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Slate
November 23, 2013
If you scan through social media sites looking for shark videos, you will come across countless videos of people diving with sharks, fishing for sharks, and even saving sharks. But you may also notice a new trend starting to emerge in the shark world: More and more people having hands-on encounters with sharks. And within this group, we are noticing an increase in the number of videos showing people engaging in the practice of shark riding—grabbing a shark by its dorsal fin and allowing it to pull you through the water. This activity has become so prevalent that we recently added the tag “riding a shark” to our blog index at Shark Attack News.
So how did this trend start? The early shark riding videos were primarily released by conservationists who were trying to drive home the message that sharks are not mindless killers that continually roam the oceans seeking out humans for their next meal.
Ocean Ramsey, Kimi Werner, and Lesley Rochat are three of the better-known conservationists who have been depicted riding large tiger and great white sharks. Whether you agree with their tactics or not, the sight of these petite women holding onto the dorsal fins of large apex predators, often two to three times their own size, are absolutely extraordinary and thought-provoking.
These interactions are calculated. These conservationists have many years of experience dealing with sharks, and they have a level of comfort around sharks that most people do not. They did not engage in this activity without preparation, and they acknowledge that there are risks involved.
So what is driving this new surge involving ordinary folks riding sharks? My best guess is either alcohol or an unfounded sense that sharks are one step away from being pets. Either way, it’s a dangerous game that will most certainly end badly for some unfortunate soul down the road. And since many of these interactions are videotaped, I’m guessing we’ll have a new gruesome video making the rounds and sharks will once again be vilified.
The latest shark-riding video (below) emerged on Wednesday via YouTube. We see several vacationers in Bora Bora swimming at the surface while several lemon sharks swim below.
