Me watching a large female Bull Shark in Jupiter. Photo credit Shark Queen @dianawdowd w/FSD.
john Shark
“Being born and raised in the Buccaneer Port of beautiful Tampa Bay, I developed a love of the Sea, Sharks and all things Pyrate at an early age. Even inland where I grew up, Sharks had a presence in that I always found fossil Shark Teeth at the local spring and phosphate mines near my home. My art and creativity have been Shark Focused since my early teens. I’ve surfed, boated and Scuba Dived all around Florida, but none of those got me close to Sharks. That changed in 2011 when I jumped on a Stand Up Paddleboard and it allowed me close encounters with Sharks all around Florida and coastal Carolina. No chum, no altered behavior, just serene, albeit brief interactions with Bonnethead, Blacktip, Lemon, Tiger, Spinner, Nurse and yes, lots of Bull Sharks. Since 2016, I have devoted my Stand Up Paddleboard outings to being an amateur Bull Shark Naturalist, filming, studying and observing them here in Tampa Bay. In 2022 I began Swimming with Bull Sharks, no Scuba, in Jupiter with Florida Shark Diving. I prefer to make winter trips as that is when the big female Bull Sharks are in town. Being in the water eye to eye with several Bull Sharks is a meditative, amazing encounter and only fuels my love, respect and admiration for Carcharhinus Leucas. On one of my most recent dives we had over 20+ large Bull Sharks swimming around as far as I could see and I was never worried about my safety. I highly recommend the experience for everyone. It’s very enlightening for people to see Bull Sharks show a side of themselves that they do not see on Shark Week or in the news. They are cautious and vital apex predators that keep the oceans healthy, not monsters.
Sharks have also inspired me creatively. From my graphic arts to story writing to running Pyrate Operations as Captain John Shark to creating my Original, 100% Shark Safe Stainless Steel, Shark Tooth Weaponry & Fine Jewelry. I use my creativity and Pyrate Operations to further the message of Shark Conservation, Awareness and Safety. In addition to my own personal endeavors to Save Sharks, I regularly support several great Shark Conservation Organizations, Sharks4Kids, Project Hiu, My Fiji Shark/Fiji Shark Lab, M.I.S.S. (Minorities in Shark Science) and the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. Links to all can be found on the Bull Sharks page.”