OCEANOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE (OM): HOW HAS YOUR DEEP LOVE FOR SHARKS DEVELOPED? 

GILLIAN SHARK: “It’s actually funny because it was quite the opposite when I was younger. I was afraid of sharks to the extent of while swimming in lakes in Switzerland, where I grew up, or even in swimming pools I would be scared that a shark would appear even though I knew that wasn’t possible. Although I was incredibly scared of sharks, without ever having seen one in its natural habitat, I found myself drawn to one specific animal encyclopaedia book we had at home. I would always flip to the chapter about sharks. However, the first page of that chapter was a double page with a photo of a great white shark with its mouth open. I was that scared of sharks, I could barely touch this page to flip it over. After seeing a shark for the first time while diving when I was 13, I realised that these animals were nothing like the media or movies portray them to be. On my first ever scuba dive I found myself surrounded by over ten blacktip reef and three large lemon sharks. As I was watching them swimming so calmly and shyly, I could feel myself calming down as well. That was the moment my fear of sharks turned into a fascination. Later on, internships with the late Swiss shark researcher Dr. Erich Ritter followed, where I assisted him with his research and learned everything about shark behaviour, anatomy and shark-human-interaction.”

OM: SINCE THEN, HOW HAVE YOU SHAPED YOUR LIFE AROUND THE CONSERVATION OF SHARKS?

GILLIAN SHARK: “I worked as a primary school teacher in Switzerland and as a tutor in Sydney. But I actually moved here to complete my Masters of Business Administration focusing on Not-For-Profit and Social Enterprise Management. Since completing my degree, I have been working part-time as a business consultant and expanding my underwater and shark photography portfolio. I am very fortunate to have been honoured with several awards for my photography as well as receiving the title of ‘Discovery of the Year Underwater 2024’ by ReFocus Awards last December. In June 2024, my work was exhibited at the Anima Mundi Visions art exhibition in Venice, Italy. Moreover, I have written articles for a dive magazine and held presentations where I talk about sharks and my photography. In the future I would like to further combine my fields of interest and skills of knowledge transfer, business and shark conservation in some capacity as well as participate in more photography competitions.”

OM: YOUR FAVOURITE SHARK SPECIES? 

GILLIAN SHARK: “That’s such a hard question to answer because, in my opinion, there are so many incredibly fascinating shark species. If I had to narrow it down to my top three, I would say: Caribbean reef, grey nurse and tiger shark.

Caribbean reef shark because that’s the species I worked with during my internships. They have this classic shark shape and beautiful green-golden eyes. Since moving to Australia two years ago and encountering grey nurse sharks on my dives, they have easily become one of my new favourite species. They might look scary to other people due to their visible teeth and seemingly hunched back, which is because their first dorsal fin is slightly behind the highest point on their back, same as with lemon sharks, but they are one of the most calm species I have ever seen. Grey nurse sharks move so slowly, they sometimes even seem frozen or as if they’re moving in slow-mo. Last but not least, the tiger shark. This species has a beautiful pattern running down its back. They are incredibly curious and  when diving with them one should never take their eyes of them – same as with other sharks – but especially with tigers. What all of these shark species have in common is that, in my opinion, when you look into their eyes, you can see some kind of vulnerability. I sometimes think they can sense that I really like them and mean well. I’ve had Caribbean reef sharks that had a hook in their mouth or even a fishing rod attached to the hook swim up to me multiple times on dives as if they were begging me to help them. It’s very sad to see injured animals, especially when you can’t help them in that moment.”

OM: HOW ARE YOU USING PHOTOGRAPHY AND STORYTELLING TO HELP CONSERVE SHARKS?

GILLIAN SHARK: “The aim of my photography is to educate people about the importance of sharks for our ecosystem and to show a different side of these incredibly misunderstood animals. Sharks are very polarising animals – a lot of people fear them or are fascinated by them. One of the main reasons why I love doing underwater but specifically shark photography is that I can show people what I see when I’m diving. In that sense I can give them access to a world they maybe do not have the chance to explore themselves. Sharks are in fact very different to how they are being portrayed by the media. Many people only know sharks from movies, books and the media which often results in a deeper fear of sharks.

I’m in total awe when I dive and am lucky enough to see sharks in their natural habitat. They are shy, elegant and incredible creatures that deserve to get some positive attention for a change. Whenever I get the chance, and people are receptive to it, I engage in a conversation about sharks. In my opinion it’s crucial that bringing awareness to people should never be imposed upon them but rather done by starting a conversation. Because lots of people already have a very strong opinion about sharks I have found that it can be a little discouraging trying to explain or debunk myths with actual research based information. What keeps me motivated to keep going, however, is the positive feedback I receive for my art and how it has helped change people’s perceptions of sharks. Another thing that gives me hope is whenever I hold presentations in schools, I notice that the children’s curiosity and excitement to learn about these amazing animals is far greater than the fear of them.”

OM: WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST THREATS TO SHARK POPULATIONS AROUND THE WORLD?

