Shark expert reveals softer side to man-eating marine species

Famously known as the underwater predators that stand at the top of the marine food chain, sharks are renowned for their scary roles in Hollywood films such as Jaws and Deep Blue Sea.

However, one shark expert from Palm Beach in Florida, Jim Abernethy, is keen to dispel the myth that these fascinating sea creatures are just hungry fish circling the ocean waters, preying on humans who are surfing or enjoying adventure sports such as scuba diving with sharks.

This week marks Discovery Channel’s 24th Shark Week; a week of TV programmes that focus on every aspect of the magnificent creatures, from feeding to attacking.

Abernethy is working hard to prove that these misconstrued animals are not only some of the oldest species on earth (dating back 400 million years), but they are also some of the most intelligent and friendliest.

Throughout the last seven years, Abernethy has been introducing visitors to one of the friendliest sharks known to man; Emma, a 14-foot-long tiger shark. With over 30 years of experience in scuba diving with sharks and helping divers conquer their fears of the predators, Abernethy now takes hundreds of photographers and divers to meet Emma and her friends at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas during scuba diving holidays.

The shark and Abernethy have developed an unusual relationship and during visits he has demonstrated that the shark can be as playful and friendly as a family pet dog.

Last week the shark expert presented the premier of the film, "This Is Your Ocean: Sharks" at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute at Florida Atlantic University in Fort Pierce. He worked on the film with award-winning director George C. Schellenger and artists Dr. Guy Harvey and Wyland, which portrays the decline in sharks on a worldwide scale because they are being slaughtered to be used as food produce in Asian markets.

"In the history of earth, no other animal has been removed at such a prolific rate," Abernethy explained.

Tiger Beach in the Bahamas is one of the most popular areas for diving and swimming with sharks. Abernethy operates live-aboard holidays and diving expeditions in the Bahamas where tourists can swim with dolphins, sea turtles, and Great Hammerhead and Tiger Sharks.