The exhilaration a fleeting shark encounter can provide is something many divers actively seek. Some of us enjoy viewing Great Whites from the safety of a steel cage, and some of us like spying on reef sharks while they nap with eyes disconcertingly open, in the shelter of a rocky reef. It’s safe to wager though, that very few of us have spent hours on end in the company of sharks. That’s where Pierre Frolla comes in.
Pierre Frolla: An Underwater Champion
Before we talk about his latest escapade, a little introduction is in order. Pierre Frolla is a world-champion free diver. In 1998, he achieved a depth of 82 meters – just six meters shy of the world record for free diving, which is currently 88 meters. In all, he has won four championships for free diving. In his spare time, he spearfishes and hunts for pearls. He participates in underwater rugby, underwater hockey, and even underwater ice hockey. For many, all this would be more than enough; but for Frolla, it seems there’s no such thing as “enough.”
Once upon a time, Pierre Frolla would never have considered willingly encountering even a single shark, let alone a group of 25 of the predators. After encountering the animals in the wild though, and learning more about their behavior, Frolla wanted to help people gain a greater understanding about sharks in an effort to promote better shark conservation worldwide.
The Paris Aquarium features a 3-million liter pool where 16 blacktip sharks, three zebra sharks, four gray sharks, and two nurse sharks live. A reef environment with towering rocks and a sandy white floor lends the exhibit a wonderfully realistic look, and a multitude of schooling fish swim in endless, looping circles and figure-eight patterns that mesmerize onlookers, many of whom have never been underwater, and most of whom would never consider entering the shark tank.
Wearing a mask, fins, and a wetsuit, Frolla spent 45 minutes swimming with the sharks. Though he surfaced to breathe regularly, he swam alongside them, calmly observed them from below, and enjoyed spending time in their world. “We should be calm when diving into the sea, we should be relaxed,” Frolla told reporters. “We should present ourselves to the animal, and it will decide if it will come or not.”
Rather than conducting his swim as a publicity stunt, Pierre Frolla says he wants people to understand that sharks have much more to fear from us than we have to fear for them. He hopes to raise awareness about the devastating effect the shark fin trade is having on shark populations worldwide, and to undo some of the damage decades of negative media attention have done to the animals’ reputations. Frolla, who has swum with sharks many times, says the movie “Jaws” is at least partly to blame for widespread fear associated with the animals. “That film has terrorized generations of people,” he says. “But a person who swims with sharks in an aquarium is in no danger.” He added that it is important not to underestimate the power sharks possess, and he highlighted the importance of relaxing when diving with sharks.
If you love sharks and want to experience an aquarium swim with them like Pierre Frolla did, you are in luck. There are several places you can dive with sharks in an exhibit, including the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, New York’s Long Island Aquarium, Denver’s Downtown Aquarium, and even the Mall of America Aquarium in Minnesota, among other places worldwide. Remember to relax, and like Frolla, you’ll enjoy an incredibly unforgettable experience that will give you a new appreciation for sharks.