Wild Photos of Freedivers ‘Face to Face’ with Sharks

By Nicole Bonaccorso From weather.com

Christina and Eusebio Saenz de Santamaria have swam with many breeds of sharks, including Caribbean reef sharks. (Oneoceanonebreath.com)

Professional freedivers and photographers Christina and Eusebio Saenz de Santamaria intensified their sport in a rare way off of the island of Roatan in Honduras. The couple swam with more than 20 Caribbean reef sharks.

Caribbean reef sharks can grow to up to 10 feet in length, but Christina Saenz de Santamaria insists that she never once felt in danger while freediving on the appropriately named dive site, “Cara a Cara,” or “Face to Face.”

“Sharks are not the man-eaters that many would have us believe, however, they are animals that act on pure instinct alone, and it is very important that we respect that we have entered their environment and territory,” Saenz de Santamaria told weather.com.

The two have more than 10 years of freediving experience and have swam with many different shark species worldwide, including bull sharks, black-tip and white-tip sharks, leopard sharks and oceanic white-tips. The Saenz de Santamarias are aware of sharks’ warning signs, such as an arched back, a lowered pectoral fin and rapid swimming patterns. If a shark displays any of these signs, the freedivers would promptly surface and leave the water.

The Saenz de Santamarias also seek information from local shark experts before a dive. They need to know local shark species and their behaviors.

As for their decision against using equipment, Saenz de Santamaria explained, “Scuba equipment can be cumbersome and noisy, which normally discourages underwater marine life from approaching closely and can even scare them away. While freediving, we are more free to move around–we are silent and more fish-like– which means that marine life, such as sharks, approach us very closely and with more curiosity.”

Freediving has developed a negative reputation as a daredevil’s sport, especially since New York diver Nicholas Mevoli died late last year. However, the above photos create an air of peace and communion with nature

“Sharks are beautiful and powerful creatures of the sea and it is a very cool experience to share the ocean with them,” Saenz de Santamaria said.

For more photos, visit: http://www.oneoceanonebreath.com/

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