Time to dive in with our next Sharkfluencer Kat Magee (she/her) - @Kat_Magee_! Magee, a TV/film producer out of Colorado, USA, Kat has loved the ocean from a very young age. Scroll down to read more about Kat and take a journey into her experiences and travels!
"I was one of the many millions that misunderstood, and to be honest, feared sharks"
I fell in love with sharks later in life around 2016 when I did my first dive where I encountered sharks and Manta Rays. Before that I was one of the many millions that misunderstood, and to be honest, feared sharks. I had only been able to read about sharks and see them on TV. When I got to experience them first hand up close and personal, I fell in love with them at a different level than I knew existed.
Q:) What interests/excites you most about your field of study? How did you get started? What keeps you coming back?
I love my field of study because I am in a position to be able to bring my passion and what I see and experience to those that might not ever get the opportunity. Being a TV producer is a weird thing. I get to travel all over the world, see places off the beaten path and as much as I enjoy it for myself, I am making content that people in the middle of nowhere get to see.
Q:) Imagine you woke up tomorrow as a shark (or other ocean creature)! Which species would you be and why?
I would be a manta ray, hands down. They're graceful and powerful all at the same time. The way the swim tantalizes me. They can take on powerful currents with ease and travel vast distances. Plus, you get cool little fish that clean you and hang out with you.
I instantly fell in love with and became fascinated with the ocean. It's vastness and complexity still excites me to this day.
Q:) How are you impacting ocean conservation in your community? Any success stories or interactions you'd like to share?
A lot of my jobs take me to remote places in the world. I've seen poverty beyond comprehension yet still seen kids with innocent smiles on their faces. I've been blessed to have a lot of those locations be somewhere tropical with some of the most iconic beaches and sea life known to exist. Sadly, the problem I encounter almost everywhere is trash and pollution in our oceans. I've been focusing lately on conservation actions to bring a more sustainable, plastic free, way of living to the small communities we go to. It's obviously something that won't happen overnight, in a year, or maybe even in 50 years but the little differences and awareness I can bring everywhere I go gives me hope for a better future.
The most frustrating thing about ocean conservation is that people don't understand the gravity of what our oceans are facing. Many people are separated from the ocean either by geography or interest, so what doesn't affect them personally, doesn't bother them. I'll say this until I die, education is the best tool we have. There's some fantastic documentaries out there, and more being made every day. There's educational and fascinating podcasts to listen to. Every day I still learn something new about our oceans and conservation. The more we can continue to make materials (in all forms) to help educate, inform and bring to life the issues the oceans are facing, the more people we can get involved with, the more the news spreads and hopefully more individuals take it upon themselves to help.
Q:) What are some things tourists wanting to go shark diving should look out for from diving operations?
Always do your research. Make sure the staff is educated, qualified and that there's enough crew/staff members to safely handle the amount of guests. Make sure safety procedures are outlined and make sense. If they're baiting, find out if they're doing it legally first, then ethically. Watch how they treat their sharks. Ask around, do they have a good reputation with the locals in the community? It's always a bonus if the operation you are going with has conservation in mind, I always pick those companies over ones that don't.
Growing up in Colorado I couldn't have been further from the ocean but my mom made it her mission to go on at least one beach vacation a year.
Q:) What's your future goal with sharks/ocean?
I would love to be a part of an ocean conservation documentary. To be able to watch and learn first hand next to some of my icons or legends in the shark/ocean community would be a dream come true.
Q:) Do you have a shark scientist/conservationist hero? Who do you admire for their actions or someone you'd want to work with in the future?
I know her name gets thrown around a lot, but her mission (Project Hiu) really struck me in a different way. The notorious "Shark Girl" Madison.
As I've mentioned before, my job takes me off the grid. We are usually hiring locals who, if we're lucky, speak some english. We come into their land, their homes and they welcome us with open arms and go out of their way to help out however they can. You get ingrained in their life. You learn about their kids, how they haven't left their small villages in decades and how they plan to die here. I've seen similar situations as the locals Madison works with in Indonesia. Without knowing their story, and really knowing it, not just hearing it, you can't understand the complexity of what goes on "behind the scenes".
Everyone needs to make a living, and often times the way at which that has to be done is frowned upon by most. But it's not done maliciously, it's done out of necessity. It all starts with a basic concept of respect, listening and understanding their stories. And the fact that she immerses herself so selflessly to learn about the lives of the shark fisherman she works with is truly admirable. I think her viewpoint on conservation and how she goes about it is not only such a great idea, but one I would love to be a part of.
Q:) Do you have a very favorite shark/diving memory to share?
My favorite shark diving moment actually happened in Florida. It was my first state-side shark dive, and my deepest shark dive. It was a truly different feeling being deep down in the darkness and feeling the presence of a bull shark come up behind you before you even saw her. That moment I felt a wave of peace come over me and knew that this was something I had to do more of in the future.
Q:) Have you found success in handling people that don’t understand or agree with shark conservation efforts? How can people get through to family members or community members that don't care/value sharks and/or the ocean environment?
I believe that education is the best tool in every situation. Most people don't know all the answers to everything and everyone has room to learn more and grow more. An easy way (and yes, I know these don't always tell the whole truth, but it's a start) is to introduce them to some shark conservation documentaries. Mission Blue, Shark Water, The Cove, Shark Dive, Saving Sharks: Raising Awareness, just to name a few.