THE BULL SHARKS
The Bull Sharks live off the wall of Shark Reef Marine Reserve in the deep water (60-100m) of Beqa Passage.  It is believed that they possibly have 'territories' down in these depths, with the individuals whose territories are closest to the Reserve being the most frequent visitors.

A total of about 50 different individuals have been observed in the Reserve.  They come in to feed in mixed sex groups of about 10-15 animals, possibly social groups, and it appears that the groups rotate on 10-day cycles.  Our ongoing database is tracking all the named individuals to try and identify if there is a pattern to their movements.  This is the first time Bull Sharks' feeding and movement patterns have been studied to this degree.

FEMALES**

"Stumpy"
Coming in at 2.5m/8ft, Stumpy is quite a large Bull.  With her cut off 'stumpy tail' making her easily identifiable from a distance, she is one of the most self assured and relaxed sharks at the feed.  The feeders describe her as "quite sweet really".

"Rope"
Rope was a small female, 1.5m/5ft, who was a regular on The Big Fish Encounter back in 2002.  She appeared one day with a length of rope wrapped tightly around her tail, a memento from a hard fought battle with a fisherman.  With the rope constricting her tail growth and movement, she was observed getting slowly weaker and weaker.  Rope has not been seen since January 2004?.

"Big Mama"
Measuring a whopping 3m/10ft, Big Mama certainly lives up to her name and with her classic Bull Shark profile; big beefy and round, nobody misses her at the Big Fish Encounter.

"Cilla"
Originally called 'Elvis the Pelvis' due to a severed right pelvic fin, Elvis was then seen to be a girl and named 'Priscilla' which the feeders immediately shortened to Cilla.  She is very timid and has yet to take food from the feeders, preferring to feed off the bottom at her own pace.

"Annie"
Annie is a medium sized Bull at 1.8m/6ft easily distinguished by her severed anal fin.  She is a regular at the Big Fish Encounter, although she has yet to take any food at all!  During the Bull Shark Tagging Project in September 2004, Annie was one of the individuals tagged and can now be identified by her colored tag; GREEN/RED/YELLOW.

"Crook"
Second only to Big Mamma in size, Crook is described by the feeders as "one of the coolest sharks around".  She is about 3m/10ft long, quite often dragging long lines of fishing tackle around; with a crooked smile caused by fish hook damage.  Crook was seen to be pregnant in January 2004 and should deliver her pups in early 2005.

"Kinky"
Another of the regular visitors to the Big Fish Encounter, Kinky is easily identified by a large kink in the front of her dorsal fin.  She started by only taking scraps from the bottom and now has quite a special relationship with the feeders.  It seems that she is actually quite a fussy eater and has spat out frozen fish, preferring to wait for the defrosted, warmer fish later in the dive!

"Hook"
Named due to the large fishhook lodged in the right side of her mouth many years ago.  Over time, the feeder and scientists have observed the hook slowly move outwards with her teeth and eventually be expelled.  This made identifying her a little tricky for a while, now she is recognized by her dorsal fin being cut at a slanted angle.

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MALES**

"Jaws"
Jaws is a very special shark to everyone, but especially the feeders.  He arrived at the Big Fish Encounter looking very thin and with his flesh hanging from his body.  The left hand side of his jaw was hanging open, almost completely severed, presumably from a battle with fishing tackle.  The feeders worked with him and Jaws is now a healthy male, 1.5m/5ft long with a very gentle and easy going manner, although his jaw still hangs open on the left hand side and he can only feed with the right hand side of his mouth.

"Whitenose"
Whitenose is a regular to the Big Fish Encounter.  When he shows up he is a little edgy which seems to affect the other animals.  He is very easily distinguished by the white patch on the tip of his nose.

"Blackbeard"
The BIG male of the Big Fish Encounter, Blackbeard measures 2m/7ft.  He is a large animal but still very cautious, identifiable by a large fishhook lodged in the right corner of his mouth.

"Chopper"
One of the smallest of the regular Bulls, Chopper measures a scant 1.5m/5ft.  Half of his upper tail fin has been chopped clean off, possibly from a clash with a shark-finning vessel.

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THE SILVERTIP SHARKS
Silvertip Sharks have the most graceful lines and exquisite silver markings, making them quite unmistakable.  Oftentimes seen patrolling the steep drop-off, sometimes in small aggregations, they are regular visitors to the Big Fish Encounter.  There are a total of about 7 different individuals and they will quickly let you know when they are around.  It's not uncommon for them to come straight towards you and then turn at the last second.

"Madonna"
A stunning shark, about 2m/7ft in length, Madonna is the perfect looking shark with no cuts or scars.  The only thing distinguishing her is the dark mole on her upper lip and her feisty attitude!