GILLIAN SHARK: “Sharks face a wide range of conservation challenges. Firstly – and this might sound silly but it actually is quite profound – not a lot of people find sharks pretty or cute. Research shows that if you find something cute, you’re more likely to wanting to protect it. In addition to that, sharks have been villainised in movies, books and other media forms for years. Even in documentaries, which should play an educational role, anytime a shark appears, the music changes to something more eerie and suspenseful. These aspects make it challenging for people to care about sharks in the first place. Then, of course, there are other threats to shark populations around the world such as ‘finning’. Sharks have been hunted for their fins for a long time because shark fin soup is seen as a delicacy and a sign of wealth in many Asian countries. The process of finning is very cruel and a massive problem because a lot of shark species have a slow reproductive rate. This then makes it even more difficult for populations to recover from overfishing, for example. One issue that we have here in Australia are shark nets which are installed off popular beaches to reduce the risk of shark accidents. What many people don’t understand, however, is that they are only about 150 to 200m long and 6m deep which does nothing for swimmer safety. Instead, they catch and kill a large number of non-targeted species such as turtles, whales, rays, dolphins and even endangered shark species such as grey nurse sharks.”

OM: WHAT CAN WE – AS INDIVIDUALS – DO TO BETTER PROTECT SHARKS?

GILLIAN SHARK: “An easy measurement everyone can take is to say no to shark products such as shark fin soup, shark liver oil which is often used in cosmetics and health supplements under the name ‘squalene’, and shark meat which is sometimes sold as ‘flake’ in Australia or ‘Schillerlocke’ in Germany. Another way to contribute to shark conservation is by challenging negative portrayals of sharks and getting curious to learn more about these misunderstood animals. There are numerous great exhibitions at museums or documentaries out there that you could visit or watch; one of these documentaries is called Envoy: Shark Cull by the Envoy Foundation and it showcases the detrimental effects of shark nets and culling devices in Australia. You can also support shark conservation organisations such as Project Hiu which employs Indonesian ex-shark fishermen and gives them an alternative income with ecotourism. Moreover, you can sign petitions and contact local representatives to push for stronger shark protection policies and Marine Protected Areas where sharks are fully protected. Lastly, what I’ve noticed when it comes to sharks, our language is always very negative. You read or hear about sharks being monsters, man-eaters, shark attacks, and so on. What I encourage everyone to do is to think about how we talk about sharks. I never say ‘shark attacks’ but rather ‘accidents’ because that’s exactly what these are.”

OM: ON SOCIAL MEDIA, MANY PEOPLE PUBLISH VIDEOS WHERE THEY TOUCH SHARKS. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS? 

GILLIAN SHARK: “I’m absolutely against touching sharks unless you really have to. I have also seen an increase in people posting videos of them touching or redirecting a shark and that’s something that really annoys me about social media. Redirecting is when you – as the word implies – change the direction of the shark by gently guiding it in a different direction. In my internships with shark behaviour scientist Dr. Erich Ritter I learned how to redirect sharks and I’ve actually only had to do it once ever since. It was on a dive in Jupiter off Florida, where a lemon shark was swimming close to us divers. As it got closer, I could see that it was not sure where to go because there was not enough space so I gently guided the lemon shark past me. The sad thing about social media is that the majority of today’s posts seems to be about posting a viral video and getting people hooked in the first couple of seconds of a video. Posting videos of touching sharks gives off a false image as a lot of people who post these videos work as shark divers and since they sometimes have bait in the water, they actually have to redirect the sharks. But what viewers then take from those videos is that it’s okay to touch sharks and it gives them the illusion that they can do it too… please don’t!”

OM: WHEN IT COMES TO THE CONSERVATION OF SHARKS ARE SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS OUR FRIENDS OR FOES? 

GILLIAN SHARK: “I’m an optimistic person and I always try to see the good in people and things, so I hope that with social media more people can get access to information, pictures, and different points of view. However, I’ve been doing shark photography for the last eight years and have shared my pictures online to show a different side of sharks. During that time, I have noticed a shift in people’s attention towards sensationalised videos. This can be really frustrating at times. I have also found that, due to social media, more people see themselves as ‘shark experts’. They often base their knowledge solely on videos online and that’s when incorrect information can get circulated. This then makes it harder to change people’s opinions even if you support your facts with research, scientific papers or first-hand experience. On the other hand, social media, when used right, can give people access to a world they might not yet know much about. I’ve received some very touching messages from people all over the world telling me that, even though they still have a lot of respect for sharks, my photography has helped them change how they view sharks.”

OM: YOUR FAVOURITE OCEAN MOMENT TO DATE?

GILLIAN SHARK: “I went for a dive at a site called Bushrangers Bay in the south of Sydney and it’s a very popular spot to see grey nurse sharks. The visibility can vary a lot and unfortunately, when me and my friends went, the visibility only was around 1-3m. Since it was my first time diving there, I didn’t know exactly where the sharks would be. As we descended, I looked around, squinting my eyes, trying to see if there were any sharks. Suddenly, I realised there was one right in front of me, around 2m away. It took me by surprise so much that I let out a small squeal which made the shark disappear. I had to hold my mask so that it wouldn’t flood because I was laughing so much. On that same dive, when we decided to end the dive and we swam back to the shallower part of the bay, I could see some shadows swimming next to me. That’s where the realisation hit me that this exact scenario – being in the water with sharks – was what my nightmares were made of when I was younger and now it was where I felt most calm. Generally speaking, I can say that anytime I get the chance to see and spend time with sharks in their natural habitat, are my favourite moments. I love looking into their eyes and trying to communicate to them how amazing they are. Sharks have been around for over 400 million years – longer than dinosaurs. Isn’t that incredible? And there is still so much we need to learn about them.”