Swimming with silky sharks and other species

By Nikolai Shorter

I’m Nikolai and I’ve just finished my six-week internship with Pelagios. It’s been an absolute blast and I’m very pleased to have experienced it! I originally decided to do an internship with Pelagios as I wanted practical experience to round out my zoology course at uni. In that respect I can say the internship absolutely delivered, I spent on average 3 days a week in the field, with the other two weekdays spent handling the wide array of data we collected. At weekends I explored Baja and scuba dived, swam with dolphins, and visited some of the most amazing beaches I’ve ever seen.

Out in the field I swam with around 50 silky sharks (one of my highlights) and fished for juvenile pacific sharpnose sharks, as well as deployed remote cameras to search for nursery areas.  In total I think I’ve seen over 180 individual sharks from 5 different species, which is truly awesome.

One of the main things I’ve enjoyed while working with Pelagios is the sense that I’m doing cutting-edge, relevant shark research. Much of that is thanks to Darren, with whom I have carried out innovative remote shark observation (nice one BRUVS) and also begun designing new shark tagging equipment (from recycled plastic!!) which I hope enables new research.

Overall, I have had a fantastic time doing relevant research in one of the best shark hotspots in the world, which also happens to be a lovely part of Mexico. I would highly recommend the internship to anyone who loves sharks and/or wants to gain invaluable practical experience, all while having a great time with great people.

Blog publication date: September 3, 2021