Saving Jaws (2019) - full transcript

[melancholic violin music]

Aloha, I'm Keoni Bowthorpe,
and for the last several years,

I've had the honor of directing
this film, Saving Jaws.

[Keoni] I met Juan and Ocean
in the summer of 2014.

I was immediately impressed
by their knowledge base
about sharks, of course,

but even more by their passion
for going out into the world
to share their message.

It wasn't long before we began
shooting and sketching out

a framework for what
would becomeSaving Jaws.

But I couldn't
have known how important
their instruction would be,

until the morning of October
9th, not a year later.

Pretty much out of nowhere,
you know, I felt like
a truck ran into me



and took me a second to realize,
you know, that a massive shark
was on my leg,

and I saw Keoni, yelled at him.
He's the... He's, he's
really the hero.

He paddled over there
with the shark on me, and...

You know, he was able to get me,
you know to the beach,
really to safety.

Seeing that the shark
was headed toward them,

Keoni used his knowledge
about sharks

to thrust one end of his paddle
against its nose,
to push it away.

[Keoni] It's my belief
that what they taught me was instrumental in saving the life

of the fellow surfer
that day, right here
at Leftovers Beach Park.

[emotional music]

Over the years,
I've developed a deep respect

for Juan and Ocean, and an urgency for their cause.

And I think that you will, too.
Thank you for watching
Saving Jaws.

[ocean waves breaking]



[intense percussive music]

[Ocean] Sometimes people
ask me if I'm afraid.

If I'm afraid
of the way this might end.

I always tell them
the same thing.

Yes, I am afraid.

Then I tell them exactly
what I'm about to tell you.

The way this ends is up to you.

[electronic music]

-[TV static]
-A young woman being called

The Shark Whisperer,
a fearless daredevil

who swims with great whites.

We continue with the news today.
Now the story of a woman

who loves close encounters
with great white sharks.

She's a Hawaiian diver, a model,
and a shark conservationist,

and now she is
a YouTube sensation.

So who do I call
if I go to Hawaii?

Her name's Ocean Ramsey.

-So shout out to her.
-Ocean? Her name's Ocean?

-Her name is Ocean...
-Alright, that sounds like...

-she's legit, she's legit.
-Yeah, okay.

[TV] That's Ocean, swimming
alongside a great white.

Recently, she's become known

as a Shark Whisperer.

Is Ocean Ramsey
the Shark Whisperer?

-Welcome, Ocean Ramsey.
-[audience cheering]

[brooding piano music]

[Ocean] I am not
a Shark Whisperer.

There's a science to everything beautiful in nature,

and that's kind of that natural, perfect balance.

I'm Juan Oliphant.
I've worked with Ocean
for well over a decade.

Yes, she likes to say
everything is science,
but does science explain

everything I've seen
her do over the years?

I mean, you tell me
there isn't something
special happening here.

[Ocean] I never really liked
the term Shark Whisperer
because they're wild animals,

I love them for that,
we need them for that.

It's not the shark
that you're whispering to,
it's actually people.

Whispering to people
about sharks.

I know that if people could see sharks the way that I do,

we wouldn't be talking
about extinction right now.

[Keoni] It's a perception
of sharks that we're fighting
to change on a daily basis.

So we hit the streets
to get some opinions.

[Maddie] Excuse me?
Would it be all right if we
asked you guys some questions?

-Yeah.
-Yeah, sure.

[interviewer]
So what's the first word

that comes to your
mind when I say, "sharks"?

-Jaws.
-Teeth. Jaws, yeah.

[Keoni] Your first reaction

when I say the word sharks.

I'm scared, I don't wanna swim.

I think of, like,
some crazy teeth.

A big megalodon
that's gonna eat someone.

[nervous laughter] Fear.

I have
an extreme fear of sharks.

-Fear.
-Fear.

And, um, that I don't like them.

-Anxiety.
-Predator.

-Fear.
-Danger.

They could just like come up
on you and attack you.

Just being terrified of 'em.

About 100 million sharks

are taken out
of the ocean every year.

Why do you think that

that's sort of
allowed to happen?

That we take like 100 million--

Shark meat is good!

-[buzzer sound]
-Shark meat?

It's a meat like a meat-meat.

Like uh...
and it's good for you.

I wouldn't care if there were
sharks in the ocean or not.

I mean, I don't think it would
really change my lifestyle.

It wouldn't affect me.

[Keoni] Why you think
people are afraid of sharks?

-Because of Jaws!
-It's when the Jawsmovie
came out.

-Certainly Jaws.
-Of course, there's Jaws.

-Movies like Jaws.
-'Cause of the media.

Well any sort of media
surrounding sharks is just like,

-"They're monsters".
They're terrible.
-I don't know, the movies.

-[TV static]
-[narrator] When the movie
Jaws first opened,

it created a sensation.

[Jawstheme]

And shark sightings
increased by the thousands.

Now...

Just when you thought it was
safe to go back in the water,

the legend continues.

"Just when you thought it was
safe to go back in the water."

That's the tagline for Jaws 2,

and that's the tagline because
Jawshad such a huge impact

on the American public and,
really, the whole world

that people were afraid
to go in the water

after seeing that movie.

It's a scary film.

Jawswas really
one of the first
blockbusters we ever had.

It was seen
all across the world.

And it scared people
out of the water
for a very long time.

[Chief Brody] That's a shark.

Out of the water!
Out of the water, now!

[Josh] From ridiculous
big-budget actioners

like Deep Blue Sea
and The Meg,

to little, indie, Sundance films

like Open Water,shark movies
continue to be profitable.

Oh, crap.

