Latest news with #GreatWhiteReignofTerror
IOL News
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- IOL News
From Soweto to the sea: SA's first Black freediver makes waves
ZANDILE Ndhlovu is South Africa's pioneering Black freediver, widely known as the 'Black Mermaid.' Image: Supplied ZANDILE Ndhlovu holds her breath. She's 25 metres underwater, without oxygen, and face-to-face with a bull shark off Sodwana Bay on KwaZulu-Natal's north coast. Man and beast engage in a silent stare-off. Then the shark glides away. It's not a movie scene, but a regular moment in the life of Ndhlovu - South Africa's pioneering Black freediver, widely known as the 'Black Mermaid.' 'You can't leave until the bull shark stops the stare-down,' she says, because you have to establish dominance. 'And then it eventually leaves, and you just break for the surface because you realise that if you hold yourself and you calm yourself, the animal is calm. So if you just pause in the moment and not freak out, you're already on the winning side.' Ndhlovu, known for her blue braids and fearlessness in the ocean, is a research assistant for an award-winning team of scientists featured in Shark Week 2025, airing this week on Discovery Channel Africa (DStv 121). Throughout the week, a series of documentaries will spotlight African scientists, conservationists, and filmmakers helping to reshape shark science and ocean storytelling. Last year, the series drew over 25 million global viewers. ZANDILE Ndhlovu, known as the Black Mermaid, and her colleagues, marine biologist Ryan Johnson(left) and shark geneticist Gibbs Kuguru, appear in the documentary Great White Reign of Terror. Image: Supplied Ndhlovu and her colleagues; shark geneticist Gibbs Kuguru and marine biologist Ryan Johnson, appear in the documentary Great White Reign of Terror, which investigates a spate of shark encounters in the Eastern Cape. Her job is to dive in and retrieve whatever the science team needs. 'Whether it's to dive in and retrieve a receiver or help with tagging or understand what the problem is; is there a shortage of food for the sharks? Why are they not there? My assistant work is a question of what do the scientists need and how can I get into the water and be able to do that in the most streamlined way that allows us to get closer to wildlife.' The founder of the Black Mermaid Foundation, conservationist, and TEDx speaker, Ndhlovu believes sharks can 'read' your heartbeat. 'That's why you have to pause, make eye contact until it elects that you can go and then you go. The secret is not to act like prey because sharks will always chase,' she says. 'I often say our fear is often the danger. There's a possibility that we can do something to harm them. And so there's something in capturing and holding ourselves accountable to how we show up in wildlife spaces that allow the animals to also be calm.' Sharks, she says, are essential to ocean health. 'They are ecosystem regulators. Without the big sharks, we have larger fish species that bloom and grow unchecked… They can eat up smaller species that are key to coral health.' Ndhlovu can freedive to 35 metres and hold her breath for over five minutes. 'The thing that is most humbling about freediving is that not every day is going to be a strong breath hold day. Some days you wake up and your body's like, no, and then other days you wake up and it's like, okay, cool.' Ironically, the writer and filmmaker who is South Africa's first Black female freediving instructor, grew up in Soweto, a landlocked township in Gauteng. This week, she told the Independent on Saturday that it all started at the age of 28 in 2016 when she went snorkelling for the first time. 'It was so beautiful that I wanted to know what happens after snorkelling,' said Ndhlovu. Scuba diving followed, then freediving, and finally the founding of the Black Mermaid Foundation. 'I said to myself, I think this is what I'm looking for. And from the first moment when I held my breath I knew that that's where I wanted to be.' Before turning to the ocean, Ndhlovu worked in customer relations and ran her own agency. But the ocean tugged at her heart and she listened. 'The pull to this day is the ability to be with the water. And in the water, there's no one identifier — not the idea of being Black or a woman or anything in this world. She's a universal equalizer. To her, we're just all human. And there's something about not holding the burden off of identity. There's something about just being.' Her mission now includes bringing marine access to township children. Through the Black Mermaid Foundation, she's already introduced over 1 000 youngsters from Langa and Gugulethu to snorkelling and conservation. 'Who I am is a conservationist, but at heart, a storyteller. My grandmother's table is where I learned about stories. I think about using stories as a powerful tool for change, for narrative expansion, for conservation.' To this day Ndhlovu calls Sodwana Bay her underwater home because that's where she had her first open water dive. 'It's a very special place to me… It's the one place where you could come across anything; great white sharks, bull sharks, whale sharks, whales. It's such a magical part of the country.' However, she warns that Sodwana Bay is already showing signs of climate change because recently she went diving there and noticed coral bleaching. She believes that local coastal communities who are often wrongly blamed for what's happening in our waters have a crucial role in conservation. 'Local communities may not be the hardest hitters of impact on the ocean, but when we're catching small fish, that kills reefs, which means less fish… There is a powerful place for ocean literacy, education that allows communities to see how we can do better together.' As Shark Week hits local screens, and Ndhlovu starts a new six month course for children in Philippi, Cape Town she reflects on what her journey means. 'Just to see these shows come home is powerful because, again, it's just such a reminder that regardless of where you come from, you don't know where the world will take you. Even as a girl from Soweto, who only found the ocean at 28 years old, it's never too late. But also the world is open and what a time to be alive.'
