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Tail-riding through the ocean on the back of a great
white shark Ocean Ramsey looks relaxed as she smiles confidently.
The stunning show of bravery is even more impressive considering she is
swimming with one of the world's most feared ocean predators without
protection.
But Ms Ramsey travels the globe swimming with many species of sharks
hoping to prove they are nothing like their Jaws film reputation.
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In these incredible photographs friend Juan Oliphant caught on camera
the moment a massive 17-foot great white shark let Ms Ramsey 'tail ride'
through the deep.
Ms Ramsey, a shark conservationist, who is also a scuba instructor,
model and freediver, swam with the massive fish in waters off Baja
Mexico last year.
The encounter with the biggest species of shark on earth meant the
27-year-old has swum with 32 different species in total so far.
Ms Ramsey admits there will be fatalities sometimes when humans come
into contact with sharks but often when the predators mistake them for
prey.
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Growing up in Hawaii and San Diego she was constantly in the water and
she described first meeting and getting to touch the great white as
similar to her experience of horses.
She said: 'I feel so fortunate that some of the greatest moments of my
life have been diving with Great White sharks. I recently took my third
swim with a group of Great Whites.
'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.
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'Once I was on the dorsal or tail I could hear the movement of the water
flying past my ears and I realized we were probably moving two knots.
'The connection felt as I repeatedly pet and hitched a ride on several
of these sharks reminded me of my experience with horses.
'A lot can be said between two creatures that don't speak the same
language. Even without eye contact.'
Ms Ramsey, who is based on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, said unusually
they were lucky enough to come across groups of the elusive Great Whites
in deep water used for tuna fishing.
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She said: 'The sharks are distinguishable by coloration over the gills
and other body scars or markings.
'I believe I had seen one of these sharks on my first trip. The largest
shark was a max estimated size of 17 foot and she was extremely wide in
girth.
'I am not in a position to speculate if she may have been pregnant and
the subject is interesting because so little is know about these
animals.
'Currently, no one has observed them mating and the gestation period is
also unknown. Even the life expectancy of a Great White is unknown.'
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Ms Ramsey does not advise everyone try and swim with sharks but her
mission is to dispel myths about the amazing creatures under threat of
extinction.
She said: 'Every story needs a villain, and after films like Jaws, its
just to easy for most media to continue to manipulate the human psyche
and ingrain a deeper more absurd terror.
'Just showing these animals swimming around not biting or eating
anything, as they are probably 99 percent of the time, isn't enough to
convince people.
'I strongly urge people to quickly sign petitions that are being
presented at CITES, that meeting will make a huge impact and comes up in
March. |