[Josh] Kind of against all odds,
because they're out
of good ideas.

They're out of
original ideas.
We're doing things now like

Avalanche Sharks,
Sharknado.But just watch,

they'll keep making
these Sharknadomovies

because they continue
to make money.

People wanna see them.
Most of these movies

-aren't actually scary anymore.
-[woman screaming]

And so I think we can really
attribute the lasting interest,

the success of shark movies,
and the fear of shark movies,
to Jaws.

[crowd screaming]

[Josh] It's extremely effective
in playing upon our most base,

human, primal fears.

The impact of Jaws
is undeniable.

Whether you've seen
the film or not,
you know that poster.

Whether you've seen the film
or not, you know that music.

[Jawstheme]

Sh-shark!

[Josh] And it's
created generations

of people who are
afraid of sharks.

And afraid to go in the water

because of sharks,
because of Jaws.

[Juan] Fear of sharks is
nothing new, Drawings and even

ancient artifacts
have proven this.

However, in the last 50 years,

fishing methods have
become so efficient,

and with the rise
of the middle class in China,

demand for shark fin soup
has skyrocketed.

The fear of sharks
is what has allowed

the finning industry
to go unchecked.

[Ocean] Shark finning
is the process in which the shark has its fins cut off.

It is then dumped
back in the ocean

to suffocate or bleed to death.

An absolutely cruel
and wasteful practice.

All this for shark fin soup,

an expensive
and lucrative status symbol.

I have to believe if people
knew what was happening,

they wouldn't allow it to exist.

[calm Oriental music]

[Ocean] So we just
touched down in China.

We're here for a purpose,
and that's to kinda look at

how prevalent shark fin soup
really is, and shark products.

Uh, so we're gonna kinda immerse
ourselves in the culture,
and talk to the people,

and find out attitudes
and, um, beliefs and customs.

And see how many shark
products there really are,

and what is the trend
with the demand here,

at kinda ground zero.

So we're in Hong Kong,
it's someplace I've
always wanted to go,

just to experience the culture,
and to really kind
of investigate

how bad the shark fin soup
consumption is here.

I've heard mixed reviews,
but apparently we can find it

everywhere on the street.
It's what we're told
from the locals.

And, uh, what I've read
in the papers and the studies
they've been doing.

They've been
showing a huge decline
in the demand for it here,

because of education
that's come here.

So we're gonna dig in here
in the next couple days

and really kinda find
out what's goin' on

and, uh, hopefully it's
as good as the papers say

and not as good
as the locals, uh, say,

as far as the consumption,
so, um, we'll find out.

[soft Oriental music]

[Ocean] So we're gonna
explore this area, um,

what I'm packing is, uh,
several copies of a letter.

It's written
in Chinese and explains
the importance of sharks,

and kind of their demise,

and why this restaurant,
store, or whatever

shouldn't serve any kind
of shark product, here.

So I'm packing
a couple of these.

Uh, we've got
a couple of leads on places

that we're gonna start
to check out.

But again, the idea is
to kinda see how prevalent

shark fin, um, soup and shark
products are in the area.

[calm Oriental music]

[Ocean] Shark fin soup
with mixed vegetables.

Shark fin soup
with shredded chicken.

And supreme braised shark fin.

And then clay pot
shark fin soup.

And double-boiled superior
shark fins with chicken.

So we're on one of the,
the many streets in Hong Kong.

Every single shop,
pretty much, has shark fins.

Um, this one, right over here,
is literally just bags of it.

And they've got the posters
that show the different
species of sharks.

I'm pretty sure
I've seen white sharks,

whale sharks,
tiger sharks, basking sharks.

It's um...

There's a lot.
I've-- I was shocked.

So, Hong Kong was
a little bit of...

I guess, an eye-opener in a way?
It's--

I knew that, you know,
sharks are being killed

at a rate of 70 to 100 million
sharks every single year,

but you don't really quite,
you know, it just sounds
like too big to believe.

Oh, you have more. These ones
are sharks. Little sharks.

It's shocking,
it's this contrast between
how nice these people are,

and then the fact of like
you walk down certain streets

and it's store after store
after store after store.

Bag after bag after bag.
Container after container
after container.

And it's just so many
shark fins, and it's disgusting,

and it, it makes me sick.

Like, to see that,
because I see the fins,

and I realize
that's a whale shark.

That's a basking shark.

I saw a white shark,
great white shark fins.

And they're still gray in color.

Those people were not very nice,

and they knew
that it was controversial.

And, uh, you know,
a very sensitive topic.

Because when I would
go into those stores,

uh, with a camera to film,
they would immediately
want to block,

and say, "don't".
And it's, it was the second
that I put myself in line

with the fins that that's
when they kind of realized,

like, "Oh, okay, we know
what's going on here."

-[seller] No, no, no, no, no!
-[Ocean] Oh! What?

And they realized,
like, because it's
such a sensitive topic,

and I think it's good
that it's a sensitive topic,

and it's amazing
that the only kind of, like,

adversity that we've seen,
um, has been

when we kind of approached
to film the fins.

[Juan] Personally, from a lot
of studies and everything
that I was reading and hearing,

that, oh, there's 70% decrease
in demand for shark fins there.

That, you know,
there's a lot of people
pushing to get it banned,

and, uh, you, you know,
it was really easy to find.

We just hit a few streets,
right off the bat,

and there was just bags
and bags of shark fins.

Stores that, you know, still had
shark fins up in the windows.

