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Every year, 100 million sharks are killed by humans. Many suffocate mutilated in the ocean as their fins, hacked from their bodies, sail away to foreign markets, where they go for as much as $500 per pound. Sharks are especially vulnerable due to their slow growth rate and low birth numbers, and finning has left one-third of open ocean sharks at the brink of extinction. 

I have spoken at length about the threats that sharks are facing today due to finning, overfishing, and climate change. I’ve also spoken a lot about the different ways that you can help sharks. In today’s post I want to focus on way way in particular that you can help to save sharks: by swimming with them.

Shark tourism has been debated in the media quite often, with some conservationists believing that shark tourism has a negative impact on migration patterns or giving tourists a false perception that sharks are pets. While the industry is by no means perfect (what industry is?), shark tourism has been proven to have many benefits for both the ecological sustainability of shark populations and the economic sustainability of the communities that participate in shark tourism.

Shark tourism is helping to make it so that sharks are worth more alive than they are finned.

Shark ecotourism provides an opportunity to learn about sharks’ role in ocean ecosystems, and to view and interact with them in their natural environment. Share on X

If you’ve been following me for a while, then you know that I am an avid shark diver. I’ve been swimming with sharks for the last five years or so and it has been the highlight of many of my trips to places like Florida and Hawaii. My love for shark diving is what introduced me to Ryan Walton, who I can confidently say is one of the most passionate shark conservationists that I have ever met.

Ryan is the co-owner and manager of Shark Tours Florida, a shark ecotourism company based out of Riviera Beach, Florida. I have been diving with Ryan many, many times over the last few years, and have been so inspired by his energy and enthusiasm.

I will be completely honest. It is not difficult to find some guy to take you out to find sharks in South Florida. There is no shortage of people who do this, both legally and illegally, for a variety of different price points. But nobody, absolutely nobody, will match the experience that you get with Ryan and Shark Tours Florida.

From the moment I met Ryan, it was clear that he was not just another guy trying to make a quick buck by throwing a few tourists in the water with sharks. He is so deeply passionate about the ocean and educating his guests about sharks. He has a wealth of knowledge about the local shark species and eagerly shares this information with guests before the dive, as well as all the different ways that they can safely interact with sharks and work to protect them both on and off the tour. The only thing that might surpass his passion for conservation is his passion for safety. I’ve been in the water with dozens of sharks alongside Ryan and always felt completely at-ease due to the safety protocols he has his divers follow.

I have been shark diving with a lot of people over the years and the experience that I have with Ryan is always superior. Not only do we have an absolute blast, but I walk away with a re-energized sense of purpose and determination to protect our oceans. I feel fortunate to be able to call him a friend and am very excited to be able to share a little bit more about him with you all today.

I’ve asked Ryan to share a little bit more about the inner workings of the shark tourism industry with my readers and how swimming with sharks is actually helping to protect them.

Shark diver Ryan Walton, is helping to conserve shark populations by giving people the opportunity to swim alongside the ocean's apex predators. Share on X

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Tell us a little bit about your background with sharks

I fell in love with shark diving as a scuba instructor and made the decision around 2014 that I was going to try to make the switch full-time into shark ecotourism.  I have been leading shark trips for six years full-time locally, and about four years globally. I took most of my time to really study their behavior in water to figure out ways we can coexist with specific species.

How did you get started in the shark tourism/shark diving industry?

I pretty much started hearing more and more about how we needed to help save sharks, and I wanted to help. I knew that these animals needed a voice, and when it came time to teaching students or helping sharks, the choice is easy.

How do you think shark tourism contributes to the conservation and protection of sharks? 

The immediate contribution is education to people who know very little about sharks. Another immediate contribution is how many perceptions we have changed, and how many people have stopped shark fishing.   We have created a giant web of advocates to help change the future for sharks. 

Some people argue that shark tourism may be doing more harm than good and giving people the impression that sharks are friendly, like puppies, causing people to be a little too comfortable with them. How do you ensure education remains at the forefront of your operation and that sharks are respected both while guests are on your tour and afterward? 

Great question. And believe it or not, I agree.  I actually posted about this and got a ton of backlash from people. I am personally not OK with the “puppy” reference when it comes to sharks. We don’t use that at all on our boat. Sharks are wild animals that deserve respect. They show up to our dive for the little pieces of food that are getting put out, we use Bonita, a fish that they wouldn’t actually prey on in our area anyways.  We make it as close to a natural encounter as we possibly can. During the tour, touching is not allowed, and it is discussed why we must respect these animals. We make sure that our guests understand that sharks are like the white blood cell of our ocean ecosystem and without them, none of the other animals exist.

How can travelers ensure that they’re booking with a responsible tour company that’s focussed on shark education and conservation rather than sensationalism? Are there specific things to look for? 

Another awesome question. Check their reviews. Call and feel them out. Check out their interactions on social media.  Look into the crew!  Make sure the crew has A LOT of experience.  

You recently started your own official shark diving company in South Florida. Tell us a little bit about Shark Tours Florida. 

So Shark Tours Fl is actually my second company, I lost my first company and the shares to it after the hurricanes in 2017, I was not prepared for the time we lost. And we ended up handing it over to our business partner at the time. I never lost vision or the dream though, and it came back to life in January 2019. We are a six-pack operation, meaning we only take six passengers on any given day. We offer a very educational shark diving program, where anybody can come swim with the sharks and learn about their behavior and things we can do to help them. 

What is your main goal as a shark diving operator?

My main goal is to get more protection for the area that we dive in, we have been studying the migratory patterns, male and female population, and several other factors for several years. So eventually, we would like to see our area as a no-take zone for sharks. In the meantime, we are creating a “shark army“ to educate the masses about how important sharks are, so that when we have concrete proof of the importance of our area and what sharks are doing here. It should be a no brainer to protect them.

How do you ensure diver safety on your shark tours?

If our guests follow our simple rules, it’s actually very easy to ensure safety. Sharks don’t look at us as a food source, they never have. We always have a safety diver in the water for guest comfort, but the sharks truly don’t look at the humans as a food source.  

With international travel at a halt for the foreseeable future, how can we support shark conservation at home? 

There are several amazing nonprofits out there continuing to do work.  Shark Allies just led a mission in FL to finally ban the export of fins.  I’m sure they’re gearing up for more.  Atlantic Shark Institute, Beneath the Waves and several others do amazing work! 

What has been your coolest shark experience to date? 

So many! I’ve worked up close with 15 species of sharks and 9 species of rays. I have many special memories. Just the other day, my 4-year-old son was able to hop on my back and swim with a few silky sharks. He loved it. His excitement gives hope for the future of sharks!  One more that sticks out was in March 2020, before the world shut down. We were in Cabo on a dusk dive with mako sharks and a blue shark showed up. I swam down to get a photo of the blue shark and the mako shark burst into the frame to see what was going on.  That sticks out as a most exciting moment. 

Is there anything else you’d like to add? 

 It’s about the sharks.  No sharks, no Balance.  No Ocean, No Life. 

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To learn more about Ryan Walton or to book a shark tour in South Florida with him, check out his website at www.SharkToursFL.com

Be sure to follow him on Instagram for amazing shark content:

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