Our next interview is with Marina Kulakova (she/her) - @marina_oceanlove! An avid diver and passionate conservationist, Marina works to show people the other sides of these apex predators.
My love for the ocean began from my birth. I was born under the sign of pisces and my parents gave me a suitable name Marina, which means “sea”.
When I was 7 years old, I went with my parents on vacation to the Black Sea, south of Russia. There on the beach for the first time I saw a shark. It was a katran shark (dogfish), not alive.. The fishermen laid her ashore and my mother asked them to give us her for a photograph. The shark was heavy and for me it was very first time when I touched the world of sharks in reality.
"I spent all my childhood in the forests of Siberia watching The Cousteau Odyssey films and dreamed of seeing the ocean."
After that, in my life there were many situations that strongly emotionally attached me to sharks and on the day when I was on my first shark diving already at a conscious age, I could no longer stop spending time with them.
Q.) If you woke up as a shark tomorrow, which species would you be and why?
I would like to try to be all kinds of sharks! Since each species is individual and important. But in the end, I would create my own subspecies. Perhaps it would resemble a mixture of hammerhead and tiger sharks.
Q:) What advice do you have for someone wanting to dive with sharks or want to take part in conservation activities?
The most important thing is to find professional divers who respect sharks and people. A team that protects the environment and already proved it on dees. They will always be happy if you show a desire to be in shark conservation and they will help you get involved in the process.
Q:) What actions or conservation milestones are you working toward? What’s an ultimate goal for you and your work?
I am involved in various shark conservation projects. But my favorite thing is when I show people sharks in the water from my perspective; I am guaranteed a positive result. It inspires me and gives confidence in the healthy future of our civilization.
I would like people to live in harmony with nature. I would like people to study sharks, and not be afraid of them. Only ignorance of the subject creates fear. Interaction with sharks in the water gives a unique experience. You will learn a lot of new things not only about them, but also about yourself.
Q:) Do you have a very favorite diving memory or reason you keep going back into the water?
Each swim is special. The ocean gives me such a charge that pulls me back like a magnet. It’s hard not to return to the underwater world. I can never quit diving.
One of the most vivid diving memories is the day when I swam with a huge Great White shark in Hawaii. This day is unforgettable not only for me, but also for many other divers who also came to a spot to look at the dead sperm whale 10 miles off the coast of Waikiki. Surrounded by tiger sharks, we observed how they fulfilling their natural purpose - purification of the ocean from sick and lifeless cells with their subsequent transformation into a new life. It was powerful, exciting and pacifying. I have never felt such a strong energy in the water as then.
Q:) What’s your proudest moment or greatest accomplishment in regard to sharks, people-shark interaction, or conservation?
One of my major accomplishment was when people came together to remove shark meat from sushi menu of a 500+ restaurant chain in Russia (Sushi Wok). Several large shark conservation groups helped spread the world and after 2-3 months, we no longer found shark on their menu.
“Based on a laboratory analysis of shark meat taken from a well-known megastore company in Russia, in which the amount of mercury exceeded the permissible norm by 3.5 times was detected; we influenced a chain of 500+ Russian sushi restaurants to stop selling shark on their menu.”
I don’t know why this method [of meat testing] isn't used in the US and around the world now; it's not only harmful to the ecosystem, but also illegal to sell. I would like to appeal to all people who are not indifferent and interested in saving sharks. Please- feel free to write to me how I can help support your shark projects.
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