I love this vertical approach 😍 Tiger shark “Queen Nikki-Nik” 🦈👑💙🦈 I love her sweet face 🥰 in hindsight I felt bad moving out of her way after seeing her sad eye and multiple jaw rolls ☹️ of disappointment that I didn’t stay to interact, luckily @juansharks was nearby and she was happy to go check him out 😍 Notice she closed her mouth as she approached me, seeking information with her other sensory systems and she barely opens her mouth when she makes contact with @juansharks but if you notice his hand placement, his thumb is slightly under her snout, so it’s an automatic response to lift her nose up and her lower jaw is relaxed giving a pov of the inside of her mouth. **Given the opportunity to move out of her way is what I choose on this particular moment because it was an option based on the speed of her approach, however when guiding untrained professionals I would’ve redirected her as Juan did, because he was closer to the boat and others. Safety is imperative for conservation because experiences with sharks can lead to a feeling of connection and caring, which lead to support for conservation measures, beyond that purposeful shark diving with a guide is an opportunity for people to learn safety responses to an approach from a shark, so professional shark safety guides and shark divers have an important responsibility for the sake of others in their care and for the sake of the sharks reputation, as sharks are very capable apex predators, but as you can see they are not monsters. Thank you to those who take safety seriously, who respect sharks for their role, and help others to coexist 💙🦈💙 @juansharks and I are heading to @reethibeachresort in the #Maldives for the largest #MantaRay aggregation and for a presentation with @oceanfanaticsreethibeach, and to visit @pelagicdivefuvahmulah #Marineconservation project , BUT if you want to swim with sharks our professional safety team in #Hawaii @oneoceandiving is the BEST of the BEST ❤️🦈 and work full time with the beautiful sharks we grew up with, like #sharkIDNikki 💙🦈 Join them @oneoceandiving or if you’re on the other side of the world join @juansharks and I @reethibeachresort