.

• Between 6.4% and 7.9% of sharks of all species are killed annually. Anything over 4.9% is beyond their rebound rate and poses a serious risk to shark sustainability.

Another way researchers are measuring the impact humans have had on the shark population is by studying data from fishery logbooks over time. While the sharks are not targeted by the fisheries, longline hooks catch many sharks who attempt to eat either the bait on the hook or the captured prey.  Each fishing boat records the number and species of the sharks they catch, and these numbers give an ongoing estimate of the abundance of each shark species in the region. Of eight shark species studied in the last 15 years, they have seen declines between 50 and 89 percent.

While these numbers might seem depressing, the issue is not out of our hands. There are hundreds of organizations out there dedicated to helping sharks. There is also a record amount of awareness and global legislation to help protect sharks. Scientists have also seen certain populations of shark species, such as the great white, begin to rebound after a concerted global effort.

Juvenile Great White, Shark Alley, South Africa

The issue will remain a complicated one, especially if we begin to factor in things like global warming, pollution, and overpopulation. But if you are interested in learning more about how you can help, check out Discovery Channel's website called Sharkopedia, which has a section completely dedicated to Shark Conservation.

I think as people, we feel the need to protect what we are most connected to. In my opinion, the best way to get involved is to get out there and explore the world’s oceans for yourself. Some of my greatest and most unforgettable moments have been up close shark encounters. Hopefully, with time and effort, we won’t have to be the last generation able to experience these amazing animals in their natural habitat.

Grace and me diving in the Similan Islands, Thailand

Learning About the "American War" in Vietnam

We recently spent three weeks traveling around the beautiful country of Vietnam. From the beaches to the mountains and in between, it's a gorgeous place. Even more gorgeous are all the smiling faces of the kind, welcoming Vietnamese people.

As we explored all that Vietnam has to offer, we learned more about the violent wars that the country has endured, particularly in the past century. With every day and every new piece of information, those smiles we saw became even more beautiful, because we understood them in the context of Vietnam's very sad history.

Let's go waaay back to sometime in middle school. (Fun fact: Mike and I went to the same middle school, but not at the same time!) For us, world history was covered in social studies class. At some point, although I can't remember which grade, we first learned about the Vietnam War.

Maybe we were too young to grasp the horrors that happened, or maybe it was just another chapter in the textbook that we've since forgotten, but honestly, Mike and I both agreed that we didn't fully understand the war or the USA's role until we educated ourselves in the country where it all went down. 

While in Vietnam, we sought out different experiences to learn more about what happened. We sort of felt it was our duty, being young Americans fortunate enough to travel as we currently are. Even more than that, visiting historical sites and museums is something that we often feel compelled to do in order to walk away feeling like we earned the right to enjoy our time in a foreign place. 

So, here's a brief overview of the historical sites and museums dedicated to the American War (as they refer to it in Vietnam) that we visited in Vietnam. 

Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi

The Hỏa Lò Prison was originally built by the French colonists in Vietnam to hold political prisoners, then later used during the Vietnam War by North Vietnam for prisoners of war. It held many American POWs (including John McCain), who gave it the nickname "the Hanoi Hilton." 

This was our first taste of the discrepancy between how the U.S. describes certain aspects of the war and how it looks through Vietnam's eyes. The fair treatment of American soldiers was emphasized (and likely exaggerated). 

War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City

The majority of the War Remnants Museum is dedicated to exhibits relating to the Vietnam War (there are also a few about the first Indochina War with the French colonialists). This museum was easily the most harrowing for us. In particular, one large exhibit room contained more than 100 photographs showing the damaging and lasting effects of Agent Orange on Vietnamese men, women and innocent children. 

We also saw those affected firsthand in the streets and working at centers for disabled persons. The most horrible realization is that the damage to so many innocent lives could have been avoided. For us at home, the war is over. It is rarely talked about and for many, rarely thought about. But for the Vietnamese, reminders are everywhere. 

Although it's very sad, it's also very informative. This museum offers a powerful experience that is not to be missed. 

One of the U.S. helicopters on display outside the War Remnants Museum in Ho Chi Minh City

Cu Chi Tunnels (north of Ho Chi Minh City)

The day after we went to the War Remnants Museum, we joined a small tour group to visit the Củ Chi Tunnels north of the city. The Cu Chi tunnels are a network of underground tunnels that were used by North Vietnam fighters during the war (both for combat and living in hiding). They are just one connected system of a larger network of tunnels that run below much of the middle of the country. We squat-walked through and emerged after a few minutes, sweating and all but gasping for fresh air. I can't imagine spending multiple days down there, as many people did in order to survive air attacks. 

