Episode 001: Dancing with Sharks

"Sharks use their body language the same way we as people do, and our cats and dogs. You can tell if your pet is happy or upset. Cats arching their backs. Dogs wagging their tail vs. snarling. It's the same kind of idea."

Swimming, diving, and interacting with sharks is just like a dance. You want your partner close, but not too close. You also need to keep a constant eye on your partner's body language. Every movement and behaviour a shark exhibits can give a clue to what they're going to do next. In this podcast episode, we speak with two professional shark divers and learn the do's and don'ts of how to behave when interacting with sharks.

Taylor Cunningham swims with a tiger shark. Image by @chiaraphoto

“It’s really like a dance. You have to focus on their body language. You want the sharks close, but not too close”

We also hear how World War II led to some of the largest shark attacks in history. After large losses of life, the U.S. military began developing and designing shark repellents. Shark repellents are now a commercial product and can be purchased from a number of retailers and manufacturers. However, we hear from an expert why shark repellents can often cause more problems than they solve.

"The whole thing started back in WWII...There's 100's of people in the water, some are bleeding, some of them are dying... That creates a super stimulus. And for oceanic sharks, a meal's a meal right?"

Special thanks to our guests

Taylor Cunningham of OneOcean Diving

Roger Koening (see here for his courses, photography, and more)

Prof Chris Lowe of Shark Lab