Scoliosis is a condition that is known to occur in grey nurse sharks, where they experience a curvature of their spine. It is not yet clear whether this condition is genetic, or caused by injury or stress, or caused by water quality affecting the embryos during development before birth.

Lumpy appears to have a severe form of scoliosis but since 2011 has been sighted at various sites on the east coast of Australia almost every year. As seen in these photos, Lumpy does appear to be progressively getting worse over time, but he is seemingly thriving with his disability.

Over a period of 13 years, divers have captured photos of Betty and her journeys. She has suffered and recovered from a number of injuries. Photos told us her story of being hooked multiple times by fishing lines and by being struck by a boat and losing a portion of her tail. The latest photos of Betty made the community excited, as not only had she dislodged all hooks, and her tail had healed, but she appeared healthy and pregnant!

Divers have helped prove the mass migration of these sharks. Divers helped us track Kim the shark as she travelled from Montague Island (NSW) to Wolf Rock (QLD). In a single direction this distance is over 1500km! Many grey nurse sharks show us their incredible migration patterns that follow sea temperatures and reproduction cycles.

Meet Nicole, the shark who loves Bushrangers Bay! Spotted by divers over 90 times in four years, Nicole has become an ambassador for marine conservation. Her preference behaviour indicates that sharks rely on specific favorite spots during periods of their life-cycle. This makes the protection of these habitats more important than ever.

In just over a year, Peter Simpson documented Halo at Magic Point, who was injured by a fishing rope. With the support of Sea Life Sanctuary, a government approved rescue took place to remove his rope. However, the rescue may have been too late and the injuries too severe. Over the following months it appeared that Halo was not eating (possibly due to stress) and became skinnier over time. After several months of visible starvation, Halo disappeared from the site and has not been seen again, presumably now deceased.

Shark nets have been a fixture in NSW since 1937, yet they offer only a false sense of security. Science shows they don't protect bathers; instead, they serve as lethal traps for non-target species like dolphins, seals, and turtles. Despite this, NSW and QLD continue to install them every year. Mary the grey nurse shark was found dead in the shark net program of QLD in 2024. To help us gain vital protection for the grey nurse sharks please contact your local MP and share your support for the removal of the shark net program to prevent situations like this from occurring again.

Over the course of two years, Peter Simpson documented the life and eventual death of this shark. Levi was spotted over the course of many months at Magic Point, Sydney. At this site it is sadly common to see fishermen. Levi was seen with repeated hooks over a series of months, and showed signs of not eating (algae like substance on teeth). Eventually Levi was so skinny that it was evident that he had digested some of the fishing hooks and was dying a slow agonising death.

This female adult shark is over 3m in length and spends most of her days in QLD where she is pregnant and gestating with pups. Wilma has been seen over a 20 year period! When she was first seen in 2004, she appeared to be an adult. This means when she was last seen in 2024, so may have been around 30 years old. We don't know exactly how old grey nurse sharks live in the wild, but Wilma gives us hope that they can live many decades.

Up and down the East Coast of Australia divers have spotted Shiraz. She was first sighted in Big Seal (Seal Rocks, NSW) in February 2008 looking healthy and happy. It is unclear exactly what may have caused it, but some time over the next 9 years Shiraz suffered an injury where she lost a portion of her left pectoral fin. She has been spotted carrying fishing lines from her gills in April 2017 at Montague Island (Narooma, NSW). The most recent sighting was in Wolf Rock (Rainbow Beach, QLD) in June 2024 looking healthy and pregnant.

First seen in Nov 2009 at Wolf Rock (Rainbow Beach, QLD), Madonna has been on a journey up and down the East Coast of Australia. In June 2024 she was spotted in Seal Rocks (NSW). She is another example showing how the spots fade over time.