Coconut Prison in Phu Quoc

Our last war-related stop was Phu Quoc Prison, also called the "Coconut Prison" on Phu Quoc island. Like Hoa Lo, the prison was first built by the French colonists to jail those considered especially dangerous to the colonist government. Many of the high ranking leaders of Vietnam were detained here before it became a prison used by South Vietnam to detain captured Viet Cong fighters, many of whom were mercilessly tortured. (The various torture methods are depicted in detailed, life-size models. Some are quite difficult to look at, much less imagine.) 

Interestingly, signs at the prison stated that it was run by the "American Puppet Government," referring to the South Vietnam army, which was supported by the U.S. 

Mike managed a smile as he made his way through one of the tunnels in Cu Chi

Lessons Learned?

All of these places provided perspective and particulars about what was an extremely complicated and even sadder situation. (Is war ever not complicated or sad?) 

Still, after all that education, our favorite way to learn was hearing from Vietnamese people firsthand. Some of the most memorable lessons came from people we met who talked about their feelings or the stories they heard about the war from their parents. 

At first, the few we talked to, notably all people working in hospitality/tourism, told us that no one in Vietnam harbors any hateful feelings anymore; that now that it's over, they just want peace. Multiple people told us that the Vietnamese are only looking ahead, thinking about the future and providing for their families. And that they love anyone who visits their country and spends money.

Based on all the smiling faces and the overly-helpful nature of hotel staff, that was easy to believe. But a few weeks in, we got some more unfiltered opinions. 

In My Son, where we were touring temple ruins, our guide told us that there are indeed some older people who still "hate Americans" because they blame them for the death of relatives. He went on to explain that his father spent four years in the Cu Chi Tunnels and all of his father's brothers died in the tunnels during one attack. 

But it is true that many Vietnamese are happy to see so many visitors arriving. For the most part, they are very proud of their country and eager to show off how far they've come. When we were trekking in Sapa, we arrived at Lao Chai village and Lan, our guide, exclaimed, "I love my country!" She was beaming. 

The past is the past. There's no going back to change it. But traveling somewhere with a history like Vietnam's without learning about it would be irresponsible. When it comes to travel, ignorance cannot be bliss. For to leave without understanding a place and, more importantly, its people, is to leave without truly having experienced it. 

I'd like to say that people need to know what happened so that history does not repeat itself. But, as we reflected on our surprise, sadness and even shame at what we'd learned, we realized that similar situations are still happening in the world today. 

And since I can't think of a nice little "bow on top" way to finish this post, here's this: 

Good Morning, Vietnam!

I’m writing this post from a van that’s driving us from Hanoi to Halong City, where we’ll board a boat to sail around Halong Bay for the next three days. In case you didn’t catch that, the van has wifi. So, needless to say, life is good. 

We got here a few days ago... wow, nearly a week ago, actually. Traveling from Cape Town to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, was unpleasant, to put it mildly. It took three flights over the course of 30 hours (one delayed flight and a subsequent missed flight extended our travel time) to finally make it here. That would suck on its own, but Mike was battling a nasty stomach ache and I had an annoying cough develop out of nowhere. It was almost like our bodies were telling us to quit. But, of course we can’t do that. We have eight months left to go! 

Thankfully, Mike started a brief but powerful course of antibiotics that we got before leaving the U.S. and was feeling himself again on our second day. After adjusting to the change in time zone, we’re ready to take this country by storm.  

So far, we’ve checked out Hanoi, a bustling city of more than 7 million people where old and new worlds collide, and Sapa (or Sa Pa), a farming region northwest of Hanoi most famous for its dramatic landscape of terraced rice fields in the Muong Hoa Valley.

Both were totally charming in their own ways and we’re excited to share more information, stories and photos from each very soon.

To arrive in Vietnam is bittersweet. A year ago, I would have said SE Asia was the place that I was most looking forward to seeing. For years, I have dreamed about experiencing the culture and eating asian food nonstop. However, we’re a little bit sad that the first chapter in our travel story, Africa, is finished. 

An interesting thing happens when you've been traveling for a few months. You accept that you no longer have a “home” in the traditional sense. And then, as you stay somewhere for a few weeks, you can start to feel connected to it, like it’s your new home. Your new normal. Your new comfort zone.

That’s how southern Africa was feeling to us after two months. We drove around in our own car (a rental, but still). We went grocery shopping. We went to the movies and we even cooked a Thanksgiving dinner. It was home. And we were sad to say goodbye. 

As I think about it more, though, it’s not something to be unhappy about. If we could feel at home in Africa, we could probably feel at home here, too. Maybe in a few months, when we’re once again transitioning, from the Philippines to New Zealand, I’ll be reflecting in a similar way, upset again to leave the region that has begun to feel like our new home.