Andre Hartman has survived numerous close encounters with great white sharks off the coast of South Africa to become one of the country's leading shark experts.
Meet the shark whisperer —
Andre Hartman has survived numerous close encounters with great white sharks off the coast of South Africa to become one of the country's leading shark experts.
Courtesy Andre Hartman
Shark tourism in the country has become a booming industry with many thrillseekers traveling from across the globe to cage dive with great white sharks. So when Hartman was looking for a business idea in the late 80s, working with the animals he'd come to love was a natural choice.
Meet the shark whisperer —
Shark tourism in the country has become a booming industry with many thrillseekers traveling from across the globe to cage dive with great white sharks. So when Hartman was looking for a business idea in the late 80s, working with the animals he'd come to love was a natural choice.
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By 1997, the savvy entrepreneur had started his own company taking eager adventurers to sea and lowering them gently beneath the waves to meet the sharks at close range.
Meet the shark whisperer —
By 1997, the savvy entrepreneur had started his own company taking eager adventurers to sea and lowering them gently beneath the waves to meet the sharks at close range.
Courtesy Andre Hartman
Soon, photographers and filmmakers were clamoring to work with the South African daredevil. And when clients asked him to get closer to the animals for better shots, it was a risk the pioneering diver was willing to take.
Meet the shark whisperer —
Soon, photographers and filmmakers were clamoring to work with the South African daredevil. And when clients asked him to get closer to the animals for better shots, it was a risk the pioneering diver was willing to take.
Courtesy Andre Hartman
"I'm just mesmerized by how they move and what they do, and that fascinates me. They're like an aeroplane -- they fly in the water. Those wings flex with the weight of the body."
Meet the shark whisperer —
"I'm just mesmerized by how they move and what they do, and that fascinates me. They're like an aeroplane -- they fly in the water. Those wings flex with the weight of the body."
Courtesy Andre Hartman
Known to many as the shark whisperer, Hartman has faced off against countless great white sharks over the years, survived two strokes yet still hopes to one day return to the waters. "It's been 11 years since I last swam with a shark, and I've love to get back into it again at a later stage," Hartman says. "I'm not ready yet -- but I'm sure once I can swim properly, I'll be there again."
Meet the shark whisperer —
Known to many as the shark whisperer, Hartman has faced off against countless great white sharks over the years, survived two strokes yet still hopes to one day return to the waters. "It's been 11 years since I last swam with a shark, and I've love to get back into it again at a later stage," Hartman says. "I'm not ready yet -- but I'm sure once I can swim properly, I'll be there again."
Courtesy Andre Hartman