sweet briar magazine inside - Sweet Briar College

C O V E R S T O R Y
noticeable around mooring buoys where small craft and sail boats
tie up in the bay. One of the team’s hypotheses is that anti-fouling
marine paint is leaching heavy metals into the water.
Meant to keep the hulls of watercraft free of algae, barnacles
and the like, the paint is among the “most toxic substances you can
find,” Craig says. “It kills everything — bacteria, plants,
invertebrates.”
During the fall semester Dave and Lindsay are testing the
sediment for pollutants, but duplicate samples also were sent to a
commercial lab. If toxicity is present, the assays should distinguish
between paint compounds and contaminants coming from other
sources. A lumber yard and landfill within the bay’s watershed also
are suspects in the investigation.
Lindsay and Craig made eight dives, including in areas of the
bay that catch drainage from the surrounding jungle. ey usually
waded from the surf out to depths of 25 to 30 feet — which made
it doubly exciting when Craig spotted a 9-foot bull shark
swimming within 15 feet of his intern. He motioned to ascend and
they were done diving for the day.
Craig was cautious because the bay was slightly cloudy from a
recent rain, which occurs in marine waters fed by gullies or
streams. Experienced divers usually avoid such conditions in waters
known for really scary sharks, such as tigers and makos, he says.
“e turbidity and ‘flavor’ of the water drives sharks to be
aggressive. is bully was circling us and throwing its head back
and forth in an agitated manner. I’ve wrestled small bullies out of
sea turtle nets by hand, in the water on snorkel, and never an issue.
But this bully really looked like it was dangerous.”
ey returned in a boat and chased the shark away the next
day. Craig couldn’t help but notice it was towing two 3-foot
remoras, a fish that hitches rides on other animals, traveling for free
and sometimes snacking on their leftovers.
SBC.EDU | SWEET BRIAR MAGAZINE
15