You know, huge, God, huge
dorsal fins of whale sharks

and basking sharks,
probably great whites,

and it's so sad to see that,

and it's definitely, um,

you know, in the moment,
we're trying--

trying to act like it, you know,
didn't affect us,

but it's, yeah, it--

I can't even imagine, like,
how many lives of sharks,

just in the bags that we saw.

Tens and thousands
of animals killed,

and it's just all
stuffed into a tiny bag,

only 3% of the animal
in those bags.

It's like, it's horrific, you
know, and that's just probably

a small, small percentage
of what's out there,
you know, and...

And that's just the stuff
that we can kinda uncover
just right at the surface.

And, you know,
and you think about like...

What's really going on
out there, it's scary.

It was clean, it's, it's,
it is a pretty city,

and the fact of, if you
appreciate, like, technology

and buildings
and everything, it's like

what humans can accomplish,
you know, and, and build,

but, uh, it's going
outside our means.

And I feel like it is kinda
like destructive against nature.

I grew up with shark fin soup.
It's a practice, it is not
a tradition.

I'm pretty confident that
it's not an attack on culture,

if we try to ban shark fin,
because the same legislative
grass root movements

are taking place in Hong Kong,
Taiwan, and China.

The largest populations
of the world that consume
shark fin.

Legislation is the best way
of protecting sharks.

We know that sharks are
extremely valuable,
ecologically,

and culturally, in a lot
of places around the world.

We need to have sharks around,
if we want healthy oceans.

Healthy oceans means
healthy shark populations.

You can't have one
without the other.

Sharks actually reproduce
far slower

than most other marine animals,

and so that is
one of the problems
with killing sharks, right?

Is that that resource is not
gonna regenerate as quickly.

Whereas if you were
using sharks, for example,
in a shark-watching scenario,

providing ecotourism,
educational ecotourism
opportunities, you know, that,

sharks can essentially be used,
you know, over and over and over
and over again.

[Juan]
We started One Ocean Diving
as a way to educate people

about the plight of sharks.

We're able to change people's
perceptions of sharks,

and at the same time,
gather a huge

amount of data for research.

[Ocean] So every single day we're heading out on the water,

and we're collecting
over 62 data variables.

We're looking at everything from how the sharks' behavior changes

with environmental conditions,
to how does their behavior
change in proximity to humans.

Collect this data, analyze it,

and then make
a practical application
within the community.

We need to protect sharks
because we need apex predators,
both in land, and in the water.

Without apex predators, we have
what we call trophic cascade,

meaning that everything
beneath them will crumble.

Apex predators keep healthy
populations by eating the sick,

weak, dying, and they're
the natural balance
within that ecosystem.

We remove them, we lose all
of that, what's underneath them.

[Juan] It's not just about
getting in the water and
swimming with sharks all day.

A lot of conservation is getting out in the world and practicing what you preach.

[Ocean]
We utilize different research methods and different technology

to determine what we can do
to change the tide.

It's through education,
inspiring others and getting
the community involved

that we've seen the most change.

[electronic music]

[Ocean] The number one question
I get is:

"How do I minimize my risk
of being attacked by a shark?"

First of all, stick together.

Don't swim or surf by yourself.

Sharks understand schooling species and strength in numbers.

You are far less
likely to be approached

when you're in proximity
of multiple other individuals.

[Juan] Avoiding
low-visibility water is key.

You're not the shark's
natural prey item,

but mistakes can happen
in poor visibility.

If in doubt, don't stay out.

[Ocean] And in the rare
event that you do happen
to find yourself

face to face with
a shark, don't panic.

Splashing, especially mimics
injured prey items.

Keep your movements
smooth and controlled.

[Juan] Look around. For sharks,
eye contact is everything.

Eye contact communicates that you are an equal predator.

Act like a predator and you get
treated like a predator.

You might see us spinning
a lot under water.

We're always scanning,
in case new sharks,

multiple sharks,
come in at one time.

Don't get locked in on just one.

[Ocean] In the very rare
occasion that a shark displays
following behavior,

a little eye contact
is often all it takes
to make them lose interest.

[Juan] Finally,
keep your hands to yourself.

Sharks' natural prey items
include crab, octopus,
and squid.

Again, while humans
are not their natural prey,

your hands might look like one.

Make sure your fingers are
close to you at all times.

[Ocean] Following these steps will greatly reduce your chances of an adverse shark interaction.

Hey, I'm Clark Little.
We're about to go on
a dive with One Ocean Diving.

The first time I went out
with the sharks, I was scared.

All I'd watched was Jawsmovie,
and it made me scared.

I'm thinkin', "My gosh,
they're just here to kill us",

I mean that's,
that's the uneducated.

Once I learned,
and I went out with them,

and experienced it,
now I can't wait to go.

So today was another
once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I've had a few, this was
on the top of the list, um.

We were looking for
some tiger sharks,

and fortunately, we--
when we pulled up,

we, we saw this 14-footer
swimming around,

and we were just
like, "Oh my gosh,
this is really happening?"

'Cause it's rare, it's rare
to see tiger sharks in the wild,

and for us to be able
to swim with them today,

and interact and just,
you know, be able to hang out,

personality-wise, um,
get comfortable.

She was obviously comfortable,
Nikki was her name.

Um, it was just
a once-in-a-lifetime thing

that, that we got to live,
and I can't wait to go
and look at the footage,

because it was almost a blur,
it was just so special,

we're in the moment,
you know what I mean,
the tiger's comin' up to us,

I mean, she was, she was so big
and thick and beautiful

and, sounds cheesy,
but I tell you, you know,

any time you can swim
one-on-one with a tiger shark...

It's life-changing.
And if it wasn't
for Juan and Ocean,

and their caring for sharks,

and teaching me everything
I know about sharks,

um, I wouldn't have
this opportunity.

