Netflix's Shark Whisperer is a fascinating documentary about the commendable efforts of young ethologist and conservationist Ocean Ramsey. While most people choose to stay away from sharks, either out of fear or reverence, Ocean has made it her mission to swim with every type of shark she can find in her waters, from tiger sharks to great whites. Shark Whisperer features in-depth coverage of Ocean Ramsey's life and work, along with the controversy she sometimes generates due to the relatively unusual methods she uses to spread her message of shark conservation.
The opening scene of Shark Whisperer shows Ocean Ramsey swimming in the open ocean among a school of tiger sharks when one of the ferocious animals lunges at her. But Ocean remains unfazed and unafraid, facing the shark head-on and managing to move its head away from its body.
Director: Juan Oliphant
Writer: Ocean Ramsey
Stars: Ocean Ramsey, Juan Oliphant
Although the music video is extremely shocking, as it's truly unthinkable that a human being could remain so calm and unfazed in the face of what appears to be a fatal shark attack, it perfectly encapsulates the kind of person Ocean Ramsey is. Born and raised in Oahu, Hawaii, Ocean always felt strongly connected to the water, almost as if her parents knew what they were doing when they named her. Even as a child, she felt most comfortable on beaches, surfing and swimming in the ocean, never once thinking that the water was dangerous or harboring wild animals that could harm her.
In the interview with the Netflix team, Ocean mentions that she was extremely shy in school, which made her feel very lonely and distant from other children and people in general. In stark contrast, she felt comfortable around animals, and when this feeling was combined with her love of outdoor adventure, the young woman began going out to sea regularly, just for fun and to spend as much time as possible with aquatic animals. She remembers seeing her first shark when she was just seven or eight years old, when she was out at sea and a small shark swam by in the depths. Ocean remembers contemplating two options at that very moment: follow the shark and observe it further, or be afraid of it and swim back to the surface for protection. While most of us, and especially young children, would choose the latter, Ocean opted for the former and swam after the shark for a few minutes.
It is to this moment that she attributes her deep love and curiosity for sharks, as the sensation left her intrigued and excited about life. For her, swimming in the world's seas and oceans and observing marine wildlife connects her to a greater purpose than simply taking care of herself, and the thrill and adrenaline of those moments never left her. As an adult, Ocean began teaching swimming and diving classes, in addition to modeling, but she remained deeply interested in trying her hand at working with marine animals, and sharks in particular. One of the main driving forces behind this determination was the realization that sharks are extremely misunderstood animals, feared, and therefore attacked by humans for no reason.
However, Ocean Ramsey's pursuit of his passion didn't have to be a solitary journey thanks to the presence of Juan Oliphant, an underwater photographer he met in 2006. Thanks to his keen interest in surfing, an activity he experienced from a young age, Juan discovered his love for photography and initially wanted to be a professional surf photographer. However, he soon realized that to make money as a surf photographer, he would have to give up the fun and excitement of surfing and focus more on photography. Therefore, he decided to continue enjoying surfing and instead focused on photographing the underwater world, which eventually led him to sharks. Despite growing up during a time when the public frenzy against sharks was at its peak, Juan remembers having a completely different feeling when he first encountered a shark in the wild.
Like Ocean, he had come to the conclusion that sharks are simply misunderstood creatures, not as bloodthirsty or vengeful as they are portrayed in movies or stories, but magnificent animals that need to be preserved. Along with a friend, Juan popularized the practice of diving in metal cages simply to observe and study sharks in Hawaii, and it was almost written in destiny that he would one day meet Ocean. When they met, they discovered they were not only fascinated by sharks but also shared a deep love for them, and soon decided to start working together. In the process, they also found love and began a relationship that remains vivid to this day.
Just as Ocean stood out from ordinary humans when sharks attacked her, she too decided not to dive in metal cages, but simply to swim freely with the sharks. Perhaps the risk that the sharks could attack her at any moment gave her a mental boost and an edge she would have otherwise lacked, and she soon began to succeed in her plan. Ocean apparently managed to befriend the sharks in Hawaiian waters, or at least find a way to coexist with them for long periods. She and Juan spent days, months, and years studying each of the sharks they encountered in the North Pacific Ocean, near the Hawaiian coast, to find out which breeds lived in which specific locations and to study the animal populations.
