If there is one common question I get from people all over the world, it is about the level of skills necessary to be with sharks, followed by an expression of mixed fear and desire to meet them. Most of the queries come from beginner divers and sometimes even from non-divers, who want to go and see sharks, be in the water with them, and experience, in person, the beauty of their presence.

Their questions are legitimate and important. Given my years of experience diving with sharks, I am pleased when a person, a diver, reflects on his/her capabilities about being in the water with sharks and then asks questions. Indeed, even experienced divers should follow some guidelines to verify if a specific shark experience or shark dive trip is appropriate for their experience level.

There are, indeed, some specific and basic considerations that should be reviewed when deciding when, where, how and with what sharks to interact.

Shark Savers' Director Sue Chen tells us about Sam, a 7 year old shark advocate who has begun to articulately bring the message about sharks and their plight to kids in his community. For his efforts, Sam is Shark Savers' Junior Ambassador.

Staying awake for 48 hours while you create artwork suggested by others, while the entire process streams live on the internet. That may seem like a novel idea to some, but to Ara Elkins it was just a fun way to share his appreciation for sharks.  

Ara and his friends devised a unique plan to bring together the online art communities they each belong to and raise some funds for Shark Savers. The event began on December 16^th, 2011 and continued for two days non-stop. Artists volunteered their time and talents drew pictures in real time to flow into a live art stream on an event web page. Participants donated using Shark Savers' fundraiser's Donor Page specially set up for the event.

Early in 2011, Shark Savers received a request from a young man who wanted help bring shark awareness to the Ford Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii on October 8th, 2011. Brian Yannutz, a recent graduate of marine sciences from University of Hawaii at Hilo, had previous experience in shark conservation. Following the landmark fin trade ban in Hawaii, he visited Chinese restaurants in his town to inform them of the new legislation and asked them to sign a pledge to stop selling shark fin soup.

Responding to our campaign started in July 2011, Dierbergs will stop buying and selling shark meat. In a December 12, 2011 letter from Dierbergs management, Mr. Todd Vasel stated that they have not placed an order for thresher shark steak since September and that it is no longer an authorized purchase for its seafood departments.

We all know that the practice of yoga supports stress relief and relaxation but did you know that it can also support shark conservation?