Shark Stories

The one shark we all wish was still with us… well, maybe not all of u: The Megalodon. The only thing left of this revered species is its fossilized teeth, which scientists use to measure its total length… It's been the subject of horror films and conspiracy theories but the evidence of its disappearance is perhaps the scariest thing of all. 

Using advanced scientific methods, we are able to estimate how they hunted, what they hunted, their evolution based on their teeth alone, and even what they looked like. This episode offers an insight into the largest shark to have ever lived, the Megalodon shark.

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Of the 470 shark species, only 30 species of sharks have been found to have attacked humans, and only 4 of the 30 species make up the majority of attacks. Yet with everything we know about sharks, with everything we do in their home, whether it's surfing, diving, or spearfishing as a mere few examples… why do we not talk about first aid for shark attacks as commonly as we do CPR or vinegar for jellyfish stings? 

Alongside an Australian paramedic who has treated shark attack victims, we outline things that may just help you save a life one day. This podcast is a must for anyone that goes in the ocean around sharks, or in general anyone who wants to know more about why and how they attack. An extension of the surfing guide to sharks, this episode is about safety and responsibility, and just what to do in the unlikely, unfortunate yet possible, event of a shark attack. 

Terra Australlis first aid for shark attacks video

Surfing guide to sharks free download

Shark bite first aid kit

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Emperors of the deep is an insightful and moving book by William Mckeever. It examines four species: Mako, Tiger, Hammerhead, and Great White, as never before. Yet it’s the section on slavery at sea that catches my attention. William goes deep into the murders, beatings, kidnappings and forced drug consumption men are forced into, all to provide us with fish.  

There is a good chance that this podcast is the most important yet. A common occurring yet vastly underreported crime against humanity, it's likely you could be directly contributing to the continuation of slavery at sea, this podcast will tell you how. 

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Emperors Of The Deep book trailer video to get a sense of the book
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Navy clearance diver Paul De Gelder was taking part in a standard training exercise in Sydney harbor when he was attacked by a bull shark. He now lives with one arm and one leg, recounting horrific details from his attack alongside inspiring memories from his recovery. 

Paul's movement towards the advocacy of sharks is a story that will stay with you forever. Listen as he describes in detail the moment he looked down and realized he was in a bull shark's mouth, then recounts the moment he found himself face to face with a great white. This podcast has everything you need to hear to appreciate your ability to run freely, and take the good from the bad.  

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In my most controversial podcast yet, we enter a conversation with the world’s most infamous shark hunter. Listen in as he takes pride in the number of sharks he’s removed from the ocean over his lifetime, but also be prepared to hear a side of Mark that’s never before been portrayed.   

As the conversation transpires, we enter the debate on toxins in shark meat, if sharks feel pain and why the business of taking people to kill sharks off the coast of Miami is still thriving. The enemy number one to shark conservationists everywhere, Mark the Shark lives up to his reputation, while simultaneously offering you an insight into his world and drive for destruction.

Watch "The Hunter's Son", a film depicting Marks children meeting sharks:  https://vimeo.com/282191282

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A re-examination of the way we approach the shark attacks through the arming of surfers with essential shark knowledge. This podcast is a reading of the surfing guide to sharks written by myself with the help of oceanographers, scientists, surfers, and paramedics. 

This podcast will give you some information about sharks that may influence when, where, and how you enter the water to surf. The information in this podcast is essential for every ocean goer to know, yet our government and even surf life-saving groups fail to teach it. The fact that we share the ocean with dangerous apex predators on daily basis will finally be addressed in a way aimed to help you make informed decisions. This is a must-listen for surfers and shark enthusiasts. 

How do the sky, the rain, and the time of day affect the hunting habits of sharks? Why is a Great White colored the way it is and how does making their bodies warm makes them smarter? Where in a surf break do most attacks happen and how? The guide is here to not only address important questions but also to address the reality of sharks and the danger that sharing the water with them brings with it. Our biggest and best defense against shark attacks, in my opinion, is changing the way our society views them and understanding that what we need to defend ourselves comes in the form of knowledge.


Surfing Guide Chapters:

• 00:00 Intro
• 03:30 - Surfing Guide Introduction
• 06:22 - Environmental Factors
• 07:41 - Bait Balls
• 09:24 - Rainfall and River Mouths
• 11:17 - Drop Offs and Deep Water
• 12:25 - Water Temperature 
• 15:06 - Whale Carcasses and Animal Remains 
• 16:33 - Time of Day
• 18:30 - Moon Phases
• 20:10 - Why Do Sharks Attack Humans? 
• 28:05 - Potential Steps To Avoid A Shark Attack
• 29:49 - What to do if an interaction occurs
• 31:15 - First Aid
• 33:06 - Are shark nets or shark culls the answer?
• 37:38 - Sharks and Blood
• 39:36 - Sharks And You
• 44:17 - Shark Deterrent Techniques
• 47:35 - Conclusion

 

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The story of 19-year-old hunter Helton joining me for two weeks. No land, no people. Sleeping, eating, going to the bathroom, and living on a boat that is heading to sea to fish sharks with five Indonesian shark fishermen.

