THE SHARK SESSIONS
Once upon a time, before my sharks were finned, we met at sunset. . .
Isolated in Tahiti I observed sharks underwater to learn what they are like as animals and individuals, and over the years became increasingly intimate with them. When I finally got an Internet connection I found that no one had ever done such a thing, and that most people thought that sharks are vicious.
Radio interview :
Samuel H. 'doc' Gruber, founder of Bimini Shark Lab, wrote :
". . . a jewel of a story. . ."
"From the first page I could not put Ilaʼs book down. Her story and writing style were so compelling to me as a marine biologist that I can heartily recommend it to anyone who is partial to adventure, adversity, and a unique and personal take on the marine realm. Be prepared to experience a great adventure, told in a compelling way, from the unique perspective of a truly gifted naturalist, artist and writer. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did."
After my findings were presented at an International symposium on cognition, the BBC came to film my work for Shark Week. But by then the sharks were being finned for shark fin soup, and to add insult to injury, my pleas for their protection were blocked by the media.
So I wrote down their story—what it was like to get to know them, their surprising responses at different times, and the strange and startling things that happened. For when shark finning arrived in those innocent islands, they and their community were lost.
MY SUNSET RENDEZVOUS
I named the first edition, "My Sunset Rendezvous | Crisis in Tahiti because the sharks really waited for me at our site, out near the barrier reef a kilometer from shore, each evening at sunset. But I changed it for the second edition to include the word "Shark."
The purpose of my study was to learn the true behaviour of wild sharks, following the precepts of cognitive ethology. I hope that animal lovers who have not considered sharks before, will enjoy this strange and exciting true story, and, in realizing the nature of these majestic marine animals, will agree that they are worth saving from extinction.
The updated later editions were entitled The Shark Sessions - My Sunset Rendezvous, to better describe what the book is about. They are presented in a larger format to show off the illustrations. Observations of tiger sharks, and other species not included in the first edition have been added, as well as some new illustrations.
The foreword was written by Samuel H. 'doc' Gruber, founder of the American Elasmobranch Society, and the Bimini Shark Lab, a world class shark ethologist and behaviourist.
Dr. Johann Mourier contributed an essay about his findings on these sharks which he came to study after they were protected. What he has learned about them throws light on some of the questions raised by my study.
I designed the book entirely as well as painting the illustrations, with the exception of some photographs which Jim Abernethy kindly let me use.
Shark Ethologist Professor Arthur A. Myrberg wrote:
We, in the world of "sharkology", are indeed fortunate that Ila moved to Moorea and began observing sharks.