I feel comfortable and,
and confident that they're doing

a really, really good thing,
you know, for this world.

[soaring orchestral music]

[Juan] While our hearts
are always in Hawaii,

protecting sharks
is a global issue,

and it's our privilege
to go out into the world

to conduct research,
help spread the message,

and inspire change.

[Ocean] There's never been
a more critical time than now

to make that change.

[lively drum music]

[Juan] Tahiti is well-known
for its amazing surf breaks.

But our focus is on
the health of those reefs.

[Ocean]
In Tahiti, we collaborate
with other scientists.

Deploying acoustic tags
can be very helpful

in looking at what
the sharks' behavior is
when we are not there.

However, it is
limited to movement.

There's not much else we can see

unless we actually
get in the water

with them and observe them.

And that's kind
of my preferential

way of studying them,
in their own habitat,

in their own space,
without modification.

The beautiful beaches
of western Australia are home
to a diverse array of animals.

[Juan] Our main focus in
Australia has been researching

non-lethal methods of avoiding
adverse shark interactions.

[Ocean] The practical
application of science
and technology

to hopefully help people,
especially surfers,
and sharks, better coexist.

[Juan] It was our
privilege this trip

to help develop new technology

that uses electric
currents to deter sharks.

Our findings give us
great confidence

that technology could
be effectively used

to deter even
a great white shark.

[electrical whirring]

[upbeat pop music]

[Juan] One of my favorite places
in the world has got to be

Tiger Beach in the Bahamas.

We're most interested in seeing how the legislation to protect

sharks has affected the tiger
shark population in this area.

The protection
of sharks in the Bahamas

is exactly what I'd like
to see happen in Hawaii.

[Ocean] Tiger Beach is home
to a great variety of sharks,

uh, we've got reef sharks
off the back, lemon sharks,

but our main purpose here
is to find tiger sharks.

[Juan] Coming to Tiger Beach,
I really thought I'd jump
in the water

and immediately be
approached by tons of tigers.

It's kind of concerning that this is not the case right now.

It's really sad
when you think about it.

Worldwide, tiger sharks, there's less than 30,000 on the planet.

They're
a near-threatened species.

And they're
so slow to reproduce,

and even a place where
they're able to be protected,

that we don't have them.

Kind of the fate of all sharks
right now, it seems like,

they're either threatened,
or endangered, or faced
with extinction,

and it's just the human impact
that's on these animals
right now

is really, is really horrible.

[Ocean] Watching these lemon
sharks drift gracefully

along the white sand bottom
is almost hypnotizing.

But in the back of my mind,
I'm always concerned

when we don't see
tigers right away.

[Juan] This location
is about 60 miles away

from any land or people,
and yet we're still finding

no shortage of plastic
or other man-made pollutions.

[Ocean] As we wait,
we use the time to clean up
plastics around the site.

It feels like good karma,
because as soon as we finish
cleaning the garbage,

all of a sudden,
just like magic,
the tigers start coming in.

We turn around, and boom,
just on your peripheral,

in comes this beautiful tiger.

Just the shadow across the sand,

and, uh, just these beautiful,
peaceful interactions.

[soft music]

[Juan] When you first see
a tiger shark coming in

after days of trying, I mean,

I kinda have to think
that it's just like,

it's like a weight lifted.

It's massive, it's huge.
It could take you out as
a food source in a heartbeat,

and that's the last thing
it wants to do.

It's, it's an animal that just changes perceptions, instantly.

[Ocean] While it's true
that these sharks
are protected here,

they are still vulnerable
to illegal poaching,

and poaching remains
a serious threat.

[calm synthesizer music]

[Juan] So sometimes people ask
me why I want to get so close.

There's a lot of different
reasons, whether it's trying to get fishing line or hooks off

of 'em, getting
a better quality of life
from the impact of humans.

[Ocean] So we have
this absolutely gorgeous,

it's like you're
floating through air,

and it's so beautiful,
the clarity,

I feel like
you could see for infinity,

and, you know, that, that blue
infinity is broken by nothing

but the figures
and shapes and silhouettes of,

I think,
some of the most beautiful,

beautiful animals on the planet.

I mean,
nothing moves like a shark,

and they have this really
special and unique presence.

So it's kinda like
shark heaven [giggles].

'Cause you're just floating in
the middle of the water column,

and you can just
put your hand up

and gently let a tiger shark
kinda swim up,

and just have
this little moment of contact,

where that animal's okay
with a contact and connection,

and it's really neat to have
that level of comfort and trust.

[Juan]
Some of 'em, I actually almost
think that they prefer touch.

And you could see that with Ocean, she's just standing away from the whole scene,

or the other guy's feeding,
and she's just there,
peacefully existing,

and the tiger shark just comes up to her, it's kinda like saying hello, almost, you know.

And you just gently,

just, "oh, I don't have
anything for you"

and you kinda move off
to the other side.

[Ocean] It's a really
special and beautiful place,

and I know
that we could have that

in more places around the world,

if people weren't afraid,

if they realized
how important sharks were.

Taking a final
look in this healthy
and thriving shark population,

gives me so much
hope for the future,

especially
if we can work to create

more protected
areas like this one.

[Juan] On our way out, I find
myself checking my camera,

almost checking to see
if some of those interactions
were actually real.

[Ocean] Leaving a place like
this is always difficult,

but we were so excited
to head back home

to meet up with some of our
favorite shark ambassadors.

[acoustic guitar music]

I'm Mike Coots,
shark attack survivor,

surfer, photographer,
and shark advocate.