While Ocean studied the sharks and swam with them, Juan continued to photograph her, something that was always part of the couple's plan. They had already decided to use their social media to post these images and spread awareness about shark conservation as much as possible. This plan began to work perfectly, as they began to be recognized by people around the world thanks to Ocean's daring feats during his swims, and the conversation about sharks not being evil or threatening creatures arose in the answer sections. The pair also began naming each of the sharks they regularly encountered and mentioning their behaviors and habits to give their study a more human touch and make their content more relatable to viewers.
They also began visiting fish markets around the world, especially in many parts of Asia, where shark fin is still considered a delicacy with medicinal powers, to record videos of cruel fishing practices and become more involved in raising awareness about marine wildlife conservation. Their efforts were being noticed, but Ocean needed to make an even bigger impact, and that's when she decided to take what she calls an "anti-Jaws" photograph to show the world that great white sharks aren't as bloodthirsty as depicted in Steven Spielberg's iconic film. To achieve this, she and Juan traveled to Guadalupe, Mexico, shark-watched for a few days, and then filmed Ocean swimming with a huge great white shark. This video instantly went viral; news programs and talk shows across the United States eventually began covering Ocean Ramsey and her incredible exploits, bringing her national recognition.
While Ocean has gained many followers and fans through her social media and through her courageous actions to spread the word, she has also received numerous criticisms. Although in a comparatively minor role, Shark Whisperer also gives some of these critics a platform to explain why Ocean Ramsey isn't taken seriously in the world of marine biology. For starters, Ocean has received no formal education in marine biology or conservation, which creates a sense of exclusion against her, fueled by those who have conducted extensive academic research on the subject. Furthermore, her actions in some of the videos posted online have received criticism for the potentially misleading implications they may have.
While Ocean's ability to swim with sharks and remain unharmed is admirable, it's arguably not a good idea to publicize it, as young people watching her videos might conclude that sharks are benign and friendly creatures if left unprovoked. While this may be slightly true in some cases, the degree of provocation can become subjective, and sharks are often the first to attack humans, being apex predators in most cases. Critics such as marine biologist Professor Kim Holland and diving instructor Alex Burr point out that there's simply no need to record videos of you touching and seemingly petting sharks to upload to the internet, as it can easily sow a horrific impression that can prove fatal for many. Rubbing sharks' heads in a friendly manner suggests that the creatures will not attack even if physically interacted with, which, again, is not true when it comes to shark behavior.
Hawaiian cultural activist Marques Hanalei Marzan attacks Ocean Ramsey from a different perspective, believing that her online content contradicts the general mores of Hawaiian culture. It is fundamental to the island culture not to force things, especially elements of nature, and to wait for them to make first contact. However, Marzan believes Ocean's practice of approaching sharks in the open ocean and petting them is an imposition of her presence on wild animals. She also receives a lot of online hate from harassers who claim she's just flashing her body in inappropriate clothing, but Ocean directly confronts this idea in the documentary. She openly states that she knows how exposing her body will attract online attention and that she fully intends to use this attention to raise awareness about shark conservation.
Although Ocean and Juan had begun to gain recognition and fame through their work, they didn't have any tangible achievements to show for it, so they decided to take their activism even more seriously and advocate for changes in the laws. Due to frequent shark attacks on humans in the 1980s and 1990s, a shark task force was established in the Hawaiian Islands to hunt sharks, considered an active threat to human life. However, the real reason for these attacks was that humans had not yet recognized that they must learn to coexist with sharks, which have existed on Earth since long before us.
Ocean and Juan eventually set out to achieve a change in Hawaii's laws that would allow sharks to be freely killed and hunted without repercussions. Although their initial attempts to push for a bill banning shark killing failed in the first two years, a major breakthrough came in 2019, when Ocean again made national media waves with her actions. A whale carcass had floated near the Hawaiian coast, and Ocean was prepared for the appearance of sharks that would pounce on it and eat its flesh. But he didn't expect the largest great white shark ever recorded, easily over 6 meters long, to emerge from the depths of the ocean and have the opportunity to swim with him.
While his actions of touching the shark and swimming very close were again criticized, they also showed the world that even great white sharks, considered the most dangerous and ferocious, did not attack humans when they didn't feel threatened or when there was no shortage of food. This was enough for state lawmakers to achieve a formal change, and the bill to stop the killing of sharks became law. It is now illegal to capture, harm, or kill sharks in Hawaii's state marine waters, and it was the first US state to pass such a law. Despite having critics who question the ways in which he used to achieve fame, Ocean's ability to change Hawaii's laws is recognized and appreciated by all. Now married, Ocean and Juan continue to fight for sharks and hope to achieve more changes regarding animal conservation.
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