Great white sharks are widely regarded as one of the world’s most terrifying predators… but Bertie Gregory is determined to rewrite the narrative.
The 31-year-old National Geographic Explorer has seen it all.
Whether working with Sir David Attenborough on his acclaimed Planet Earth series, facing down arctic conditions or getting up close and personal with a lion, the wildlife filmmaker’s immense respect for the natural order is at the forefront of everything he does.
So when his focus shifted to the population of great white sharks (of Jaws fame) at South Africa’s Plettenberg Bay there was no question that he would try to meet them in the water, without the protection of a cage.
When I ask Bertie why during a Zoom call ahead of the premiere of his TV series Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory, it’s immediately evident this was far from a reckless decision, no matter how terrifying it sounds to the average person.
He explains to Metro: ‘So with many shark species using a cage is pointless. But there’s some sharks, like great whites, that people traditionally have dived [to] using a cage.
‘Now, a shark doesn’t want to swim near a big metal box, so in order to make [them approach] you have to put a lot of bait into the water.’
Here’s where the catch (of the day) comes in.
‘As soon as you do that, you’re not filming the sharks behaving naturally, because the shark is attracted to the bait that wasn’t there before. I’m all about filming natural behaviour so instead I chose not to use the cage,’ he concludes.
Bertie’s quick to correct my assumption that this was an ‘andrenaline junkie stunt’, affirming: ‘That’s not what drives me,’ and crediting an ‘amazing team’ who analyse the ‘right conditions’ to make it safe.
If there’s one message that rings out during our chat, it’s that for sharks, humans are ‘not on the menu’. Nonetheless, Bertie sheds some light on why fatal attacks may happen among humans and how to avoid them.
‘Great white sharks attack people because of a case of mistaken identity,’ he explains.
‘So if you get in the water when the water is very clear, you don’t behave like their prey, you don’t let them sneak up on you, you’re not going to be on the menu. That was really the key,’ the animal lover shares.
In his hot-heeled pursuit of a great white in his docu-series, he and his crew stumble across what he calls a ‘shark cathedral’, which in the documentary looks like dark cavern teaming with the creatures.
‘[It] felt like getting in a time machine and going back millions of years. There was this very narrow little alleyway that we were swimming down, then the cave revealed itself full of those big spotted, ragged-toothed sharks (aka Raggies),’ he recalls with glee.
Facts about great white sharks
The great white has, on average, 300 teeth, weigh between 4,000-7,000 pounds and are 16 to 20 feet in length with an estimated lifespan of 70 years.
Their torpedo shaped bodies allow them to swim around 25km per hour, and even push 50km per hour in some circumstances.
Although a fierce predator near the top of the food chain, great whites are categorised as a vulnerable species. Estimates predict there are somewhere between 3,000 to 6,000 great white sharks left worldwide.
Their diet consists mainly of seals, fish and smaller shark species – humans are not considered prey.
Per the Natural History Museum only 17% of unprovoked great white shark attacks have proved fatal since records began in 1580 – even though they have one of the highest bite forces of any living animal.
Needless to say, encountering this shark species is not for the fainthearted.
‘Raggies have a really terrifying mouth. They’re full of hundreds of these needle-like sharp teeth that pour out of their mouth. There’s something in the back of your head going: “Hang on, there are loads of these terrifying mouths swimming around. Is this a good idea?”’ he says.
‘But actually, I know from experience and knowing my shark biology that we are not on the menu. So actually, it’s just an amazing thing to witness.
‘When we were swimming in that cave, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up not because I was scared, just because I was so in awe of seeing all these sharks together.’
As someone who would choose the sofa over scuba gear any day, I can’t get my head around it – but for Bertie, hanging out with sharks is far from the greatest danger he faces.
‘The most dangerous animal we encounter on every shoot is always humans. To alter wild animal behaviour, we need to alter human behaviour, so I would say all my scariest encounters have always been with humans,’ he says, adding that the ‘physical environment’ comes a close second.
While Bertie might educate his viewers on the natural world, he also learnt a lot himself during filming, such as when he interacted with experts on great white sharks like Lacy Williams.
Lacy informed him that far from being ‘untouchable predators’, the great white is not ‘invincible’.
In fact, at one point, we see some jaw-dropping footage of a killer whale annihilating a great white.
Bertie has no doubt that the famed shark blockbuster Jaws (which came out 50 years ago) has a lot to do with our misconception of this species, even if he gracefully concedes it ‘got us talking about sharks’.
‘What’s annoying to me is that 50 years on – now we know what we know – it is unacceptable to make a film where you paint sharks in the same light that they did before,’ he says.
‘Shame on the people that now make big blockbuster Hollywood movies demonising sharks. Let’s move on. We need to be worried for sharks, not about sharks,’ he condemns, reiterating that a thriving shark community is vital for a healthy ocean – and by extension the health of humans.
Sharks face threats not only from killer whales but also from people, with their prey being over-hunted and their home being polluted.
‘All I’d say is advocate for a healthy ocean. That can be anything from not throwing rubbish into the sea to voting for people that care about the oceans,’ he says about everyday actions we can do.
By the end of the documentary, his aim to dive with a great white remains unachieved due to poor conditions and the fact that the great white never enters diveable waters, but that hardly puts him off.
‘Would you give it another go?’ I ask.
‘Oh yeah. It was perfect because it meant we had a really cool film and it means I’ve got an excuse to try all over again,’ he responds without hesitation.
Sharks Up Close with Bertie Gregory is now streaming on Disney+ and airs today at 8pm on Nat Geo Wild
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