There's that one tale, that you
can learn everything in life,

uh, just from looking
at the ocean,

and it, it gives you
these life lessons,

and I, I really think
that holds true.

You learn patience,
you learn how to read things,

you learn ebbs
and flows and that,

you take care of something,
it'll take care of you.

Just got down here
to the aggregation site,

it really is the nicest day
I've seen in months, um.

There're sharks everywhere.
We're about to suit up
and go jump in. Very excited.

[Mike] In 1997, I lost
my leg in a shark attack,
in my home break on Kauai.

I've told my shark attack
story so many times,

but it, it really feels
like it was just yesterday.

People ask me if I think
about it all the time,

and the truth is, that just
hasn't been the case for me.

The conservation
work just happened

as I started getting
more information about it,

and felt compelled to help.

I started realizing
that sharks are much-needed

in our marine ecosystems,
and they play an invaluable role

in the health of our oceans,
and if I can use that irony
of being a shark bite,

you know, a shark attack
survivor, and help save
a species,

help keep our oceans
healthier, then, why not?

If I can turn
something that was
bad into something good.

If I can have my children
one day look at sharks

and not see them
in a, in a museum
or in a textbook at school,

but actually be able
to go out on the ocean

and do a shark dive,
that's a good thing,

and I think that's a good
thing not just for my children

or the children of Hawaii,
but for the rest of the world.

[Juan] At this site, we found
plenty of Galapagos sharks,

but our real goal was
to find a tiger shark,

so we packed up and headed to another site in deeper water.

My name's Craig Parry,
I'm from Byron Bay, Australia.
Professional photographer.

I'm here today on Oahu
with Juan and Ocean,

and we've just swam
with some Galapagos.

I've really enjoyed doing it,
and I think, uh,

by getting people
to actually get in the water
and experience this,

it actually changes
the perception of the animal,

and it's, uh, it's great
to see them doing it,
and doing a great job.

[Ocean] So with no tigers
in sight, what we've actually

started to use
in our research is drones.

And so we can send these up
and we can actually observe

the sharks' behavior
from the surface.

[drone whirring]

[Keoni] After a few minutes of
using the drone we're able to see the tiger sharks coming in.

And there wasn't
just one of them.

-Man, we got three tiger sharks.
-[Juan] Oh yeah!

-I've never seen anything
like this, this is so cool.
-[Juan] Yeah!

Watching the dynamic
between them and the Galapagos
and a lot of blocking going on.

[Juan] Look at those three,
and they're working together.

-So cool, so cool.
-[Juan] Coming in
at the same time.

[Mike] We had one,
and we were as stoked as can be,

and we saw another,
and now we have three.

[Ocean] They're extremely
cautious when we first
got in the water,

but after realizing
that we weren't going
to be a threat,

they slowly started
to approach closer and closer,

and we were able to have
some incredible interactions

and get some amazing photos
for our photo identification.

[Mike] Diving with a tiger shark
is like looking eye to eye
with a living dinosaur.

It really is one of the most
exhilarating, amazing,

out of world experiences
you can have here on Earth.

If I could
go back to the days
after the shark attack,

the months after the shark
attack, and tell my younger
self what life would be like,

or what to worry or what not
to worry, I would just say,
"Don't worry about anything."

An important lesson, it would
be to just trust the process.

There's really nothing
I can't do, and it,
and it, it's incredible,

it does give you this, I guess,
internal value that, you know,

I can pretty much do
anything that I wanna do.

Everybody has a gift,
and to just really
exploit that gift,

run after it,
take it and grab it
and just don't look back.

Run as fast
as you can with that gift,
and share it with the world.

[lively music]

[Ocean] Socorro is like how you want the entire ocean to be,

because it's a marine protected area, and it's very isolated.

It's about 36 hours off shore,

and so it's somewhat safe
from illegal fishing.

Our ultimate goal in Socorro
was actually tagging,

uh, hammerheads and Galapagos
sharks and silky sharks.

We're looking at movements, uh, between the different islands.

[Juan] The thing that
stood out to me the most is the biodiversity of animals,

and the amount of fish
that's still there.

I mean, it kinda gives a glimpse of what maybe the ocean was.

[Ocean] You just wish that
the ocean was like this,

and it would be
if it was protected.

You would have mantas
swimming over you for minutes,

and dolphins coming
right up to your face,

and you'd have
hundreds of sharks

in a crazy-fun bait ball,

and you could just
swim around them.

[Juan] A hundred silkies plus
are eating

little tiny scad mackerel,

I never thought I'd get
to see that, the amount
of life that we saw there,

and the bait balls,
and the tuna and the sharks,

that wouldn't have happened
unless it was a marine
protected area.

[sinister music]

[whale squeaking and whistling]

[Ocean] Humpback whales
are a perfect example

of how conservation
really does work.

When you get enough people
together that actually

really care enough to speak up,

to the point
that they can actually change
legislation and policies.

We owe the previous
generation a debt of gratitude

for what they did
for the whales.

[whale singing]

[Juan] The baby's playing,
like, puff, coming up to us
and spinning.

Er, it wants that interaction.

You know, considering that
there's songs that they sing,

and how, you know, like how deep is that social connection.

And getting to see
that, that care and love

that mother and escort
put into that calf,

it just goes to show you
there's a lot, there's
a lot of things

that we don't really
know about the ocean.

[Ocean] And there's nothing
like swimming next to
a 40-ton whale

as it brings
its baby up to the surface
for its first couple breaths.

[Juan] It just shows that there's, there's a lot more

humanity in the ocean
than people think.

