Conserving Shark Island

Wake Atoll is a coral atoll located in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion — 1,501 miles east of Guam, 2,298 miles west of Honolulu and 1,991 miles southeast of Tokyo. The submerged and emergent lands at the atoll are a unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument and is home to a population of thriving sharks. Welcome to Shark Island.

July 12, 2021

By: Ian Shive

Show: Nature in Focus

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Photo By: Tandem / USFWS

Photo By: Alice Garrett / USFWS

Photo By: Ian Shive

Photo By: Alice Garrett / USFWS

Photo By: Ian Shive

A gray reef shark patrols the reef edge. Wake Atoll is a coral atoll located in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion — 1,501 miles east of Guam, 2,298 miles west of Honolulu and 1,991 miles southeast of Tokyo. The submerged and emergent lands at the atoll are a unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Sunset off Wilkes Island, part of Wake Atoll. Wake Atoll is a coral atoll located in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, 1,501 miles east of Guam, 2,298 miles west of Honolulu and 1,991 miles southeast of Tokyo. The submerged and emergent lands at the atoll are a unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Wake Atoll is located approximately 2,138 nautical miles west of Honolulu, Hawaii and is a U.S. Territory under administrative control of the Department of the Air Force, and under installation command authority of the Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center, part of 11th Air Force headquartered at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

Peale Island, part of Wake Atoll. Wake Atoll is a coral atoll located in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, 1,501 miles east of Guam, 2,298 miles west of Honolulu and 1,991 miles southeast of Tokyo. The submerged and emergent lands at the atoll are a unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Wake Atoll is a coral atoll located in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, 1,501 miles east of Guam, 2,298 miles west of Honolulu and 1,991 miles southeast of Tokyo. The submerged and emergent lands at the atoll are a unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

“98 Rock” is a World War II landmark on Wake Island that marks the location where 98 captive American civilian workers were executed by Japanese forces. One of the prisoners escaped and carved the message “98 US PW 5-10-43” before he was recaptured and beheaded. Located in the Western Pacific Ocean, Wake Atoll is part of the Micronesia subregion of Oceania. The submerged and emergent lands of Wake Atoll are a unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, established on January 6, 2009.

Abundant species of fish and large predators, such as this shark, are signs of a healthy ecosystem on Wake Atoll. Wake Atoll is a coral atoll located in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, 1,501 miles east of Guam, 2,298 miles west of Honolulu and 1,991 miles southeast of Tokyo. The submerged and emergent lands at the atoll are a unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

Shipwrecks from the years of human occupation of the island, including during World War II, have become an artificial habitat for some fish, though debris may have detrimental effects to the surrounding ecosystem. Some clean-up effort are underway.

Raccoon Butterfly fish. Wake Atoll is a coral atoll located in the western Pacific Ocean in the northeastern area of the Micronesia subregion, 1,501 miles east of Guam, 2,298 miles west of Honolulu and 1,991 miles southeast of Tokyo. The submerged and emergent lands at the atoll are a unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.

In addition to parrotfish, black surgeonfish were also spawning in the same area, an event that takes place over the same rock annually.

Wilkes Island is a critical sanctuary, and part of Wake Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, where nesting seabirds can rest from their time feeding and flying the open Pacific Ocean.

A rare event that our team happened upon, where tens of thousands of parrotfish congregated to spawn, the next generation conceived in a milky plume at the top of the column.

Warm humid air mixing with the current of the Pacific often result in dramatic sunsets and storms, as seen from Wilkes Island on Wake Atoll.

Wake Atoll is comprised of three islands. Pictured here is Wilkes Island (in the distance), a critical area for nesting seabirds, with Wake Island, the largest area and base of operations for the U.S. Airforce. Peale, not pictured here, is on the opposite side of the island.

Portrait of a juvenile blue-footed booby (Sula nebouxii) on Wake Atoll. Located in the Western Pacific Ocean, this coral atoll is part of the Micronesia subregion of Oceania, . The submerged and emergent lands of Wake Atoll are a unit of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, established on January 6, 2009.

Dramatic light over Peale Island, part of Wake Atoll.

The abundance of reef fish, combined with the overlapping protections as a National Wildlife Refuge, Marine National Monument and United States Airforce base ensures a healthy ecosystem for multiple species of shark.

Behind the Scenes

Photographer Ian Shive snaps a selfie with fighter jets passing thru at Wake Island, an active U.S. Air Force base.

Behind the Scenes

Many of the areas we wanted to film didn't have roads to access, so we often would walk many miles over the course of a day, with all of my camera equipment, food and water for the day on my back.

Behind the Scenes

Staying out of the sun was one of the most difficult challenges to filming on the island. 12 hour days for two weeks meant you were constantly covered in sunscreen, long sleeves, hats and anything else to cover your body...but you still end up pretty bronzed by the end.

Behind the Scenes

Behind the scenes filming at Wake Atoll.

Behind the Scenes

Perhaps no better office than this one, where the water is warm as a bath and just as clear.

Behind the Scenes

This is by far one of my favorite photos, carrying my cinema camera across the tarmac...in flip flops of course...in front of a KC-135 Stratotanker with colleague at the time, and now friend I've stayed in touch with, Senior Airman Mike Reeves.