Dr. Rachel Graham and the Belize Shark Project
My team and I often work into a moonless dark night, and scramble about our small boat to ready our tagging gear for sharks captured during sampling. At those times we need a broad beamed light to ensure everyone is in his or her post and all is ready for what sharks may come our way. And the Sola waterproof wrist-mounted light illuminates all. As we navigate the coral reef patches looking for the buoys that signal our sampling site, the wrist Sola’s long narrow beam becomes indispensable. On the approach, we focus the light on the line ahead… “WE GOT ONE!” We swiftly all move to our designated stations, gently bring the shark close to the boat and I grab the shark’s dorsal fin to steady it in the water while we take its measurements. Where we used to do all the work with small headlamps that can’t withstand the water and waves, we can now safely bathe the animal in the Sola’s light and properly see what we are doing from the measuring through to the tagging and release processes. It’s funny how you never realize how much you depend on a piece of equipment until you find the right one. That’s frankly how I feel about the Sola.