A team of five swimmers in Durban, South Africa have planned to swim in the ocean for 24 hours with sharks without the protection of a cage.
The swimmers’ adviser, marine biologist and shark expert Ryan Johnson, said on The Early Show from Durban, that the Nat Geo Wild team intends to work toward dispelling myths about sharks.
When asked about the endeavour’s danger, Johnson said that safety measures were in place, such as a shark cage, medics on a boat and a helicopter on standby.
“In the small chance something does go wrong, we make sure we get them to safety as quickly as possible,” CBS News quoted the marine biologist as saying.
But the show’s draw isn’t just the sharks, as Johnson said that the show’s approach is a bit different from other wildlife programming.
“The biggest thing about this show is that we are not getting some crusty old shark divers into the water,” he said.
“We are getting three very pretty girls who don’t have that much experience with sharks, going out there and being guinea pigs and doing the test.
“We hope the girls do these experiments that they, themselves, believe that they can (swim) safely with sharks.”
When asked how the women were persuaded to do the show, Johnson said they jumped at the chance to contribute to changing people’s perceptions of sharks.
Johnson said that perceptions, created by films like ‘Jaws’, have endured.
“(Sharks) have been recognized or identified as man-eaters, that’s what people see sharks as.
“To take one small step to show what sharks are really about. There are things can you do in the water that is responsible and irresponsible, but we really believe that education is the key,” he added.