This is it. Day one.
The first dive that we're doing today.
And I am absolutely jumping out of my skin.
I'm itching to get out there.
We're here on the southern end of the Great Barrier Reef.
Lady Elliot Island is just over there.
And today I'm just going to be a sponge, learning absolutely everything about how to
actually put myself in the best position to get as close as possible and really get one
on one with sharks in a completely wild, pristine environment.
Lady Elliot Island is on the southern end of Australia's Great Barrier Reef.
It's a place that Mum and Dad used to come to back way before I was born, just skimming
along the reef flats.
Black tips along the way.
I'll be joined by shark legend Paul de Gelder and local freediver and
conservationist Matty Stewart.
This is kind of where I've met sharks for the first time, so it's really exciting to be
back. You can't outrun a shark in its own environment the way that you could a
crocodile. So it is an apex predator, but it's a different level of apex predator
because you have to go into their home to see them.
Matty grew up on the Great Barrier Reef, and of course, Paul knows sharks better than
anyone. He's an absolute legend.
I've been diving with great white sharks for a bunch of years now.
They're incredible to see.
They blow your mind.
You don't think an animal that big can actually exist in the ocean?
And Steve said back in the day, if you can make people fall in love with something,
they'll want to protect it.
I've got a hunch that it's probably pretty similar to how crocs work, and I want to see
the similarities. The differences.
You ready to be?
The guy got five shocks.
Yeah. The first thing to think about in the water is that a shark is going to pick up on
your heart rate, So you do need to remain calm.
Whether that's fear or excitement, Shark won't know the difference.
They're not going to care about you if you're confident.
They're only going to pick it up if you're weak or scared.
You know, it's kind of hard to say that to people.
Okay, I'm just going to put you in the water with some sharks now.
But whatever you do, don't get excited or scared because it's just going to make it
worse.
This environment is so different to what I'm used to.
Crocodiles will only inhabit distinct areas and they usually stick quite close to the
riverbanks. But out here in the middle of the ocean, sharks can come at you from any
direction. Oh, what a gorgeous sea turtle.
Just beautiful.
They're such peaceful animals.
They let you come right up close to them, share a bit of time with them.
Such a special moment.
Now. Seeing a big sea turtle like that is actually fairly promising for the real big
sharks that really mean business.
And in fact, we've actually seen a couple of turtles around here with big bite marks in
their shells, which means big sharks like maybe tiger sharks are actually in the area
hunting them down.
Turtles are tough, though.
Incredibly tough.
But to a big shark, just a crunchy pie.
Next. As the tide starts to rise, the local reef sharks begin moving into the reef to
feed. Even though there's plenty of sharks around.
As soon as I try to get a closer look, they're off.
This is such a great learning experience for me, but what I'm starting to see is how in
tune these guys are to their environment being the top predator.
They need to know exactly what's going on since they're predators, every sense is tuned
into hunt, and clearly my presence is making them a bit wary.
He's interesting to see how at this time of day they're kind of just coming into hunt
mode and they're actually searching.
They're really curious.
They're watching.
But still, our movement, man, they really pick up on it.
So what do you reckon the secret is to actually getting close to it?
Yeah, If you chase after him, it sucks him away.
So you've just got to stay calm.
If the sharks are near, you don't have your arms out too far.
Just like dealing with crocs, you don't want to give it an opportunity to snap it.
Because so much of its movement as well, like I know for crocs, you know, when I'm actually
getting one to strike at me, they'll be under the water sitting like an inch below
the surface. And all it is, is that movement, that little movement, and they
can't help themselves. But for these sharks, if you give them too much of a movement,
they'll just take off.
So they come close.
Then that's a win.
Yeah, definitely.
We've just gotten word from the drone that's out there scouting.
We've got three sharks together.
Basically, what's happening, the water is washing over that shallow section into a
little lagoon, and that's where the sharks love to hunt.
So right now, there's a big concentration and we're going to get in the thick of it.
All right. Get some shots.
I don't think that I would jump into a pit with a crocodile without first knowing what
I'm in for. So what we're doing here is preparing Robert for the eventual bigger
sharks that he's going to see in the water.
You really do have to act like a predator.
You do need to remain calm.
So keeping your heart rate really mellow is super important.
And that requires a lot of attention to how you move in the water, how you act, how you
feel.
The first shark I come across is a good, solid four footer.
But I know the others won't be far.
I'm starting to notice that the more I slow down, the less impact I have.
And the more sharks I'm starting to see.
I tell you what, there's that many shots in here.
You barely know where to look.
Everywhere you look, there's just shock.
Shock. You can see why there's so many fish that are gathering in here and all the sharks
taking advantage of that.
This is just amazing.
It's that shallow, though.
We can barely even get cameras in here.
So it's just me trying to shoot everything I can.
Bit by bit, I'm able to slowly edge my way closer and closer to this little blacktip.
Sharks can detect a very faint Bioelectric impulses in your heartbeat gives off one of
them. They have lateral lines down the sides of their body that they can pick up on
movements in water so they can hear, feel, smell, any kind of distress, any kind of
panic.
Just like crocodiles.
This gives every shark the ability to sense things in the water that we're not even aware
of. So by following Maddie's advice, I slow down my movements and I'm able to get closer
to these sharks than I ever have before.
This shows me that unlike crocodiles, these white tips are tuned to be active hunters.
They're constantly moving and always ready to put on the power.
Oh, finally getting really up close with those sharks.
Everything that I've learnt so far is now really coming into play.
I was doing exactly what Madison said.
Being really calm, lowering my heart rate and that one beautiful big white tip let me
get right up to her.
And then in a burst of speed, she was off.
That was an awesome, awesome experience.
Woohoo!