In 1995 I moved to Boston, MA to study - it had been a very long time since my family had been diving - my parents were still living in Bolivia (one of the two landlocked countries in South America). The winters were absolutely brutal, and all I could do was dream of the warm Caribbean / Atlantic Oceans.
My roommate at the time was Justin Hull - he was a very big factor in getting my dad and I back to the Bahamas, initially to do some spearfishing (Justin, we still talk about you to this day about that - thank you). Justin is originally from Massachusetts but grew up in South Florida. His father was a yacht broker and ocean man - he spent many years sailing the Bahamas and knows the area very well. One winter while we were talking about fishing, Justin mentioned that in the Abacos one could rent houses, boats, and still catch an abundance of fish...he also said there were still a lot of sharks (little did we know).
In the summer of 1997 my old man, Justin and I went to Green Turtle Cay for some serious spearfishing. As a side thought, my father brought his trusted Nikonos V, probably thinking he would take some photos of the speared fish. What we thought was going to be a laid back trip really became the turning point for my father's passions - it was now an obsession.
At the time we had little experience with sharks. Coupled with the fact that we were spearfishing, we created some "interesting" situations. The Abacos has a lot of sharks, predominately Caribbean reef sharks and nurse sharks, we have also seen lemons and great hammerheads. On any given day we were usually in the company of 8-10 reef sharks and another 5 nurse sharks. They were guaranteed to be there and usually pretty quickly after spearing the first fish.
The first few times we saw agitated sharks, we usually got out of the water fairly quickly and changed locations. Just like a pack of dogs, they would eventually follow us. Then I noticed something: My father was staying in the water longer, not spearing, but instead capturing on film these beautiful animals with his camera. I also realized that I was spending more and more time on the boat instead of in the water. I have to admit; I was not comfortable being in the water with the sharks. To put it bluntly: I was scared. I can clearly remember the shouting matches between me and my dad as we were going home. It got to a point where he would decide to go out on his own, which later on really became the norm (as I had less and less vacation).
The Abacos became our favorite destination for the next nine years with my father and mother going there twice a year and staying for more than four weeks each time. There were times that my dad would leave in the mornings and not come back until the evening (only because it was getting dark). Endless hours were spent with sharks translating into some great stories to tell, including a couple of shark bites.
Over time it seemed that both the sharks and my father became more comfortable and confident with one another, this became evident by the photos he was taking and the scars he now has. His first shark pictures were taken from "far" away and later the wide angle lens was on continuously, to guaranty focus from up close and personal. My father even managed to get my mother in the water, she took some great photos of the Wolf interacting with his friends.
"A combination of excitement and a small dose of fear. I would normally encounter sharks while spear fishing which were situations I would have to learn to manage. Once you have bleeding fish in the water, sharks become rather agitated and willdisplay more boldness when approaching you. Adrenaline rushes were rather common on those days. However, I quickly realized that the sharks were interested in the wounded fish, not in me." - Wolfgang Leander
During this time his love for the animals grew tremendously, he would literally talk about them as if they were family. He always carried a little album with photos of the sharks with him not to show others, but for him to look at. He even had a love affair with "The Lady", a large female Caribbean Reef Shark that was there year after year. She had become the star protagonist of his photos.
The Abacos, particularly Green Turtle Cay,hold a very special place for us, it was here that OceanicDreams was born. It is the place that ignited a journey that continues today.
"It was the place where I lost my heart to sharks. What was mere fascination before turned into feelings of love. Thus, that place means a lot to me. I dived there for many years, mostly on my own. That way I could develop a unique relationship with sharks you could call intimate and very emotional." - Wolfgang Leander on the Abacos
Eventually my parents moved to Quito, Ecuador. This gave my dad easy access to the Galapagos, a place that used to be a Mecca for shark diving. Here my father somewhat expanded his horizon and began to capture other ocean creatures ranging from mantas and sea lions to dolphins, but he always came back to his sharks.
