Last week, as marine biology researcher Ocean Ramsey prepared to dive into the waters off Hawaii, she was met with a sight that would send most people racing to the shoreline: a 16-foot tiger shark, mouth open, heading towards her feet.
But Ms Ramsey, who promotes shark conservation and education, had a different reaction. She was meeting up with an old friend.
"I love that tiger shark," the shark expert told TODAY. "I grew up with that tiger shark, I think we were teenagers at the same time. And so I’ve known her for over 20 years."
In the video, the shark can be seen attempting to bite Ms Ramsey’s flippers, a reaction to the diver entering the water too quickly.
“I couldn’t see very far and I don’t think they could either, so I think (Nikki) was reacting more from my initial noise entering and shadow,” the researcher said on social media. “I always love seeing their white belly coming up from the depths and in this case it’s what gave her position away so she was actually easier to spot coming up vertical compared to the others already near the surface.”
She described the shark’s actions as a “spy hop”, where they poke their heads out of the water to see what is around them in murky water conditions.
Ramsey also told TODAY that the shark was likely attracted to the camera-filled boat by her electro-receptors, and may have risen out of the water to greet her following a school of fish nearby.
"It’s just, like, ‘That’s Nikki,’ you know, Queen Nikki, and she’s such a fun and interactive shark," she added. "We were actually really excited for that moment. And I was just so excited to see her."
Ms Ramsey, who is the CEO of the OneOcean Diving conservatory and education group, was seemingly unphased by the incident and got straight into the water to dive with two other sharks.
The shark expert, who often publishes viral clips of her swimming with the massive predators, regularly takes civilians to swim with sharks and learn more about their important role in ocean habitats.
Sharks play a vital role as top predators in maintining the balance in ocean ecosystems.
As The Independent has reported, climate change has pushed sharks into new habitats, and tools like social media make it easier for people around the country to learn of coastal encounters.
The Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources says that there have been four shark attacks in the state in 2022, with two of those happening in September. Data shows that in 2021 there were eight such attacks.
Researchers emphasise that shark encounters are extremely rare, and rarely result in bites, let alone fatalities.
"They are wild animals," Ms Ramsey told TODAY. "They are apex predators, but they’re not monsters. And that’s what I want to make sure it doesn’t come across."
