photos by juan oliphant of ocean ramsey, who notes, “it’s difficult to express the incredible joy and breathtaking emotion experienced locking eyes with a great white shark. watching the shark acknowledge and observe me, while i peacefully and calmly allowed it to swim towards me, and then experiencing it accepting my touch, allowing me to dorsal and tail ride.”
but she says, “i’m not advising that people go out and just jump in to the water with white sharks or tigers or other large species, just as i wouldn’t recommend jumping into a yard with a strange dog. sharks do need to be respected as wild animals and appreciated for their role as top predators in the ocean ecosystem.”
“my shark experiences have all been positive in part because while i know sharks are not mindless man eaters, i simultaneously have respect for their capabilities, a lot of experience interacting with animals and reading body language, behaviour, and i am comfortable with my own water abilities while also trusting my dive partner.
“given the number of surfers and swimmers who frequent shark territory in low visibility often dressed in black wetsuits or floating on surfboards portraying a seal like silhouette, it is a huge testament to sharks sensory systems and intelligence that mistaken identity bites “attacks” are so rare.”