No reception, never touching land, watching sharks being killed every day. I couldn’t do it alone, I needed help filming, I needed help staying safe. Hunter was a guest on one of my trips but showed much promise with his shooting skills and desire to help the cause. So I took him with me. 

We went through a lot in those two weeks at sea. It was not an easy experience. In this podcast, we discuss everything that happened. If you’d like to see the film you can watch it in many places, Vimeo, Instagram, or Project Hiu’s youtube. The film called “Bajak Laut” which translates to “bad men of the sea” shows you an insight like no other, to something no one attempted before us, being on board a shark fishing boat.

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What started as a simple shoot in a country I refused to enter due to their decimation of sharks, would lead to one of the most influential and life-changing projects of my career. Headed by the shark fishermen themselves, Project Hiu is a way to change the future both above and below. 

This episode is facilitated by fellow podcaster and podcast producer Jules who will help me share with you the biggest and most unexpected turning point of conservation for me.  Project Hiu, "Hiu" being the Indonesian word for shark, is an initiative that aims to provide alternative income to fishermen in one of the largest shark fisheries in Indonesia, and the world. By hiring the shark fishing boats and their local crew, we sought to engage the fisherman in a very different role: tourism. 

The project started in the most peculiar way and as well as having a direct impact on the lives of sharks and the people fishing them, it has shaped the way many look at conservation and our enemies. This episode takes a deeper journey into the project that continues to change my life daily.

*** ENTER THE GIVEAWAY ***

We are giving away a Project Hiu shirt + a pair of Origin fins! Listen to the full episode to find out how to win!

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Lawrence is in charge of all things shark-related at the humane society of Australia. With his brilliant answers and explanations, he prepares us for any argument you could imagine getting into on behalf of sharks.

Imagine heading up a court case against the Australian government on behalf of sharks and winning.  Well, Lawrence did. He comes up against every imaginable advisory and knows exactly what to say and how to say it. This episode is my personal favorite as it contains those little sound bites of information that just click. What can the average person do to help sharks? What’s the most shocking thing happening to sharks right now?  Have populations boomed?  

All these and more are answered in this episode and it could act as a guide for all those wondering how to best use their skills to help sharks. Perhaps the most important question being asked is how does one survive in a position like his? Let's find out how Lawrence takes on governments and wins.

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The film making fisheries nervous ENVOY: Shark Cull is giving the Australian public its first-ever, uncut view of the horrific shark control program that has plagued the Australian coastline for more than 30 years. 

Andre Borell, the film's creator, talks to me about the process of creating the film that finally exposes Australia’s longest-running shark cull. Hidden under the guise of “bather protection”, the SCP aka "shark control program", involves a series of baited hooks and set nets that are designed to catch and kill sharks along Australia’s coastline.

Despite numerous other alternatives and the bycatch of dolphins, rays, turtles, and protected species, the program is still in operation. Andre Borell created this film in the hopes it would finally expose some of the data that has been hidden for too long. This was his first venture into filmmaking yet he managed to muster shark conservationists from around the globe, something that’s never been done before.

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Sneaking me into auction rooms of fish markets, filling me in on the worse in the trade, and confirming all my fears of the shark industry my insider, William Bunker, tells all. 

Will comes from a background of carefully and sustainably sourced seafood, but before that, he witnessed some horrific things in the industry.  His help lead me to conduct several genetics and mercury tests on shark meat throughout Australia. When I started the testing, I had no idea what I would find. I certainly didn’t expect to find multiple infractions. I didn’t know I could walk down to a local store and buy a tiger shark steak, I never imagined finding the results of mercury levels in sharks that I did. In this episode, we talk about why eating shark is not just a bad idea for shark's health, but also for ours.


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What's a great white shark getting up to in 1000 meters of water? What happens when Dr. Michael Domeier went to sea to find out? In this episode, Doc shows a side of great whites you never knew existed. 

You may have seen him on TV, doing groundbreaking and controversial research on Great White sharks… You may have read him speaking his mind on behalf of the Great Whites that move through Hawaiian waters. For me, it was hearing him talk of the surprising and elusive movements of the Great White sharks at sea, in extreme depths, for extreme periods of time. Although we know a lot about the Great White shark, what we don’t know could fill a book. 

The unreal insight into the mind and life of this scientist will change the way you look at many things. Doc talks real and raw about the causes at hand and isn’t afraid to challenge me on any questions. From the discovery of white shark nurseries to the long-term tracking of pregnant females, this episode will contain many answers, but probably leave you with more questions.