[whales singing]

[upbeat music]

[Ocean]
We've just arrived in Guadalupe,

and I feel like
I'm home [giggles].

I'm so excited to get to spend,
you know, X amount of time

with these animals
every single year.

And I'm so grateful that
they're protected in this area

of the world, and that's
something that I fight for

every single day, to try
and increase that protection.

It's an absolute honor to get
to go down to Isla Guadalupe

and work with the lead scientist
there, Dr. Mauricio Hoyos.

He's dedicated his life
to studying and protecting
white sharks.

Such an incredible human being.

He is the leading expert
on great white sharks,
in Mexico, hands down.

My name is Mauricio Hoyos,
and I am the director
of Pelagios Kakunja,

which is a non-profit
organization based in La Paz.

We are working with,
I think, 11 species of sharks.

[Ocean] Isla Guadalupe
is a natural white shark
aggregation site.

Aggregation site meaning
that they're naturally
coming together,

in higher numbers
in a small concentrated areas,

due to the presence
of prey items,

and that's
the California sea lion,

the Guadalupe fur seal, and the northern elephant seal.

So those three prey items
arrive for their pupping

during this specific season,

and so the white sharks,
their arrival

kind of coincides with that.

[Juan] When I'm getting in
the water in Guadalupe Island,

the first thing that automatically just hits me

every time is
the clarity, is unbelievable.

Blue, blue, blue water like
you would have in Hawaii,

and yet you have an island
that is surrounded
by great white sharks.

It's the only place in the
world, it's extremely unique.

[Ocean] So we're specifically here to study great white shark behavior,

and so by understanding how they utilize body language,

we hope that we can educate
others and better understand

how to avoid adverse
interactions.

So as the season progresses, and the water temperature drops,

and you get larger seals like
the northern elephant seal,
as those guys start to arrive,

and the larger females
start to arrive,

and so it's theoretical that
they could potentially
be pupping,

or they may be kind of
building up stock

and nutrition in
anticipation of pupping.

[calm piano music]

[Ocean] As the sharks swim by,
we can see scars and marks
on different individuals,

they could be from mating
or could be from competitive
behavior.

[water sloshing]

[Ocean] Fin cameras are small
devices we can affix,

and they deploy after
a few hours or a few days.

They allow us to see
what the shark is seeing,

how it's interacting
with its environment,

maybe other sharks,
when we're not present.

So we get to see more
natural behavior.

[Mauricio] Now we're working
together with scientists
from all over the world,

because we would like to gather

as much information as possible.

We have tagged the white sharks with acoustic telemetry,

in order to know more
about their local movements

and also their
migration patterns.

[Ocean] Baiting the shark
allows us to collect data,

that attach tags,
monitor specific individuals,

and collects photo
identification,

take biopsies
or skin tissue samples,

and look at genetics
and stable isotopes,

and we try and be very
minimal about that,

and limit the amount
that's put out,

and record
the specific individuals.

[Mauricio] So this is very
important because
they are spending

half of the, of the year
in Mexican waters.

So it's good that they are protected and we have seen that the population is increasing.

So I think that,
for this particular species,
we are doing good.

[Ocean] So right now,
we are currently running
a research conservation

education-based expedition,

so people are looking
at photo identification,

and how to identify
these individuals.

It's really easy
for white sharks.

Their countershading,
they're dark on the top,
light on the bottom,

and that distinctive
line of countershading

across their gills,
their pelvic area,

and even the spots down on
their caudal fin or their tail,

are allowing us to be able
to identify individuals
without the need for tags.

People are willing
to pay to see them alive.

So the ecotourism
from the boats coming down here

to view these incredible animals
are affording protection
for them.

And also keeping
eyes on the water,

so in case poachers
or anybody wants to come by,

all these vessels know
that they can alert the Navy.

They're just absolutely
incredible to get to see
in person.

I wish more people had
the opportunity to come up here

and get to see them,
eye to eye, face to face,

and have that connection.

[heartbeats]

[Juan] When we have the cages,
sometimes it's amazing
to be able to get

extremely, extremely
close to the animal,

where I can just focus
on super-tiny details.

And I remember this one pass,
where she was literally
rubbing the cage,

and I was able just
to focus in on her eye.

The eye is like looking
straight past the camera,

and looking at me
as an individual.

You could just see that there's some sort of recognition.

There's something
more to the animal

than just instinctual drive.

There's definitely
something behind that eye

that's processing,
and that, there's
definitely a connection there

that I, I feel when I'm
with these animals.

[Ocean] Well they have these
beautiful blue eyes,

and as they swim past you,
you really get to stare

kinda into their soul,
and there's so many
layers to them,

and there's such a level
of awareness and consciousness,

that becomes extremely apparent,
when they actually swim by,

and they really look
you up and down.

And that was absolutely
life-changing for me.

I remember one of the first,

um, especially adult white
sharks that swam by,

and he slowed down,

and just kinda
grazed his pectoral

right along the cage to come by,

and he almost stops,
and he looks at me,

and I just like, I kinda
felt like in that moment,

it's like,
"Oh, this is why I'm here."

[intense instrumental music]

[Ocean] All of a sudden,
it seems like everything
goes in line,

and you're like, "I'm exactly
where I'm supposed to be."

You know, I've dedicated
my life to working for them
and speaking up for them,

and it's without a doubt,

it's like those moments
and those interactions

and they just solidify that.

And you have that,
through your soul,

through your heart,
knowing like this is
what I was made for,

or this is my entire point
and purpose for being here.

[Juan] The focus of
this film has been

to change human perception
on sharks worldwide.

[Ocean] There's never been
a more critical time than now,

to make that change,
to inspire people to join.

