It is great to see an article that encourages people to address their fears in a healthy and proactive way and I couldn’t agree more with the approach in this article:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/men/the-filter/11159623/How-to-conquer-a-fear-of-sharks-swim-with-them.html

 

If you are afraid of something (which most of us are) then the very best way to overcome that fear is to increase your knowledge of that which triggers you and spend time overcoming it rather than living with the fear and perpetuating it through a constant cycle of worry and anxiety related responses. I think it is incredible that Jean-Marie Ghislain decided to do something positive with his fear and has created such beauty from it. What an incredible person. The black and white images only add to the classic nature of his photography and it is such a pleasure to observe his images of sharks and humans interacting peacefully.

 

I had a huge fear of scuba diving until recently and I understand the courage it takes to face any fear, no matter how irrational it seems to others. It took me a long time, with consistent effort and attention to that fear to conquer it….I went from being unable to put my head in the water without bursting into embarrassingly loud snotty tears whilst hyperventilating to becoming a scuba diver and then a qualified scuba instructor. I NEVER thought I would have done that, it was an incredibly hard but valuable journey for me personally, and yet somehow it was possible because I committed to it and refused to give up.

 

Guess what the push was that I needed to overcome that fear? Sharks. Rather than being my fear they were my inspiration, my courage and my reason to qualify. I cannot find more peace than I do when spending time with any shark under the ocean. They are such calm, inquisitive animals to be around and leave an impression on me that refuses to go away. They are not frightening to dive with and, when you come to understand their behaviours and personalities, they become even more fascinating.

 

I know from my time as a white shark dive guide that the moment people dive with these animals they lose all fear of them and find themselves instead developing a deep love and understanding of them. I have lost count of the times that guests went into the water to dive with great white sharks feeling fearful and yet ended their day exclaiming they had no idea how graceful and beautiful diving with sharks could be.

 

May the work of Jean-Marie Ghislain reach many people and inspires others to overcome their fear of sharks.