A video featuring a Hawaii-based shark conservation advocate swimming intimately with a great white shark is receiving media attention around the world.
In the video titled "A Blonde and a Great White Shark," released Thursday on YouTube, Ocean Ramsey is seen gently stroking the massive gray fish and hitching a ride on its dorsal fin.
Ramsey, now being called the "shark whisperer," could not be reached for comment. However, she said in a blog post on waterinspired.com, a shark conservation awareness website, that she posted the video to call attention to a misunderstood animal that deserves protection.
"Many people fear sharks and have unfortunately only seen them portrayed on TV and in films as mindless man-eating machines," she wrote. "In truth, sharks are intelligent, calculated and generally very cautious about approaching humans. More importantly, sharks play a vital role in maintaining a healthy ocean ecosystem. Many people are unaware that sharks are being over-fished to the point of extinction."
Ramsey wrote in her post that she grew up surfing and diving in Hawaii and San Diego, studied marine biology in college and now lives on Oahu.
"It’s difficult to express the incredible joy and breathtaking emotion experienced locking eyes with a great white shark. Watching the shark acknowledge and observe me, while I peacefully and calmly allowed it to swim towards me, and then experiencing it accepting my touch, allowing me to dorsal and tail ride," she said.
The majestic encounter has been featured on the U.K. Daily Mail, Huffington Post, ABC’s "Good Morning America" and several other national and international websites.
Dozens of viewers took to the Water Inspired website to thank Ramsey for posting the surreal swim.
"It has been my dream since I was about 7 or 8 to be a professional diver," one person wrote. "Reading your story, looking at your pictures, and watching your video has truly inspired me."
Another wrote, "I also think it is high time someone educated the public since movies like ‘Jaws’ really gave a lot of us misguided info about sharks in general."
Ramsey said fewer than 400 great whites are known to inhabit the North Pacific Ocean, and less than 3,500 exist worldwide.
