Unique Experiences

Item Description

Lunch or dinner with Steve Fox, Whale Shark Researcher, in Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras

Steve has been diving since the 1980s and is a PADI Staff Instructor. After moving from London to Utila ten years ago, Steve started Deep Blue, a dive resort.

Intrigued by the whale sharks visiting the island, he created Utila Whale Shark Research (UWSR). Steve intended the UWSR to be a five-year-study of whale sharks in the area, but the sharks became his passion. By bringing his business expertise to the project, he was able to raise money for research and expand the program.

Steve has forged many close relationships that assisted his research, including strong ties with the Shark Research Institute and Ecocean. UWSR was one of the first to use the Ecocean photo ID system out of Australia, and he has cataloged more than 90 whale sharks in the waters surrounding Utila.

In addition, Steve worked with Dr. Rachel Graham on her Marine Meganet program which included setting up acoustic transmitters around Utila to track whale sharks and other species. He has also worked with Dr. Eric Hoffmayer of the Gulf Research Station at the University of Southern Mississippi who has been tracking aggregations of whale sharks in the Gulf of Mexico, and the Domino Project which studies whale sharks off the coast of Mexico.

For four weeks each year, Steve hosts whale shark specialists from around the world at Deep Blue Resort and encourages his customers to participate in the whale shark research.

www.utilawhalesharkresearch.com

Item Special Note

Being auctioned is dinner or lunch with one the world’s foremost shark experts or celebrities. It is a unique opportunity to “talk shark” face-to-face, one-on-one, with a real authority on sharks. 

How it works:

1. Bid on a celebrity, shark scientist or conservationist that lives or works in your area, unless you are willing to drive or fly to meet them in their area.

2. The winning bidder pays for the lunch or dinner and may bring as many guests as he or she wishes.

3. We will introduce the winning bidder to the celebrity, scientist or conservationist. The two of you then set a mutually agreeable  date, time and place to meet within one year of the close of the auction.

All winning bids are charitable contributions deductible from US Federal 2013 income taxes.  Funds raised by the auction will be used to support shark research and conservation programs.