The Pacific Northwest is famous for towering evergreens, misty mountains, and, of course, salmon runs and orcas.<\/p>\n
But here\u2019s a superlative you might not have heard: our little stretch of Puget Sound is also home to the Sixgill Shark Capital of the World<\/a>. Yessir \u2014 Des Moines, Washington, just 25 minutes south of Seattle, is one of the best places on Earth to see a massive, prehistoric shark that usually lurks thousands of feet below the surface.<\/p>\n Meet the Sixgill<\/p>\n The Bluntnose Sixgill Shark<\/a> is as wild as it sounds. They can grow up to 18 feet long, with a build that rivals Great Whites. And unlike nearly every other shark, they\u2019ve got six gill slits instead of five, and no primary dorsal fin.<\/p>\n \u201c[They] don\u2019t have the classic fin you see in movies,\u201d Higley explained. \u201cThey\u2019re a submarine-depth shark. They move slowly, conserving energy, and they only occasionally come up to scuba diver depths.\u201d<\/p>\n He describes the Sixgills as prehistoric sharks, an ancestor to more \u201cmodern\u201d sharks (Jaws, we\u2019re looking at you).<\/p>\n Why Here?<\/p>\n So why Redondo Beach? Sixgills aren\u2019t exclusive to this one spot \u2014 they\u2019re found all throughout the Salish Sea, from the Canadian Gulf Islands down through Hood Canal. Scientists think the entire region may serve as a kind of nursery ground for them. And while divers and fishermen have reported sightings all over, Redondo stands out.<\/p>\n \u201cRedondo seems to attract an inordinate amount of them,\u201d said Higley. \u201cIt\u2019s an odd thing. But another part of this is, Redondo is literally one of the top dive sites in the entire Puget Sound, so I think there\u2019s a little bit of a chicken and egg situation here.\u201d<\/p>\n Meaning, are more divers seeing Sixgills because there are more Sixgills here? Or because there are more dives happening, more frequently here?<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s lots of eyes here,\u201d he said. \u201cBut again, something seems to attract them. And, they\u2019re curious.\u201d<\/p>\n Their curiosity is no small factor \u2014 think about it. The fastest human swimmer can probably swim 4 mph. Scuba divers are probably around 1 mph, and that\u2019s working hard. One mile per hour for a Sixgill is sloooooooooow \u2014 no diver is going to be accidentally sneaking up on a Sixgill.<\/p>\n \u201cIf they don\u2019t want to be around the divers, they aren\u2019t around the divers,\u201d said Higley. But again and again, they choose to let themselves be seen.<\/p>\n The \u201cBoop\u201d<\/p>\n From all reports, Sixgill encounters aren\u2019t terrifying \u2014 they\u2019re mesmerizing. Divers often describe them as gliding towards them, even brushing their noses against cameras. \u201cThe term that\u2019s often used is \u2018boop,\u2019\u201d Higley laughed.<\/p>\n He\u2019s quick to point out that the sharks\u2019 movements are placid, not aggressive. While he\u2019s not positive about their motives (\u201cthe scientist in me has a hard time saying \u2018absolutely\u2019 because I\u2019m not a shark\u201d), based on the behavior he\u2019s seen, his best guess is curiosity.<\/p>\n Higley, who\u2019s been diving for decades, still talks about his three Sixgill sightings with awe. On one dive, a one swam directly under his buddy, its massive head passing just below his torso. \u201cNo danger,\u201d he said. \u201cBut there\u2019s a part of your brain that says \u2018it\u2019s a shark, you\u2019re dead,\u2019 but then my real brain was like, \u2018you\u2019re fine.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n And for anyone nervous, it\u2019s important to note: there\u2019s never been a Sixgill shark attack in Washington. \u201cI would take my children in a heartbeat,\u201d Higley said.<\/p>\n Shark City<\/p>\n Whatever the reason, chicken or egg (err, shark or cub?), Des Moines has fully leaned into the Sixgill hype. The city officially declared itself the Sixgill Shark Capital of the World<\/a> and even designated July 6 as Sixgill Shark Day<\/a>. Last summer, the MaST Center hosted the first Shark in the Park<\/a> festival, drawing more than 1,000 people with shark costumes, a parade entry (Higley quickly points out MaST\u2019s float won), and hands-on marine science.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re trying to help their PR, raise their PR,\u201d Higley admitted. \u201cHere\u2019s what we know about them, here\u2019s where we\u2019re seeing them, and some concerns of human impacts on them.\u201d<\/p>\n Protecting Our Predators<\/p>\n Like many big ocean animals, Sixgills are slow to reproduce and vulnerable to human impact. It\u2019s illegal to target them in Washington, but accidental catches and baiting remain concerns. Right now, it\u2019s illegal to catch a Sixgill \u2014 but if you are fishing for something else and you \u201caccidentally\u201d catch one, that\u2019s ok.<\/p>\n \u201cNow, you have to be using the right kind of hook to catch a Sixgill, and the right kind of bait to catch a Sixgill so\u201d said Higley. \u201cStephen Colbert calls it \u2018truthiness.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Then, there\u2019s baiting. It\u2019s not common, but some divers do it \u2014 and while Fish & Wildlife has a law against baiting wildlife, things get murkier quickly.<\/p>\n \u201cTheir name is the Department of Fish and Wildlife,\u201d said Higley. \u201cWhich mean fish are not wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n Which means the law to not bait wildlife, doesn\u2019t necessarily apply to \u201cfish.\u201d Because obviously you can\u2019t have a law that says don\u2019t bait fish.<\/p>\n \u201cThe more accurate word in that case is chumming,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve actually been in conversation with Fish and Wildlife to see if there are ways to strengthen that language.\u201d<\/p>\n Even if you\u2019re not a diver or fisherman, everyday choices<\/a> on land help, too. Cleaner stormwater means healthier conditions for sharks, salmon, orcas \u2014 the whole web of Puget Sound life.<\/p>\n A Living Fossil in Our Backyard<\/p>\n