[Image: Netflix]
Netflix’s latest deep dive, Shark Whisperer, will have you holding your breath for all the right — and wrong — reasons.
Premiering globally on June 30, the doccie paddles straight into choppy waters with Ocean Ramsey, the social media-famous shark diver who’s either a conservation queen or a reckless thrill-seeker, depending on who you ask.
In PEOPLE’s exclusive trailer drop, we meet the woman who treats tiger sharks like puppies and eyeballs great whites without so much as a cage. Yes, really.
With more than 2 million followers on Instagram, Ramsey has made waves for swimming arm’s length from the ocean’s most feared predators — no bars, no nets, just a bikini and a GoPro. It’s the kind of footage that goes viral — and makes marine biologists sweat bullets.
But Shark Whisperer, directed by J.P. Stiles, Harrison Macks and James Reed (the Oscar-winner behind My Octopus Teacher), promises more than just “lady swims with shark” shock value. The film positions itself as a bold probe into “how we choose to tell stories — about nature, ourselves, and what we’re willing to risk to be heard,” according to the synopsis.
It also plunges headfirst into the murky clash between activism and ego, viral fame and environmental responsibility. In other words, is she saving the sharks, or just milking them for likes?
Ramsey’s not ducking the criticism. In an exclusive with PEOPLE, she opens up about her terrifyingly close calls with apex predators, and why she still chooses to dive right back in. She admits she had to learn “the hard way,” but insists she doesn’t believe sharks are “monsters.”
A born-and-raised Hawaiian, Ramsey swapped a veterinary career path for marine science, though she insists, “it wasn’t an academic path” that led her here. Her shark-whispering came naturally and up close.
As co-founder of One Ocean Diving, she says she’s heard all the accusations: it’s all for clout, the likes, the brand deals. Her answer?
“If I was just doing things for likes… I wouldn’t waste time running reef and beach cleanups and cutting fishing line off of sharks,” she told PEOPLE. “And I wouldn’t waste my time getting laws passed to protect them, or educating, or writing books, or going into schools and doing presentations.”
The doccie doesn’t shy away from the big-picture horror either: humans kill around 100 million sharks every year – that’s about three sharks per second. Meanwhile, sharks kill fewer than 10 people annually, usually because they’ve mistaken your flailing leg for a fishy snack.
Ramsey puts it bluntly: “So in order to allow sharks to exist, you have to teach the humans that they’re not monsters. They’re predators, but we need them to be predators — so all we need to do is adapt to their predatory role, behavior and nature.”
Whether you’re in the “she’s fearless” camp or the “she’s bonkers” one, Shark Whisperer is bound to spark conversation and probably a few arguments at your next dinner party.
Shark Whisperer premieres globally on Netflix, June 30. Dive in… if you dare.
[Source: People]