"Joker"
With her skewed smile very reminiscent of The Joker from Batman, she is a small Silvertip, about 1.5/5ft.  Joker does not have the attitude of Madonna and tends to keep a bit more distance between her and divers.

"Lady"
The largest and most assertive of the Silvertips, Lady measures about 2.5m/8ft.  She is the dominant Silvertip and can be identified by a disfigurement on the trailing edge of her right pectoral fin.

THE TIGER SHARKS
Tiger Sharks are, without question, the biggest animals to be seen in Shark Reef Marine Reserve.  The Tigers do not appear as regularly as the other species; we tend to see them about once a month.  It is known from other studies that their territories are very large, sometimes trans-oceanic, and tend not to be resident on one small reef.

"Scarface"
Scarface truly is a BIG FISH, measuring a massive 4m/14ft.  She carries a large scar on the left-hand side of her face and is the more regular of the Tigers to visit.  When she's around everyone else disappears and she rules the site, happily feeding from either of the two feeders and sometimes from both on one pass.

"Doris"
Only seen a couple of times in the Reserve, Doris is by far and away the largest shark at about 5.5m/18ft.  Not only does her size distinguish her, but also her dorsal fin is badly shredded.

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THE SICKLEFIN LEMON SHARKS
At present, there have only been 2 different individuals that have been sighted in Shark Reef Marine Reserve.  Not one of the more regular visitors, being observed about once a week, the Sicklefin Lemons disappear during the summer months of Dec-Jan.

"Whitetail"
The largest of the Sicklefin Lemons, Whitetail measures about 3m/10ft in length.  Her tail has a distinctive white patch, making it easy to distinguish her from the other sharks.

"Minnie"
Minnie is a small shark, about 1.8m/6ft in length.  The black marking on the tip of her snout give her the appearance of a mouse!

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THE TAWNY NURSE SHARKS
Interestingly, all the Tawny Nurses observed on the Big Fish Encounter have been males.  They are the most emboldened animals, so much so, that they have been witnessed keeping the Bulls away from the bait!  It is not uncommon for the Nurses to be seen with their heads inside the fish barrels, and their tails flapping from side to side.  There are a total of maybe 7 different individuals, al of who disappear during the summer months of Dec-Jan.

"Dent"
Anytime we are at the Big Fish Encounter, Dent is also there.  A large male, 3m/10ft, he is not afraid to stand up for himself when it comes to the food.  If he does not have his head in the barrel, he will be waiting patiently at the feeders' feet.

THE WHITETIP REEF SHARKS
The numbers of Whitetip Reef Sharks are too numerous to count or name.  On any given day there will be 10-15 individuals cruising around in the shallows of the Reserve.  They will occasionally venture down to 'The Take Out', before swiftly retreating to the shallows again.  While you are at 'The Take Out' take a look behind you, you'll be surprised at what you see!

THE BLACKTIP REEF SHARKS
The Blacktip Reefs inhabit the reef flats on top of Shark Reef Marine Reserve.  As with the Whitetips, they too will venture down to see what is going on before quickly returning to the safety of shallows.  At the end of the dive, anywhere between 10-20 individuals can be observed racing around; just watching them will exhaust you

THE GREY REEF SHARKS
With an estimated total population of 50+ individuals, the Grey Reefs are seen on every dive in the Reserve.  As with the Bulls, we do not see them all at one time, but rather in smaller groups of 15-20 animals.  They are in the Reserve year-round and found at all depths on the dive.  As yet none of the Grey Reefs have been named, though the feeders are working on it!

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The Other Big Fish ?

Napoleon Wrasse
Still a youngster for his species, Hamilton, is probably about 2-3 years old and weighs an estimated 100kgs/200 lb!  Quite a regular at the Big Fish Encounter, he is very accustomed to the presence of people and can often be found hovering in the bubbles rising from the divers.

Giant Grouper
Ratu Rua translates as Chief Two.  Ratu Dua/Chief One disappeared over a year ago leaving the site to his protégé.  It turns out that Ratu Rua is not chief, but rather she is an Adi, the Fijian name for a female chief, however the name has stuck
Ratu Rua cannot be missed when she turns up; she is about 1.8m/6ft long and the size of a small car.  When she feeds, her cavernous mouth shoots out and opens wide enough to not only swallow the food, but also quite possibly the whole bin as well.  She is always seen with her escort cloud of Golden Trevallies collecting the scraps that she leaves behind.

Java Moray
Tammy is a photographer's dream subject.  She seems to love the camera and is happy to pose all day long for picture after picture.  Usually found on the shallow slopes in the Reserve, she has set up house and keeps a watchful eye on proceedings!

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