Red Sea Sharks...
The Red Sea Sharks trust was established in April 2012.
Based on the work of biologist Dr Elke Bojanowski in the Egyptian Red Sea since 2004, its major goals are to support shark research projects in the Red Sea and provide information and education on sharks and their worldwide situation.
Ongoing research projects include photo-identification catalogues for three Red Sea shark species, the oceanic whitetip shark, the grey reef shark, and the silky shark, as well as a general shark monitoring programme.
With the help of our supporters, Red Sea Sharks aims to expand these ongoing projects. This involves increasing the exposure of our work as well as the recruitment of additional volunteers to maximise our coverage of the Egyptian Red Sea for our image collection and shark monitoring schemes.
In order to effectively deal with shark images and other data being collected, the trust is looking into improving and developing analysing and pattern-matching procedures. Some promising steps have been taken in that direction, but additional efforts are needed.
To further our understanding and knowledge of Red Sea sharks, we are planning on developing novel or alternative survey methods to allow repeated, reliable assessments of their populations.
Inquiries into different electronic tracking devices and their suitability for a variety of Red Sea shark species are underway. Awaiting funds, the plan is to optimise these efforts in cooperation with with researchers in neighboring countries, especially Sudan and Saudi Arabia. This will allow us to gain a much more comprehensive picture of shark movements throughout the region.
The ultimate goal of the Red Sea Sharks trust is to collect information for the conservation and protection of sharks.
While detailed numbers and population status are lacking for the Red Sea, the worldwide depletion of these large predators has given an urgency to our cause, and we hope to achieve our goals with your support!
Our People
Find out a little about the people behind Red Sea Sharks...
Elke Bojanowski
Dr. Elke Bojanowski - Research Director and Trustee
Elke moved from Berlin to Egypt in April 2004 after having finished her Ph.D. thesis in biology (animal behaviour) in September 2002. Since then, she has divided her time between working as a diveguide on liveaboards and as a biologist.
Regular encounters with Oceanic Whitetips Sharks first occurred in Abu Hamra [Elphinstone] in October 2004. And they spured her interest to learn more about them. Being familiar with using photo-identification techniques for research purposes, she quickly applied them to the natural markings of these oceanics.
At the end of 2004 she initiated the Longimanus-Project which evolved in 2010 to become Red Sea Sharks when the research agenda expanded to include addtional species.
Other Trustees
Rebecca Westley - Trustee
Denise Fletcher - Trustee
Independent diving instructor, animal activist, and devoting her time to her cats and other charitable causes.
Gwilym Starks - Trustee
Gwilym is an Outdoor Education professional and has been diving since 1998. He enjoys diving in the UK and abroad. He has always been interested in sharks and supported Red Sea Sharks before becoming a trustee.
Volunteers
Charles - Technical Support
Charles is an experienced instructor and dive guide in the Egyptian Red Sea. His generous equipment loan has massively helped the photo-ID programme.
He has also taken time out to provide a large number of photo-ID shots, particularly of Grey Reef Sharks at the Brothers.
Join us Onboard
Red Sea Sharks offers you the chance to add to your dive liveaboard experience in Egypt and other destinations.
Join a trip with a Red Sea Sharks representative, and learn about shark biology, behaviour and the threats they are facing worldwide. Directly support our projects with your underwater shark images taken that week - or on previous trips, or with a donation towards Red Sea Sharks.
For all blue o two trips, please inquire directly with blue o two.
For all dive balance trips, please inquire directly with dive balance.
Planned Shark Trips in 2020/2021
Start Date | End Date | Location | Itinerary | Vessel | Operator | Trip Type |
Contact Us
Use the form below to contact Red Sea Sharks. Our office is not permanently staffed, so please be patient in waiting for a response. We aim to respond to email within a maximum of 6 days.
Please include as much information as possible in your query, so that we can provide a thorough response.