Dr. Michal Domeier's website

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The world-famous protected vibrant ecosystem of the Galapagos may not be protected at all. Nicknamed the Great Wall of China, the Chinese fishing fleet that descended on the Galapagos in 2020 made news around the world, but what is it going to take to actually stop it?

The fleet could be seen from space, spanning almost double the length of the Galapagos archipelago itself. The most frightening thing about the situation was the fact that this is not the first time, nor the only country, that has targeted the outskirts of the Galapagos marine reserve for fishing. The lack of control over the high seas is having an impact that is trickling down to communities such as those of the Galapagos Islands. Their beaches becoming filled with plastic waster from a fleet, not even visible from shore, and the local fish and shark populations that tourism depends on are being targeted. From inside Ecuador’s government, we speak to senior advisor Jeff Leblanc. During this podcast, we cover not only some of the things that occur in our open seas at the hands of industrial fishing vessels but the laws that need to be changed and enforced to end it.

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Scientific superhero Diego talks about finding Mako shark in pet food, being in the room with illegal smugglers, giving authorities the ability to test shark fins for DNA and the general struggle of upholding the law when it comes to sharks. 

Columbian born Diego is not only the brains and brawn behind so many papers in regards to the fin trade and the collecting of samples on the ground, but was also behind the groundbreaking science featured in the Sharkwater Extinction film through the genetic identification of threatened shark species in pet food and beauty care products. 

In this podcast, he talks to me about the effects of Covid-19 on the shark fin trade, what it's like to live in China for a year collecting shark fins and how his work is revolutionizing the way we find illegal trafficking of shark fins from protected species. This particular podcast is a must-listen for anyone questioning their involvement in science VS conservation and anyone that needs to be inspired by the movements occurring to save the most threatened of the shark species.  

Diego IG Handle https://www.instagram.com/diegocardenosa/

Diego’s Scientific Research https://conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.12780

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In Australia, sharks aren’t considered “animals” under the animal welfare legislation act. Therefore extreme acts of cruelty are commonplace. From the shark fin trade to the treatment of these animals, we lift the veil on Australia’s contribution.   

In this podcast, we look deep into the consequences of a system that doesn’t protect these animals with the founder of shark conservation Australia, an environmental lawyer, and my best friend, Ashley Avci. Have we too much faith in our country to be a leader in the environmental sector, or are we contributing to the shark fin trade at a rate that will shock you?  

From involvement in individual animal law cases to the creation of legislation bills designed to protect sharks, Ashley shares her insight into battling with the government to do more for sharks. Australians have for a long time been viewed as guardians of their wilderness, but as our attention grows on places like China and Indonesia for their contribution to the shark fin trade, this podcast will teach you that there is a grave need to look inward, to our own backyard for injustice. 

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Ashely’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ashleyavci/

Ashley’s Website https://www.sharkconservation.org.au/

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“If they take my life, don’t take theirs.” - Mike Coots

Words from a man who nearly lost his life to a shark but grew into one of their biggest advocates. As he recounts the details of his attack, he goes on to explain how the day he nearly lost his life to a shark, was the start of his life lived in service to the plight of the species.  

 A personal hero of mine, Hawaii-born and raised Mike Coots is the definition of inspirational. His story is not only important for surfers around the globe who fear the exact incident Mike lived through, but to shark advocates too. Let Mike explain how he became involved in the first legislation in the USA to make it illegal to ban shark fins and continues to defend sharks. And the journey of buying a foot online as a one-legged surfer.  

Mike’s attack itself could also be the key to unlocking so many clues as to why shark attacks happen. Could his attack have been the result of human negligence? Mike will teach us how to turn an enemy into a friend, if sharks have individual personalities and how the need for surfers to connect to sharks is not only relevant but potentially life-saving.  

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Mike’s Instagram https://www.instagram.com/mikecoots/

Mike’s Website https://sharksbymikecoots.com/

Short Film about his story https://sharksbymikecoots.com/pages/about-mike

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Get in touch! I’d love to hear you’re feedback on the podcast or any topics ideas you might have for future episodes. Send me a message! 👇

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What is it like to survive a shark attack? Is it true that some governments use tax dollars money to exterminate sharks? Where and when do shark bites most often occur? How can we protect ourselves while surfing in the home of these apex predators? Provocative and raw, Shark Stories shares the reality of the ones who can’t speak for themselves. 

Join Madison Stewart, award-winning shark conservationist and passionate filmmaker as she explores sharks related topics with world-renowned scientists, fellow shark conservationists and ocean advocates. Learn more about sharks, how to better co-exist with them and how you can impact the ending of their story.

Get in touch! I’d love to hear you’re feedback on the podcast or any topics ideas you might have for future episodes. Send me a message!

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