Throughout our various destinations, we've encountered

such extraordinary
and diverse wildlife.

[Juan] And all that does
is just reinforce

our need for sharks
and a healthy ecosystem.

It's really very simple.

All these animals depend
on sharks to exist.

[orcas whistling]

[Juan] We've also gotten
a chance to make strides
in legislation,

and inspire our younger
generation to get involved

and take ownership of their
own ocean environments.

To this day, we are still
fighting for protection

for sharks and rays in Hawaii.

[Ocean] It has truly been
an incredible journey,

and it concludes with our
greatest challenge yet.

[Juan] Though our first trip
to Asia was not exactly
a positive experience,

we make our way back,
this time to share
our message at ADEX,

the Asian Dive Expo.

[Ocean] So, we're here,
in the heart of Singapore,

we're both presenting
at a conference.

It's the Asia Dive Expo.
It's actually the largest
Dive Expo in the entire world,

and they've dedicated it
to the sharks, which I love,
which is amazing.

And right now, we're kind
of exploring Singapore.

And so they've built
these beautiful gardens,
and it's kind of a combination

of, you know,
architecture of human design,
covered in the natural world.

[Juan] It's really
cool to see a city

kinda integrated with nature,

and showing that, like this
could be our future.

[tranquil instrumental music]

So this is, this is
really cool, it's like, uh,

reconnecting people
with nature, so we're right
in the heart of the city,

and I realize
a lot of people can't

kind of escape and go
find a natural waterfall.

So the fact that they can come
here and be surrounded by flower
gardens and cloud forests...

And even though
this is man-made,

it's still really impressive
and it's beautiful.

[Juan] It's actually really inspiring.

I mean, like, if every
city could be like this,

the change that could happen,
I mean, this needs
to be infectious,

this needs to spread
throughout the world.

Have you seen any, um,
like any shark fins or like, uh,

places where you see dead
sharks, like coming in off
of fish ports?

You don't sell the
shark fins, yeah.

-Alright, man. Should we...
-OK, thank you.

-[Ocean] Thank you. It's nice
talking to you.
-Same to you.

[Ocean] So far,
our view of Singapore has been

the exact opposite of Hong Kong.

But as soon as
I step out of the cab,

I see the name
of the first shop,

Tam Kah Shark Fin,

and I realize there is
still much progress needed.

They want the large
sharks, especially,

because it's such a big symbol.

This is gotta be a whale
shark or a basking shark.

It's so sad to see this,
it's just disturbing.

[Juan] Oh yeah,
and these are animals that are
so hard to find these days.

I mean, it's, it's like, talking about whale sharks that are on endangered species list,

basking sharks,
endangered species list, it's
like, those are massive fins,

those are the only things
those fins could've come from,

is from these animals that are
now critically endangered,

and it's just, it's sad
to see that it's just used

for small portions,
it's a wasted resource.

Keoni, up there?

[shutter clicking]

[Ocean] What a contrast it is
to see the progressive steps

that you've seen all morning,

and then see
this part of Singapore

where the practice
is still embraced.

[Keoni] To be fair,
next to Hong Kong,
there's almost no comparison,

and for the most part,
we found the restaurants
were current with the times.

Do you serve shark fin soup?

Do you serve shark fin soup?
This?

No? Good job.
That's good [giggles]!

-Yeah. Yes.
-Good.

Fish?

-Okay, we're just looking.
Thank you very much.
-Thank you.

[Ocean] We should check
this restaurant here, too.

-It's on there.
-It is?

Yeah, it is.

Seafood, shark fin soup.

What?

-Hi.
-Hi, um,
we see on the menu.

Yeah.

Eat, not to eat shark fin.

Yeah, so there's
almost no sharks left.

Yeah.

Not.

Yeah, it's bad
for the ocean, yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Oh yeah, yeah,
'cause there's not
that many sharks left now, so.

Do you want to keep this?

-Okay.
-No? Do you think

that the restaurant would ever
stop serving the shark fin?

[Ocean] 70 to 100 million sharks
being killed every year,

and it's really kind
of setting in that number

when we see bags and bags
and boxes and boxes
and the fins everywhere.

It's, er, it's... There's a lot
more fins than I ever would
imagine that I would have seen.

Uh, and some
other guys were even saying
that there's like 10,000 fins,

you know, in one,
you know, like store,

or even breaking it down
to 1,000 sharks in one basket.

Because it's just the fins,
and all the rest of the meat
is just discarded.

So it's just--
it's crazy to think
of how many lives were taken

just to fill a tiny little
basket or a box of shark fins.

I mean, shark fins are obviously
on the front as you enter in,

it's huge, it's whale shark fins
or basking sharks
or white sharks.

Yeah, and the age that shark
must have been

to have fins that size,
I mean, that's upwards

of probably 35 years
for fins that large,

for basking
or whale shark, I mean.

We're gonna go
explore a little bit
more of the Chinatown area.

I'm gonna give this letter
out to, uh, every store

that I see that's carrying the
fins, and every restaurant.

And that was, uh, was a really
eye-opening experience.

[Keoni] In Singapore,
we found the pinnacle
of forward thinking,

right next door to thousands
of years of tradition,

and the outdated, destructive
ways of thinking about sharks.

Days like this can be
a real wake up call,
that the fight is not over.

But we do find hope that as we educate the next generation,

tomorrow can be a new day.

[calm chiming music]

[Ocean] It's a new morning, and we're headed to ADEX early.

Not sure what to expect,
or what the turnout will be,

but we're excited
to get inside and prepare
for our presentations today.

Sparkles? Did you meet Sparkles.

