WFTV Now
RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — A South Florida photographer captured a spectacular sight off the coast of South Florida this week -- a school of blacktip sharks circling and cavorting in the Atlantic Ocean.
Paul Dabill posted a video on his Facebook page of the sharks gathering Wednesday in the Atlantic Ocean off Singer Island, located just north of West Palm Beach.
“Big school of blacktip sharks in front of Singer Island yesterday afternoon,” Dabill wrote. “I was excited to capture some of their amazing acrobatics!”
Some of the sharks can be seen jumping out of the water.
According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, blacktip sharks mate during the summer. After approximately 11 months of gestation, females give birth to live young in shallow coastal areas.
Dabill, who posts photos and videos on his “Paul Dabill Photography” page, began shooting underwater photography in Florida in 2006, TCPalm.com reported.
Dabill started by fishing from the beach, but soon began angling offshore and then graduated to free diving and spearfishing.
“It was while spearfishing that I became fascinated with the underwater world that is at our doorstep here in Southeast Florida,” Dabill told TCPalm.com.
Dabill said he wanted to record what he was seeing underwater while spearfishing, so he attached a video camera to his speargun, the website reported.
He decided to upgrade his photography equipment in order to capture high-quality images. Dabill decided to buy a full-size DSL camera after seeing another diver in Hawaii using the equipment, TCPalm.com reported.
After that, Dabill began taking photos and videos in Palm Beach County and also in the Bahamas. That resulted in Dabill’s Facebook page.
Cox Media Group