"The underwater scenery, the incredible diversity and abundance of marine life, the playful seals, large pelagic fish, including Galapagos sharks, rays, mantas, the strong currents. The place is not for novice divers as it requires much self-confidence coupled with solid diving experience. You hardly see any freedivers in the Galapagos. In that respect, I became quickly known as "el buceador apneista" (= the freediver). - Wolfgang Leander
Whereas the Bahamas got him into the shark photography, the Galapagos would be the place that started his concern and voice for the killing of sharks. We personally witnessed the effects of illegal shark finning in the area. Dive sites where we had up to 20 Galapagos sharks would look like deserts the following year. My dad has gone to the Galapagos over 10 times. It was when the shark fishermen took the science station hostage and threatened to kill the 100+ turtles that he decided not to go back anymore.
"I realized that sharks and a few other species are not protected in that marine sanctuary. There is an unholy alliance between the fishermen, the authorities and the shark fin mafia that is responsible for the massive decimation of the shark populations in the Galapagos. I decided to boycott the islands. Actually this first-hand experience of an all pervasive corruption that involved the Ecuadorian government and the organized shark fin criminals turned me into a shark conservationist".
Until then we had never dived with large sharks, by that I mean great white sharks (I still have not to this day) and tiger sharks. My dad was the first to venture to the Bahamas and then South Africa, like the Abacos, this was a life changing experience for him, as it was for me. This was the first time that I can honestly say that I completely lost all fear of sharks, ironic that diving with large tiger sharks which are supposed to be "mindless killing machines and man eaters" had this effect on me. Tiger sharks became the new subjects for my father's photography. His interactions with them have been over the edge for those who do not know him, and touching for those who do. For the last three years he has focused all his energy on these magnificent sharks, "Doc" Gruber most appropriately calls the "Buddha sharks".
"Tiger sharks are, to me, the quintessential sharks: They look (and are) very powerful, their size and body marks are distinctive, their eyes are inquisitive and dark which give them an expression not found in other sharks. Their 'character' is in stark contrast to their image as being the second 'most dangerous' sharks.
I have found tiger sharks to be highly responsive to interacting with humans, and while they are formidable predators capable of hunting other sharks and dolphins, I would not describe them as dangerous to humans at all, irrespective of the fact that occasional accidents do happen. However, "playing" with them requires two things: You have to respect and love these beautiful animals, and you need to understand their corporal language before getting close to them.
Today, no other shark ignites the kind of enthusiasm I feel when I swim with tiger sharks."
As I finished writing this chapter I asked my father - What is next?
"White sharks, maybe, although that would not be my first experience with them. I already had an encounter with a 14 ft great white; it was brief but very close. The shark was attracted to the boat by bait, and when it was about to take the large fish carcasse I slipped into the water. Although I knew the viz wasn't going to be great, when I put my head down, I could hardly see anything beyond 5 ft.
To see what the shark was doing after it thrashed his huge tail foaming up the surface I looked up, and once I had my head back in the water, all of a sudden the shark was within the range of visibility. All I saw was a pointed nose, and the distinctly large black eyes. Instinctively I held my hands against the shark's head to push it away. Given the power of the "pointer" I could not avoid being hit on my left rib cage instead of the sternum which would have me knocked out.
Fortunately, I was very close to the boat, and although I swam back swiftly to be hauled in by panicking friends, I thought I would not make it. I expected the shark to turn and grab me which is what it would have done in a "Shark Week" feature. Well, it didn't come back for me which taught me yet another lesson about these still enigmatic creatures. Although sharks are as little predictable as humans are, even large great whites are not the killer monsters the media wants us to believe."
Felix Leander and his father Wolfgang maintain the Ocean Dreams blog on freediving, sharks, life and the ocean. This post was republished with permission based on an entry Felix wrote for DeeperBlue.net.
In 1995 I moved to Boston, MA to study - it had been a very long time since my family had been diving - my parents were still living in Bolivia (one of the two landlocked countries in South America). The winters were absolutely brutal, and all I could do was dream of the warm Caribbean / Atlantic Oceans. 
k bites.
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