Yeah, this is amazing,
and the fact that it's
dedicated to sharks,

is mind-blowing,
and this is what this side
of the world needs right now.

Yeah.

We're here at the Expo, and, uh,
I'm about to give a talk

in a few minutes, here,
about the importance of sharks

and the power
of photos and, and being able
to cross language barriers,

so I'm excited about that,
and being able to just
promote more shark conservation.

[announcer] Three, two, one!

This is the official opening
of Asia Diving Expo 2018!

[crowd cheering]

-Woo hoo.
-Yeah.

[vendors chatting]

[Keoni] It's really kind of why
we're here at this exposition.

Er, it's what it's all about,
which is exciting,

I mean, dedicated for sharks,
which is really cool.

That, uh, you know, one
of the biggest dive expos is
focusing on shark conservation,

it shows that there's been
a shift, and, uh, people are
wanting to,

you know, conserve, uh, sharks.
Protect the ocean.

[upbeat music]

[lecturer talking]

[announcer]
Please welcome Heidi.

We have Ocean Ramsey,
who is this year, er,

ADEX shark ambassador,
ladies and gentlemen.

-Wow, what an honor.
-[presenter] OK,
so we're gonna invite you--

[speaker] In our oceans,
as well as--

This is my first actual,
like, proper presentation,

you know, I speak in schools,
and, uh, you know,

never something with my peers
involved, you know?

Yeah, it's definitely exciting,
nerve wracking,

and I--
It'll be good, it'll be good.

Aloha, thank you
guys for coming and--

[Keoni] We gave several
presentations

over the course of a few days,

and we were met

with such enthusiasm for sharks,

from people all over the world.

And, I mean, we gotta be
the voice for these animals,
'cause they don't have one,

and we do need
these animals alive.

...Underwater360
for sending me out here.

[Ocean] We were far from the
only conservationists speaking
out for sharks at the event.

The support worldwide
was incredible.

What's so fantastic
about the shark world,
is it is a global community.

There's not that many of us,
but we all share
one common passion,

and that is,
of course, the sharks.

It's on par
with every shark scientist,

with every marine ambassador
around the world,

and that is to teach people
more about what sharks are,

and why we really need
them in our oceans.

My name is Randall Arauz,
and I'm the policy director

of Fins Attached Marine
Research and Conservation.

One of the achievements
I'm most proud of,

was the closure of the private
docks in Costa Rica.

And yes, we made
the Costa Rican authorities

shut it down,
'cause it was illegal,

and we put a serious dent
in the shark-finning industry

in Costa Rica after that.

Hello, my name is
Guillaume Néry,

I'm a world-champion free diver.

The sharks are just
the, the kings of the ocean,

and they are the base
of the balance of the ocean.

And you, you really,
you don't need to be a scientist

or a specialist
to understand the major role

they have
in this magic of, of nature,

and, uh, and of course,
today is so important to...

for the people to change
their perspective about sharks.

[background chatter]

[Juan] Overall, we leave
Singapore with the hope

that through education,
shift in perception

is possible anywhere
in the world,

no matter the history,
the culture, or even the fear.

[lively musical sting]

I think what, we are
dealing with in today's

Asian or Chinese society,

is that the new generation
has all of this information,

the new generation
is rich in technology,

so they're willing
to learn more,

and willing to change
their lifestyle,

and change their habit,
and change their choices.

Hi guys, I'm Selena Lee,
and I'm an actress
from Hong Kong.

A lot of times, people are
scared of what's
unknown to them.

They don't know about it,
and they feel scared
and threatened.

But once you learn about them,
and once you learn
about the ocean,

you'll realize that they're
one of the most elegant

and intelligent creatures
out there.

They're not the monsters
that people portray them to be.

With more content,
and more information

that we can
give out to the world,

er, it will start changing
the younger generations,

especially in China,
Taiwan, Hong Kong.

It was a natural thing,

how we just wanted
to start protecting sharks.

Younger people know that,
you know, we don't really need
shark fins in our lives.

You know, we should protect them
instead of killing them.

I still think that, you know,
the younger generations,

they are saying no to it now.

Shark fin soup is, It--
I don't think it's our culture.

I live in China 28 years,
this is the first time

I heard it's our culture.

It's not a Chinese culture.

It's simply a luxury
consumer item.

For those wanting
to flaunt their wealth,

er, you know,
show their social status...

But even though some
may consume the soup,

that does not give
a luxury item or a delicacy

protected status.

Culture is something
that is constantly changing.

I think that this is
certainly something like, uh,

like foot-binding,
or indentured servitude, er.

They were popular at some point,

and we can move away from that,

we can grow, we can adapt,
and we can, uh, we can move on.

[relaxed instrumental music]

[Ocean] Sometimes, it takes a shift in perspective

before we are able
to see something clearly.

Before we're able
to see it for what it is.

So when people ask me
if I'm ever afraid,

I can honestly
tell them that I am.

My fear, my biggest fear,
is that one day

I might see an ocean
without sharks.

And that is what keeps us fighting every day of our lives.

[Juan] Pretty much
my life existence
has been to save sharks.

In the end,
we can't live without sharks.

[Ocean] If people knew
how important they are,

how much they ultimately
really do impact everyone,

and affect everyone,
and if people could experience

how incredible they are,

they wouldn't allow
them to be killed.

[Juan] My biggest goal in life
is to get rid of the fear,

so that we can
start saving sharks,

and essentially saving humanity.

[Ocean] We can coexist.

We can save sharks.

And with all
this talk of change,
one thing remains the same:

The way this ends, is up to you.

[soaring orchestral music]