Grand Bahama, the northernmost island in the Bahamas, affords several unique diving experiences. The 2013 European scholar, Chloe Marechal, and I met up with Cristina Zenato, head of dive operations at the Underwater Explorers Society (UNEXSO) in Freeport. Cristina is best known for her work with sharks, providing experiences for visitors and locals alike to get up close and personal with these magnificent creatures.

Only a small amount of time has to be spent with her to realize her love and passion for these animals. In an interview I did with her, she refers to them as her “babies”. If you check out her personal website, the first thing you find is a quote by Baba Dioum. “In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. And we will understand only what we are taught.” Which is another aspect of Cristina’s life, she teaches many dive courses, including cave diving.

I had just finished my full cave course with Brian Kakuk on Abaco Island when I visited Cristina. Chloe was there to work on her cave diving certification and I wanted to further my cave diving abilities and learn more about the sharks. During my time on the island, I tried to be a good dive buddy to Chloe (or bad, depending on what the skill called for) and soaked up as much knowledge as I could from Cristina. I came away with a new perspective on diving with sharks and completed my first cave traverse! (A traverse is when you begin and end the dive at different points within the cave system). It was an incredible 10 days and I can’t thank Cristina enough for the time and patience that she dedicated to us. Check out the video interview I put together below!