Featured Image Credit: Hawaii News/Ocean Ramsey
By: Natalie Helbling
We often hear of stories of people swimming with dolphins or turtles, ocean animals that get all the praise because they’re so cute. However, one ocean conservationists recently swam with a creature people don’t normally classify in the “cute” category.
Hawaii News Now – KGMB and KHNL
In order to shed light on one of the most important creatures of the sea, Ocean Ramsey, a shark conservationist, caught a ride with a Great White shark off the coast of Hawaii. An ocean photographer filmed Ramsey free-diving with the shark to educate people on the actual personalities of these beautiful creatures.
The public normally views sharks as monsters and human-killing beasts, which makes it hard to try to protect them. Regardless of their reputation sharks are extremely important to the ecosystem, and as their numbers are decreasing, protecting them becomes more important.
Educating the public on sharks and their normal behaviors is key to increasing protection efforts. Sylvia Earle, a world-renowned marine biologist once said,
Sharks are beautiful animals, and if you’re lucky enough to see lots of them, that means that you’re in a healthy ocean. You should be afraid if you are in the ocean and don’t see sharks.
Thanks to people like Ramsey, we are seeing the beautiful side of these creatures. Sharks are beautiful and without them, our ocean ecosystems will be altered.
Source: http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/21234432/diver-pulled-by-great-white-off-hawaii-coast