USA Today
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Summer of 'Jaws': Shark Week 2025 stocked with drama, dread ... and dancing
Summer TV apex predator Shark Week comes face-to-face with 'Jaws' this month — at least the ongoing celebration around the 50th anniversary of Steven Spielberg's 1975 classic. With teams of marine biologists, conservationists, and field researchers, Discovery Channel's Shark Week programs have often educated audiences about sharks and the fear of the ocean hunters, the unintended "Jaws" legacy. However, shows like "Great White Reign of Terror" and 'Florida's Death Beach" — not to mention the "Dancing With the Stars" tribute "Dancing With Sharks" — suggest that the 37th annual Shark Week (July 20-26) might have finally jumped the sensational shark. 'Jaws' at 50: 50 years ago, 'Jaws' scared us senseless. We never got over it. Steve Kessel, director of marine research at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium, applauds the educational possibilities of Shark Week, even when the outlandish outweighs the science. 'Since Shark Week started, it's gone in waves of more educational and more sensational," says Kessel. 'Shark Week has the power to change perceptions, but there's also fearmongering, because people love to be scared; they love the horror.' Kessel, 44, who studied marine ecology and biology at Cardiff University in Wales, was initially motivated to become a 'shark-nerd' ocean conservationist after he was blown away by 'Jaws." 'It's still my all-time favorite movie,' he says. 'And I can speak to many shark-ologists, especially in my generation, who were inspired by it. In the same way 'Jaws' inspired me, hopefully, some of these Shark Week shows will provide a new pipeline of enthusiasm." Shark Week contends with copycat SharkFest "Shark Week" owes a debt to "Jaws,' which first sparked that nation's fascination (and terror) of sharks. The OG summer movie blockbuster set the stage for the July 1988 launch of Shark Week, which ingeniously transformed a sleepy summer TV week into an iconic annual event. Discovery representatives declined to make executives available. However, Shark Week programmers face the challenging annual task of coming up with over 20 hours of new, bigger-than-last-year shows with varying degrees of science. Add to this mix the knowledge that even pure popular shark entertainment, such as the six "Sharknado" films, can spark positive interest in the shark ecosystem. Meanwhile, competitors from Netflix to Nat Geo have been lured into the chum-filled summer TV waters that Shark Week established. Nat Geo's SharkFest began in 2012 as a one-week TV event and has since grown into a multi-week shark TV celebration with 25 hours of predator programming that streams on Disney+ and Hulu, this year from July 5-21. Specials include the official nod to The Boss with "Jaws @50: The Definitive Inside Story," featuring the filmmakers behind "Jaws" discussing the iconic film that launched the summer movie blockbuster. Wendy Benchley, the shark-conservationist wife of author Peter Benchley, who wrote the 1974 novel and died in 2006, delves into the couple's efforts to educate the public about sharks and combat the "Jaws effect," the disproportionate fear generated by the film. SharkFest tends to skew more educational and conservation-focused than its louder, trailblazing cousin Shark Week. Janet Han Vissering, National Geographic's vice president of development and production, calls the 2025 schedule "science-forward," with wildlife filmmaker Bertie Gregory getting increasingly close to great whites in the aptly named "Sharks Up Close With Bertie Gregory." "Through these jaw-dropping stories, we transform fear into awe, fostering excitement and respect for these vital ocean guardians," Han Vissering says in a statement. But National Geographic is not above pushing the fear factor in series like "Investigation Shark Attack" or "Shark Quest: Hunt for the Apex Predator," which boasts "jaw-dropping" shark encounters from people who "emerged miraculously unscathed and others (who) were less fortunate." Netflix is circling the summer shark TV waters Streaming apex predator Netflix dives into the summer shark frenzy in 2025 with two major projects, including "Shark Whisperer," a documentary directed by a team that includes Oscar-winning filmmaker James Reed ("My Octopus Teacher"). "Whisperer" follows the controversial social media star and marine activist Ocean Ramsey, who interacts with great whites and tiger sharks in viral videos, purportedly for educational purposes. The competition "All the Sharks" pits shark enthusiasts in a race to photograph rare species, combining conservation with competition and showcasing cool sharks. What's in Shark Week 2025? Still, Shark Week reigns supreme. attracting the most annual attention and criticism. In 2021, researchers at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania analyzed over 200 episodes spanning 32 years of Shark Week. The final report criticized the overall programming for its narration that included "staggering examples of needlessly promoting fear" — as well as knocking sensational show titles such as 'Sharkpocalypse,' 'Great White Serial Killer,' and 'Sharks: Are They Hunting Us?' Shark Week 2025's schedule leads off with the fin-tastically ridiculous — the beloved former host of "Dancing With the Stars," Tom Bergeron, returning to host "Dancing With Sharks." The show is described as "an unprecedented dance competition between expert divers and their shark partners." Even with the premise, "Dancing" offers the opportunity to learn about shark behavior and research. "Jaws" gets its due with "Surviving Jaws,' which features marine biologist Tom 'The Blowfish' Hird and predator ecologist Michelle Jewell diving with great white sharks to answer movie-related questions such as "Does skinny-dipping really attract great white sharks?" Then there are the sensational titles such as 'Florida's Death Beach," which Allegheny College's lead report author Lisa Whitenack calls "cringeworthy." "Many Shark Week titles continue to be focused on fear and portraying sharks as man-eaters, which seems completely unnecessary," says Whitenack. Shark Week attracts education and discussion by being Shark Week During Shark Week, aquariums around the country will capitalize on the programming with local radio and TV spots that highlight sharks and promote education. The Shedd Aquarium is expecting the usual influx of July visitors, who will find special Shark Week programming around the famed central Wild Reef tank, home to more than 20 sharks. "Shark Week definitely piques people's interest, because sharks are all over the TV. And we're doing some cool stuff around the week and the 50th anniversary of 'Jaws,'" says Kessel. "This is all a great opportunity to engage people about sharks." How to watch Shark Week to SharkFast Shark Week (July 20-26) airs on the Discovery Channel and streams on Discovery+ and HBO Max. SharkFest 2025 airs (July 5-21) on National Geographic, and streams next day on Disney+ and Hulu. "All the Sharks" streams on Netflix on July 4. "Shark Whisperer" is now streaming.
