If you couldn’t already tell, I love sharks! Read below to find out more about this amazing animal.

GREAT WHITE SHARKS

Dr. Nardo had the awesome opportunity to cage dive with Great White Sharks in South Africa during the summer of 2014 (their winter in the Southern hemisphere). He had fun contradicting the usual boring and unadventurous image of a mathematician.

Feel free to skip the science and mathematics temporarily in order to view the fun videos and photographs at the bottom of the page. But scroll back up to read and to start your own research!

Dr. Nardo has always been fascinated with these misunderstood creatures. They are *not* mindless eating machines; they are quite cautious when investigating new objects. The Great Whites did not rush up to the cage and try to attack the divers! They were quite aware of these funny humans in metal boxes and explored, but they were not aggressive. Here are some research-based facts about these beautiful animals.

His expedition, “The Great White Shark Trail 2014” was led by world famous photographer and naturalist Chris Fallows through his company Apex Shark Expeditions. Fallows and his wife Monique, who compiles shark statistics for their company and shares them with academic researchers, have put together a top-notch company of individuals who love their jobs; everyone at Apex cares deeply about sharks, the ocean, and our environment. Fallows has filmed Great Whites for Discovery Channel, National Geographic, and many more organizations. If you have seen one of the “Air Jaws” documentaries on Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week,” then you have likely seen his videos of Great Whites.

When we enter the sharks’ oceanic domain, we must be respectful and careful. We are their guests. Every year, there are incidents involving sharks, but the media usually hypes them out of proportion! Every few years, someone proclaims a “summer of the shark” scare-fest.

As a probability expert, Dr. Nardo certifies the claims below.

• You are far more likely to be injured by cows and other “warm and fuzzy” creatures than by a shark.
• You are far more likely to be injured in your car on the way to the beach than by a shark.
  You are more likely to be injured by a falling coconut or by stumbling in the sand at the beach than by a shark.
• To check out Dr. Nardo’s claims about relative risks, follow the link to the statistics compiled by the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida.
• For a less “academic” but still research-based approach, you can also explore the risk comparisons compiled by the Discovery Channel as part of its annual “Shark Week.”

There are many reputable researchers who use science to fill in our massive gaps of knowledge about these misunderstood sea creatures who are vital for the ocean’s ecosystem.

In fact, sharks have way more to fear from us than vice versa. Each year, it is estimated that 100 million sharks are senselessly slaughtered for their fins.

You’ll never catch Dr. Nardo eating the “delicacy” called shark-fin soup! We need sharks in our oceans to keep that vital, delicate ecosystem healthy and balanced. With shark numbers decreasing very rapidly, fish populations could grow unchecked and harm the food chain of the oceans. We do not fully understand the unintended consequences that could occur from such steep declines in shark populations, but it is enough to give environmental and marine scientists pause! Check out the undercover statistics work done by Shelley C. Clarke of Imperial College London to expose the shark fin trade at Science News or the National Geographic.

Here are more pictures and videos from Dr. Nardo’s 2014 cage diving trip to South Africa with Apex Shark Expeditions: