Shark professional, cave diver, and PADI course director Cristina Zenato is taking over @suuntodive on Instagram for a week, beginning today. Make sure to follow to learn more about the world of sharks!
© Victor Douieb
Tell us about yourself
I am originally from Italy. I grew up in the African rainforest and I have lived the last 22 years in the Bahamas, where I follow my work and passion, which tend to blend into one activity. I am a shark professional and behaviourist; I specialize in human and sharks interactions. I’m also a cave diving instructor and active explorer and a PADI course director. I love to dive and share my diving through teaching it and through my images and presentations. My passion is my work, my work is my passion.
Where do you dive?
Primarily in the Bahamas, but I am always trying to find places where I can further my experience and knowledge about sharks and caves. I have been in many locations in the world to meet other people who work with sharks and learn more about cave, technical diving and exploration. Among them were Italy, England, Fiji, Rhode Island, California, South Africa, Mozambique, Dominican Republic, Cuba.
What inspires you about the ocean?
There are a lot of lessons to be learned from the underwater world and from nature in general. The most beautiful inspiration is in how everything seems to connect and flow together, in a perfect balance between beauty, life, death, darkness and light. The underwater world teaches a valuable lesson in the power of now and the power to accept all those around us and learn to coexist.
Is there a story you wish to tell with your images?
The story I wish to tell is the one of inspiration, I want people to see that dreams do come true, that if we listen and work where our hearts want to go we can get there. It's a story of communications with other animals, specifically with my sharks and one of acceptance and respect. It's a story of discoveries, of imagination, of a life rich of extraordinary mundane events.
Visit Cristina’s website and Facebook page for incredible shark images.