Following the Discovery Channel's 29th year of "Shark Week," it’s easy to think of sharks as deadly creatures. However, a group of ASU alumni is working to change the stigma surrounding these aquatic animals.
ASU alumnae and twin sisters Marissa and Rachelle Maki, as well as their founding partner Jeramy Trapani, have started a business aimed toward bringing humans closer to sharks in order to combat the inaccurate perception of the aquatic creatures.
The Maki sisters both graduated ASU in 2012 and founded Atlantic Shark Encounters as a way to share their lifelong passions with the world.
Marissa Maki said her time at ASU taught her a great deal about wildlife, which stoked the flames of her passion for sharks.
“I’ve always loved sharks," she said. "They’re fascinating and they really need help."
The sisters bring visitors 5-to-8 miles off the coast of West Palm Beach, Florida to observe the natural habitat of sharks.
Once the visitors are in place, staff members begin a controlled feeding to draw the sharks out. Guests can then observe and swim with several species of sharks, including tiger, bull and great white sharks.
Guests can elect to dive with a cage, while thrill-seekers can enjoy the full experience by swimming with the sharks freely. The founders at Atlantic Shark Encounters assure patrons they are perfectly safe swimming without a cage among the misunderstood animals.
Trapani said visitors do not need to fear the sharks. The creatures simply aren’t looking at the visitors as a source of food.
“We (humans) are not on the menu,” Trapani said.
Those looking to go in with the sharks can do so without a great deal of experience in the activity. No formal training is required prior to diving as divers do not utilize scuba gear, a practice known as free diving.
All of the founders at Atlantic Shark Encounters said they are fans of the widely renowned, seven-day run of television programming known as “Shark Week.” The series has made advances in shark advocacy efforts, they said.
Their opinion on “Shark Week” has changed shape in recent years after many previous years of entertainment-oriented and sometimes fictional programming, they said. In 2015, new Discovery President Rich Ross vowed to remove the fake documentaries from Shark Week, something Rachelle Maki noticed and enjoys.
“The last two years they (the Discovery Channel) have really been pushing for conservation and research efforts,” she said.
The business will open its doors for the season beginning on Aug. 1. And despite the inherent difficulties associated with starting and maintaining a business Marissa Maki believes the end result is worth it.
“A lot of people are terrified of sharks … seeing people’s faces after realizing sharks aren’t what they thought is rewarding.”
Reach the reporter at ryan.wadding@asu.edu or follow @RyanWadding on Twitter.
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