Shark rushes to meet its ‘best friend’ and asks for a cuddle every time it sees this super diver!

Maqsooda
By Maqsooda
January 27, 2017Stories
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Shark rushes to meet its ‘best friend’ and asks for a cuddle every time it sees this super diver!

This loving bond between man and what we usually think of as a master killer is truly unusual. Read on to see how this friendship grew over a period of 7 years when this Port Jackson Shark was still a baby.

For Rick Anderson, who has been scuba diving for the last 27 years and runs a diving school, it looks like he actually straps on an oxygen tank, puts a regulator into his mouth not only to dive but also to meet an adorable water “buddy,” 6-foot female Port Jackson Shark.

Anderson, who regularly goes diving into the ocean off the coast of Nobbys Beach in New South Wales, Australia, always recognizes his best friend by her markings.

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And according to Anderson, she recognizes him too. It appears to him as if she has been waiting for him.

“I started playing with her about seven years ago when she was just a pup about 6 inches long,” Anderson told the Dodo. “I approached her carefully so as not to spook her, then began to gently pat her. Once she got used to me, I would cradle her in my hand and talk soothingly to her through my regulator.”

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“I did this each time in the first season she was here,” he said. “Then over the following seasons, she’d recognize me and would swim up to me for a pat and cuddle. She soon got used to me — to the point where she will swim up to me when I’m going past, and tap me on the legs until I hold my arms out for her to lay on for a cuddle.”

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“Most divers seeing this for the first time can’t believe it,” he added. “I don’t feed her or any of the other sharks I play with — I basically treat them like I would a dog.”

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Sharks are always considered a dangerous species and although Port Jackson sharks are comparatively smaller in size, any kind of shark that comes near you will switch on your panic buttons due to the bad reputation the media has bestowed upon them.

But isn’t it the sharks who should fear people! We humans have killed an estimated 73 million sharks for their fins and meat.

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Anderson tries to convey through his experiences that Port Jackson Sharks are not dangerous and they can be quite friendly.

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“The biggest misconception about sharks is that they are all mindless killers lying in wait for people to enter the water so they can be devoured,” Anderson said.

Besides Port Jacksons, Anderson dives with other shark species, such as banjo sharks, grey nurse sharks, tiger sharks, bull sharks, hammerhead sharks and even the odd great white shark.

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Anderson diving with a grey nurse shark

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“I have always felt comfortable swimming with these animals,” he said.

Anderson looks forward to giving his shark friend a cuddle as much as the shark does. This is a rare and beautiful friendship that rids us of many misconceptions regarding the mysterious life under the sea.

This story was originally published on thedodo.com.

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