George T. Probst in the Sea of Cortez – Photo by Euan Rannachan

Update March 2025: I’ve resurrected The Dorsal Fin largely to be able access archived posts, so I figured I’d update the About page, since a lot has changed since I last updated the site 10 years ago…

The Dorsal Fin is a blog that dealt with shark news and the promotion of responsible shark conservation.

Content is edited by me, George Probst. I am not a “shark expert” nor a “shark professional,” rather I am shark enthusiast, diver, and an underwater wildlife photographer, who appreciates these majestic animals. I believe in promoting responsible shark conservation and awareness to help reverse the damage that is currently being done to the oceans’ shark populations due to overfishing, by-catch and finning.

My fascination with sharks began not long after my first trip to the library as a small child, where I became focused on books about dinosaurs and, of course, sharks. Since then, my sense of wonder for these animals has never ceased. I went on my first great white shark dive in 2006 at Isla de Guadalupe and returned there over twenty times since. I have had the amazing opportunity to see over 200 different white sharks at Isla de Guadalupe and have spent hundreds of hours in the water there. In addition, I have been open-water diving with short fin mako sharks, blue sharks, whale sharks, nurse sharks, sand tiger sharks, and bull sharks (and possibly several other sharks who might have seen me diving, but not vice-versa).

I believe that sharks are an important part of the marine environment and that responsible conservation efforts need to be taken in order to protect vulnerable and threatened shark species.