Freedivers Have New Hobby, Swimming With Great White Sharks (Video)

Count me among those who think this is an accident waiting to happen. Freedivers, divers who hold their breath for an incredibly long amount of time, have decided to take the plunge and swim with Great white Sharks. Yes…Great White Sharks.

Swimming with Great Whites has long been a tourist attraction but the swimming is done in protective cages so even if the shark attacks the divers are safe. Not these divers.

The freedivers are swimming with the sharks without any type of protective gear. There are points in the video beow where they swim right up and touch the sharks.

Great White Sharks are one of the most astute predators in the entire world. They typically do not attack people and feed only on large marine animals like seals.

Fred Buyle, one of the divers in the video had this to say,

“When we dive with them we adopt a proactive behavior, which means we don’t act as prey, and if a shark comes too close we stand our ground and even move towards them,” Buyle said. “By doing that, there is mutual respect relationship between the divers and the sharks.”

I think this is a hobby that is not going to gain a lot of traction among the general public. While the Great White is not actually known to attack people (in fact most Great White Shark attacks on humans are because the animals mistake us for seals) they are greatly feared due to the classic movie Jaws.

Check out the video of the freedivers here!