It stopped actually being "about sharks" a long time ago.
It's about the individual and what the sharks as a vehicle to notoriety can do for them.
Anybody come to mind?
Anyway, apart from the stellar R and R (!!!), this year's DEMA has been a rather uninspired affair. High-quality business traffic was rather lackluster but in exchange, everybody, his dog and the dog of his dog was into Sharks, and a whole gaggle of new and old self promoting Sharkwhathaveyous was busy making the rounds to showcase their newest and greatest "feats", or whatever, and to try and land some new gig for next year.
Anyway, apart from the stellar R and R (!!!), this year's DEMA has been a rather uninspired affair. High-quality business traffic was rather lackluster but in exchange, everybody, his dog and the dog of his dog was into Sharks, and a whole gaggle of new and old self promoting Sharkwhathaveyous was busy making the rounds to showcase their newest and greatest "feats", or whatever, and to try and land some new gig for next year.
Don't get me wrong - for the most part, that's perfectly OK.
Shark diving is part of the entertainment industry and like there, we got our celebrities and heroes - and by the same token, plenty of B-listers, wannabees, moochers and outright charlatans. The plebs wants to be entertained, bills need to be paid, smoke and mirrors - and that's that, no big drama.
Which brings me straight to a surprising DEMA dinner conversation.
Looks like the meteoric rise of Sara the (umpteenth...) Shark Whisperer has been ruffling quite a few feathers - and I must say, I can certainly see why!
A 16-year old girl being awarded some Ambassador of the Planet medal and thus being elevated to the ranks of, inter alia, Sylvia Earle, the Dalai Lama and Al Gore sure is, for lack of a better word: remarkable, the more as off the top of my head, I could think of several dozen people deserving of the honors miles ahead of the whispering Sara!
But then again, maybe Wyland is a visionary. Or maybe he just likes very young girls. Or both. Or neither. Who knows.
Even more remarkable is the genesis of her nomination.
It involves a Beqa Adventure Divers t-shirt, a good friend of mine (think: Brie-de-Meaux-and-peanut-butter-sandwich!) and a parking lot somewhere in Florida. There, the story goes, having been outed as a Shark man by the sharky t-shirt, he got cornered by a, for lack of a better word: assertive mom who somehow convinced him to nominate the daughter - this very much Sara unseen but after having previously consulted the endorsement by Shark Savers.
And so it goes.
I say, so far so good.
From what I can see upon exploring her website and the links, Sara appears legit in her wish to make a difference, and kudos for that.
But having said that and in the softest possible way, the awards, sponsorships, endorsements and real and perceived celebrity friend "names" that are being dropped are certainly not adequately balanced by according deeds - yet!
So far so good- tho a bit mom-heavy?
But there is certainly hope.
If the equally remarkable original can get her own reality show, so can Sara - and we shall then see whether she will use the opportunity to appeal to the younger generations and educate them about the importance of sharks as her bio announces. If so, it will certainly be a welcome counterbalance to the brazen BS in the upcoming Shark Wars featuring the ever weasely Ms. Andersen!
Concerns?
Most certainly!
Apart from the impending vagaries of puberty that may, or may not derail the whole process, the whole exercise is just a tad to "polished" and "adult", if you know what I mean.
There is a fine line between highly supportive mothers who mentor their children and help out by engaging in ghost writing, and proverbial obnoxious stage moms; and there is equally a fine line between outreach, marketing, self promotion and outright BS - see the above citation and yes I shall certainly leave it at that!
Sharky boo boo or upcoming stellar Shark conservationist?
As always, we shall see, shall we not!
And on this note!
Sharky boo boo is a trademark belonging to the Yellow Pimpernel.
Thankfully used with kind permission.
PS: Patric about Sharky boo boo here!
Greybeard??? Talk for yerself!
Looks like the meteoric rise of Sara the (umpteenth...) Shark Whisperer has been ruffling quite a few feathers - and I must say, I can certainly see why!
A 16-year old girl being awarded some Ambassador of the Planet medal and thus being elevated to the ranks of, inter alia, Sylvia Earle, the Dalai Lama and Al Gore sure is, for lack of a better word: remarkable, the more as off the top of my head, I could think of several dozen people deserving of the honors miles ahead of the whispering Sara!
But then again, maybe Wyland is a visionary. Or maybe he just likes very young girls. Or both. Or neither. Who knows.
Even more remarkable is the genesis of her nomination.
It involves a Beqa Adventure Divers t-shirt, a good friend of mine (think: Brie-de-Meaux-and-peanut-butter-sandwich!) and a parking lot somewhere in Florida. There, the story goes, having been outed as a Shark man by the sharky t-shirt, he got cornered by a, for lack of a better word: assertive mom who somehow convinced him to nominate the daughter - this very much Sara unseen but after having previously consulted the endorsement by Shark Savers.
And so it goes.
I say, so far so good.
From what I can see upon exploring her website and the links, Sara appears legit in her wish to make a difference, and kudos for that.
But having said that and in the softest possible way, the awards, sponsorships, endorsements and real and perceived celebrity friend "names" that are being dropped are certainly not adequately balanced by according deeds - yet!
So far so good- tho a bit mom-heavy?
But there is certainly hope.
If the equally remarkable original can get her own reality show, so can Sara - and we shall then see whether she will use the opportunity to appeal to the younger generations and educate them about the importance of sharks as her bio announces. If so, it will certainly be a welcome counterbalance to the brazen BS in the upcoming Shark Wars featuring the ever weasely Ms. Andersen!
Concerns?
Most certainly!
Apart from the impending vagaries of puberty that may, or may not derail the whole process, the whole exercise is just a tad to "polished" and "adult", if you know what I mean.
There is a fine line between highly supportive mothers who mentor their children and help out by engaging in ghost writing, and proverbial obnoxious stage moms; and there is equally a fine line between outreach, marketing, self promotion and outright BS - see the above citation and yes I shall certainly leave it at that!
Sharky boo boo or upcoming stellar Shark conservationist?
As always, we shall see, shall we not!
And on this note!
Sharky boo boo is a trademark belonging to the Yellow Pimpernel.
Thankfully used with kind permission.
PS: Patric about Sharky boo boo here!
Greybeard??? Talk for yerself!
