I have always been kind of obsessed with sharks. Growing up in Florida you are raised with the knowledge that when you are in the ocean there are always sharks within a few feet of you. Amazingly, I only have one friend that was attacked in high school. The shark bit the bottom of his foot. He was in a wheelchair for a while but fully recovered and soon started surfing again.

I always knew they weren’t the monsters that Hollywood makes them out to be, but I never fully appreciated the truth of this until I visited Moorea. The sharks there are like pets. And they are everywhere. you can’t go in the water without spotting several sharks either lurking on the bottom or following you from a safe distance. They are more curious than hungry. Although, if you offer a small piece of fish they will dart over and take it from your hand in a heartbeat. The divemasters have trained them to live at peace with water bound humans doing just that.

This shark was one of the friendly followers I had the pleasure of capturing with my go pro while diving there. I literally had to jump off the boat into a school of sharks to start the dive. Thankfully they were more interested in the fish bits the divemaster was soon to bring in than any of my limbs.

Magic 85/365, Sharks are Friends, Moorea, French Polynesia, June 2013