Shark whisperer

WHITE SHARKS HAVE A PERSONALITY BEYOND THE ANTAGONIST BEAST THEY ARE PORTRAYED AS IN MOVIES. THIS IS WHAT RAJ SEKHAR AICH, A NEW ZEALAND-BASED MARINE ANTHROPOLOGIST AND RESEARCHER OF APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY, ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH IN HIS BOOK IRIDESCENT SKIN. THE SOCIALLY INTELLIGENT MARINE ANIMAL HAS BEEN TRAVERSING THE SEAS FOR ABOUT 400 MILLION YEARS, BUT IS CURRENTLY A VULNERABLE SPECIES IN NEED OF CONSERVATION. THIS INTIMATE ACCOUNT LOOKS AT THE HUMAN WHITE SHARK RELATIONSHIP THROUGH THE EYES OF CAGE-DIVING TOURISTS IN NEW ZEALAND, AND BRINGS OUT TRAITS OF THE FISH THAT ARE RARELY ASSOCIATED WITH IT. THE AUTHOR'S PERCEPTION SURVEY OF TOURISTS BEFORE AND AFTER THEIR INTERACTION WITH THE SHARKS SHEDS LIGHT ON HOW CAGE-DIVING CAN HELP IN CONSERVATION EFFORTS. EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK:

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THERE WAS the contrasting idea of how the shark will behave, often as opposed to the media presentation of them as hyper-aggressive. People found them to be more curious than aggressive...

For some though, the experience had somewhat of a mixed effect on their attitude towards white sharks, I'm still intimidated by them. They've had so many scratches on them, so many battle scars. I don't think I'll feel any better in the water after seeing them, and their size. They were not aggressive, but you won't catch me jumping in these waters now.' And for a couple of people I interviewed, they seemed to be more scared about the sharks after the experience than before. 'If I wasn't scared before, I am now, because I know how big they are... shit no! There is one more notable factor, I was able to talk to 2–3 tourists who came to the boat as observers from the surface, and they did not have an altered perspective of the animal; could it be that it is imperative to actually get in the water with the sharks to appreciate them, and just watching them from the surface is not enough? It is something that can be explored in future research.