Freediving with a shark in the god rays off the North Shore of Oʻahu

SharkChase

Turn and face it.

The Origin

I grew up scared of sharks.

Growing up in Dayton, Ohio, my household lived on the Discovery Channel, and every year, Shark Week. I'd watch it with my father, Gerald, and we'd talk about our greatest fears. His was always the same: sharks.

My father always said to wear what scares you like a badge of courage. It isn't what happens to you that defines you, it's how you respond. That's the real testament of your character.

So when I got to Hawaiʻi, I went and swam with them, straight at my family's greatest fear. The first time one came close, my whole body told me to bolt. And I did. I swam away as fast as I could. I'm not going to pretend otherwise. But I'm determined to grow.

My passion for sharks was inspired by attending beach cleanups and giving back to the island. The more I showed up for the ocean, the more I understood what we stand to lose, and what's worth protecting.

"Still afraid. Still scared. But I'm hoping to finally turn and face the shark."

That's what SharkChase is. It cuts both ways: the shark closing the distance, and the fear you keep swimming away from. I haven't beaten mine yet. But I keep getting back in the water. For my father, Gerald.

A tiger shark approaching head-on through the god rays

A shark chases what runs from it

"Sharks aren't the threat. Losing them is."

Up close, the fear flips into respect. They hold the whole ocean together. Protect the apex, and you protect everything beneath it.

Why it matters

What I do with One Ocean.

Operations, free-diving, research, and conservation on the North Shore of Oʻahu. Here's the work.

Freediving down as a shark passes below — In the waterCage-free with the sharks, every dive

A shark turning toward the lens through the god rays — LearningLearning to read shark behavior

Diving headfirst toward a shark below — FreediveTraining my breath in the blue

View from below the boat, divers and an approaching shark — The North ShoreOut on the water off Oʻahu

Freediving with a shark in the god rays — Face to faceTurning to face the fear I grew up with

Fishing line and debris pulled from the water — ConservationPulling fishing line & debris out of the water

Underwater photography · One Ocean Diving

The first dive

I was terrified. I got in anyway.

This is my first dive on the North Shore. No question, I was scared. I'm here to learn from the water, and I'll document the whole journey.

Mission

The ocean is calling.
I'm answering.

I came up Navy, then a builder, now a new father. Now I'm learning to dive with sharks on the North Shore, building the systems behind the dives that protect them. Documenting all of it in the open.

Berklee College of Music, M.Mus. · University of Colorado, M.S. Entrepreneurship · U.S. Navy Veteran (Ret.)

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