Thomas Leszkiewicz of Pincourt will soon head out on a shark adventure that could see a remote island in the Pacific Ocean turned into a marine protected area. (Photos courtesy of Thomas Leszkiewicz.)
During some of his adventures, Leszkiewicz encountered marine life that included sharks and dolphins, among others.
Concordia grad off on ‘amazing’ research trip
There are not a lot of shark sightings or opportunities in Pincourt, but that hasn’t stopped Thomas Leszkiewicz from following his passion to study the often feared fish.
Leszkiewicz, 27, who graduated from Concordia University last year with a degree in biology with a focus on marine ecology and restoration, learned recently that he will be part of a team traveling to a remote island in the Pacific Ocean.
The island is currently controlled by the French Military.
The research team, consisting of international shark scientists and documentary filmmakers, was granted a special permit to assess the area for signs of global warming.
According to Leszkiewicz , who will assist the researchers, the objective of the expedition will include documenting the human impact on such a remote island, as well as tagging the multiple shark species that have been found there. If the research is successful, he says the area could be given a marine protected designation.
“There are shark populations around the island that haven’t been documented yet… Who know’s what we will find and what size,” Leszkiewicz said of the expedition, adding, “since sharks are over hunted all over the world, if we manage to protect that site it’ll be huge.”
Leszkiewicz said a big part of allowing him to say yes to the opportunity was learning that he will be funded by his current employer, Sherwood Scuba, as well as The Willow Place Inn, in Hudson, where he worked for many years as a waiter.
For the Canadian-born adventurer who moved to Pincourt with his Polish immigrant parents when he was 2-years-old and who speaks Polish, English and French, the experience will be more than a trip of a lifetime.
Past adventures
The pending voyage, which will get underway in January, is not Leszkiewicz’s first shark adventure. He did an almost two month stint in South Africa last year where he worked as an intern helping a team of doctoral students conducting shark research.
He recalls a particularly thrilling day on the water: “We would chum the water trying to attract great whites (sharks) so we could see the dorsal (fin) that’s kind of like a fingerprint because each one is different,” he explained.
He said watching a 5.5-meter-long great white shark “torpedo” out of the water was “ridiculous.” But it was a rather clever female that really got his attention as the crew attempted to lure sharks closer by throwing and retracting ropes attached to tuna heads.
“There were four or five other sharks swimming around but this 3.5-meter-long female chased them away and then we couldn’t see her anymore. We thought she’d left but she was circling under the boat and when we brought the bait closer she torpedoed out of water, slammed into boat and broke the engine,” he recalled.
Despite that, Leszkiewicz said he didn’t fear for his life.
Another experience came in 2012 while Leszkiewicz was on a university volunteer expedition in the Galápagos Islands, a volcanic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean.
The trip afforded Leszkiewicz his first opportunity to swim with sharks. He was also able to see Lonesome George, the last known giant tortoise from Pinta Island in the Galápagos.
“He was the last of his kind because he was too shy to reproduce,” Leszkiewicz explained. “He passed away of a heart attack two weeks after I saw him.”
Lonesome George was 100 years old when he died.
Leszkiewicz said turtles like Lonesome George were driven to extinction by whalers who took the giant turtles to use as meat on long sea voyages.
Leszkiewicz credits his dad for getting him interested in aquatic life as a boy.
“Polish people are very strong on nature. I spent a lot of times as a kid going mushroom picking with my dad who also taught me to fish. I always loved whales and turtles, but sharks have always held a special place for me.”
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