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Swimming with Sharks and Loving It with Dr. Jess Cramp
Manage episode 434671063 series 3593612
On today’s episode of The Adrenaline Zone, Sandy and Sandra welcome Dr. Jess Cramp, a marine biologist and shark researcher. Jess is also the founder of Shark Pacific, which is a non-profit organization for studying and protecting sharks. Jess kicks off the episode by telling us about her exciting journey from quitting a high-paying job to beginning an adventure of her lifetime –sharks’ preservation. She also opens up about her childhood and how it helped her learn she should always listen to her gut and pursue her passions.
Jess debunks some popular shark myths and then shares the details of her day-to-day job activities, from catching and tagging sharks to tracking their movement and protecting them. She says that despite popular belief, sharks are not necessarily dangerous and won’t probably even come close to you while you’re diving, especially if you don’t have any bait on you. Then, Jess proceeds to talk about the importance of preventing overfishing, which is currently the greatest threat to sharks. Finally, Jess points out the true impact of preservation measures and why it’s important to advocate for shark protection.
The Finer Details of this Episode:
- Leaving a stable job to make a change in the world
- Discussing the first (and the most important) shark experience
- Debunking popular shark myths
- The importance of preventing overfishing and protecting sharks
Quotes:
“There were a bunch of grey reef sharks circling me and following me. And I wasn’t filled with terror. I thought it was the most incredible experience just to have these sharks just so curiously following me. And then, as serendipity would have it, there was a marine biologist on the boat. And we had been talking a bit about the plight of sharks, and I've learned a bit about it as well. But it, I suppose, clicked for me that, yeah, it's something that maybe I could do.”
“I think most folks think that my life entails shark swimming and beautiful clear water, and yes, it does do that from time to time. But the majority of my time is spent on fishing deck boats, large and small. And that is because I'm tracking the movement patterns of sharks, and in order to do that, I need to catch the animals and place the tag on them. And so that mostly happens from a boat.”
“Just to get back to your main question of how dangerous are they. My favorite answer? It depends. If you're just out diving, you're very lucky a shark could even come up to you. In fact, most of the footage that you see on nature documentaries, and in particular, with people interacting with sharks, they generally have bait. And if they come up and check you out on a dive, you're very lucky. And so, I always considered that, instead of us being afraid, we should be actually quite thankful that we do get the opportunity to see them in the wild without bait.”
“The short answer is you read the situation like you do in any job. You know when it's looking risky, and you make a call based on all available factors, such as how far do I have to swim back to shore, or is there a boat right here? Or am I alone? Is there another person? Do I have anything to poke a shark away with? You get a little space, and you make a call based on your experience and situation.”
“I'm not a huge fan of the hand feeding operation. It's just not necessary to experience that interaction. To experience a positive interaction with sharks, I don't think it's necessary to hand feed them, and when people are touching them, putting their hands all over them, I'm not a huge fan of that. They are wildlife and should be respected as such.”
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