#SharksonRED with Jon Shaw, ACS (ginclearfilm) Great white sharks get a bad rap, and to be fair, they are one of the ocean's most powerful predators. They deserve respect. This image was captured in New Zealand while I was out of the cage with a 3.2-meter male. Despite his size, he was exceptionally playful and curious. Throughout the encounter, I never felt threatened. One of the things I love most about working with great white sharks is that no two individuals are the same. They each have their own personalities and behaviors. Some encounters demand extreme caution, while others reveal a side of these animals that few people get to witness. We shouldn't sugarcoat what great whites are capable of. They can be exceptionally dangerous. But they can also be curious, interactive, and fascinating to observe. That's part of what keeps drawing me back into the water. BTS photo by Dr. Mark Erdmann.