aquatic life<\/a> he encounters on his\u00a0expeditions.\u00a0<\/p>\nKuah describes seeing a bluntnose sixgill shark, also known as “Hexanchus griseus,” as “always a treat,” noting that the one he took\u00a0pictures of on Aug. 2\u00a0is a subadult female in the six-\u00a0to eight-foot\u00a0range. However, adults can grow up to a jaw-dropping 18 to 20 feet long.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While they are one of the most widespread shark species globally, they are normally\u00a0found along continental shelves in tropical and temperate seas. They aren’t typically aggressive, but aren’t well studied due to their\u00a0preference for deep water.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“Typically, they are found at cold and very deep depths up to 8,200 feet,” he notes. “However, there are a few places in the world where these sharks can be seen in shallower waters.”<\/p>\n
Sixgills\u00a0have been spotted and documented in B.C.\u00a0in the shallows at:<\/p>\n
\n\tKelvin Grove, Lions Bay
\n\tWhytecliff Park, West Vancouver
\n\tAlberni Inlet and Barkley Sound on\u00a0Vancouver Island
\n\tMadrona Point\u00a0in Nanoose Bay on\u00a0Vancouver Island
<\/p>\n
But\u00a0“these sightings are rare and special,” Kuah notes.<\/p>\n
Vancouver diver captures images of ancient shark species<\/p>\n
Kuah’s pictures\u00a0were\u00a0taken\u00a0when there were more regular sightings. The site\u00a0is known as the Sixgill Shark Capital of the World.<\/p>\n
“There are social media reports of sightings almost every other day from divers at Redondo. Every August, I make several trips to Redondo to try to see and take a\u00a0picture of this rare and special shark,” he explains.<\/p>\n
“For some unknown reason, in late July and August, at Redondo, the juvenile sixgill sharks come to the shallows and divers have been able to see them at scuba diving depth more often than at other dive sites.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sharks tend to disappear\u00a0in September\u00a0until the following summer.<\/p>\n
“Based on fossil records, sixgill sharks are among some of the known ancient shark lineages, appearing as far back as the early Jurassic Period, about 201 to 174.7 million years ago, before the peak of the dinosaurs,” he comments.<\/p>\n
“They have retained some primitive features, like sixgill slits, like their prehistoric ancestors.”<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
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