WEBVTT - '50 years on' - How Jaws paved the path for conservation efforts

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<v Speaker 1>Well, I mean, yeah, we often talk about art imitating life,

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<v Speaker 1>but in some respects I think it's important when we

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<v Speaker 1>analyze these sort of movies fifty years on to recognize

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<v Speaker 1>the real impact that art can have on life, and

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<v Speaker 1>in this case, how a blockbuster film about a killer

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<v Speaker 1>great white shark, as fictitious as it looked, could inform

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<v Speaker 1>opinions and perspectives on these incredible sea creatures and of

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<v Speaker 1>course the way that we treat them now. I wanted

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<v Speaker 1>to turn for this discussion to an extraordinary Australian. His

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<v Speaker 1>name is Rodney Fox. He's a filmmaker, conservationist and shark expert.

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<v Speaker 1>He was working alongside the team in Hollywood as well

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<v Speaker 1>as off the coast of South Australia back in seventy

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<v Speaker 1>five when the movie was released, and he's with me

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<v Speaker 1>on the line. Rodney, thank you for your time, much appreciated.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, fine, Michael, it's quite an event to think it's

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<v Speaker 2>fifty years ago since everybody raced out of the water

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<v Speaker 2>and had wanted to kill sharks.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, I suppose we can almost sum it all up

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<v Speaker 1>in our first question, and that is that despite the

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<v Speaker 1>fear that came as a result of this movie was

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<v Speaker 1>incredibly well put together movie.

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<v Speaker 3>Spielberg did his magic.

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<v Speaker 1>But despite that, as you've said, over the years, it

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<v Speaker 1>created a curiosity in these creatures, which in turn has

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<v Speaker 1>ironically led to conservation efforts.

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<v Speaker 2>It's amazing, really. We're still running our Great White Shark

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<v Speaker 2>expeditions regularly off the South Australian coast and we had

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<v Speaker 2>four scientists out doing a film recently and they said

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<v Speaker 2>they were all inspired by the sharks, by the Jaws movie.

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<v Speaker 2>And you would be unbelievably surprised how many people have

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<v Speaker 2>said told us over the years how it's got them

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<v Speaker 2>interested in sharts and one of them to learn more.

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<v Speaker 2>There's been so many articles and magazines, and we've actually

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<v Speaker 2>worked on over eighty different movies. A documentary is over

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<v Speaker 2>the year from all different countries, and they've all been

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<v Speaker 2>so very interested and a lot of all of them

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<v Speaker 2>can nearly quote scenes from the Jaws movies.

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<v Speaker 1>Mind, the damn Gewes movie did pay a few of

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<v Speaker 1>your bills. So let's go.

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<v Speaker 2>Back over the Yes. I ended up with a job

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<v Speaker 2>as a crusty old salt at Universal Studios, Florida and

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<v Speaker 2>had to go around and tell stories on radio and

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<v Speaker 2>television and stuff. But the interesting thing I went on

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<v Speaker 2>that Jaws ride. I was.

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<v Speaker 4>In the un studios, Yeah, Universal Studios, and I really

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<v Speaker 4>was interested in why people would stand for an hour

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<v Speaker 4>and a half and wait to go on the ride.

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<v Speaker 2>And I ended up by coming up with just a

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<v Speaker 2>few words. It's the tingering excitement of fear that people

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<v Speaker 2>get to go on those rides and things that they're

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<v Speaker 2>really interested in. But what really worries me is that

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<v Speaker 2>people say, you know, I have never been in the

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<v Speaker 2>water since I saw the film Jaws. And one guy

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<v Speaker 2>even said to me, I haven't even had a bus

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<v Speaker 2>since I've actually been in that since I've seen the

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<v Speaker 2>film Jaws. But if people don't can't work out fiction

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<v Speaker 2>from fact, and imagine all those other horrible movies that

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<v Speaker 2>are out there that they they're learning from and they

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<v Speaker 2>think that's what's normal. That's really quite amazing. How yes, movies.

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<v Speaker 3>Well that's a very valid point.

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<v Speaker 1>And of course they'd never get in a taxi, they'd

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<v Speaker 1>never get in a bus, they never do anything if

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<v Speaker 1>they base their life off movies. To take me back

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<v Speaker 1>fifty or so years to when you know the Spielberg too,

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<v Speaker 1>and he was sort of starting out really he wasn't

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<v Speaker 1>the big superstar that he is now Steven Spielberg. But

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<v Speaker 1>I mean you, and I think Valerie Taylor and Ron

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<v Speaker 1>another they sort of tapped on the shoulder and said, right, well,

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<v Speaker 1>we need a bit of expertise here, fellas well.

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<v Speaker 2>I was very excited. Ten years before that I'd made

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<v Speaker 2>the first underwater cage. I was badly attacked by great

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<v Speaker 2>white of course, and I wanted to learn more about them,

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<v Speaker 2>to see if it was safe to go back in

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<v Speaker 2>the water. So I invented the shark diving cage, and

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<v Speaker 2>we made the first films right with Ron Taylor as

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<v Speaker 2>the cameraman and he as the expedition the organizer and leader.

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<v Speaker 2>And that film went around the world and it was

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<v Speaker 2>amazing how people would just ring up and ask us

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<v Speaker 2>if we could organize an expedition. And so that's how

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<v Speaker 2>Rodney Fox Shark Expedition started because people just kept contacting us,

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<v Speaker 2>and for twenty years we were the only really place

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<v Speaker 2>in the world where you could film great white sharks,

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<v Speaker 2>and it became quite a And of course the Jaws

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<v Speaker 2>movies was an inspiration to anybody who was a bit

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<v Speaker 2>interested and they wanted to go and see them face

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<v Speaker 2>to face themselves, and it's our expeditions really have been

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<v Speaker 2>running for sixty years.

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<v Speaker 3>Now, all off the air Peninsula.

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<v Speaker 1>That shark attack, though, was one hell of an attack

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<v Speaker 1>that you suffered, and I mean, I think you would

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<v Speaker 1>say you were lucky to be alive after it. It's

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<v Speaker 1>been recorded as one of the worst ever shark attacks

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<v Speaker 1>where someone's pulled through.

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<v Speaker 2>I can't believe how I always thought in the back

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<v Speaker 2>of my mind that I've been left here to do

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<v Speaker 2>something on this earth, because nobody would you know I

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<v Speaker 2>could survive all that those darn wounds, and of course

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<v Speaker 2>they took them on the operating table and they went

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<v Speaker 2>around the world many times. And I'm still been sending

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<v Speaker 2>off photographs of the scars, you know, and whereas I

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<v Speaker 2>don't show them anymore because I'm they're a bit fat

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<v Speaker 2>and ugly. It was amazing, and I often thought I'd

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<v Speaker 2>been lefty to do something. And I look back over

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<v Speaker 2>my whole life and we really all just worked with sharks,

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<v Speaker 2>sharks and got people to try and understand them, and

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<v Speaker 2>those sharks. With over four hundred varieties of sharks in

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<v Speaker 2>our oceans, we've really, you know, with the great white

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<v Speaker 2>of course, is the pinnacle one, but there were so

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<v Speaker 2>many other problems in our oceans with the overfishing and

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<v Speaker 2>plastics and pollution. Now that been a bit instrumental in

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<v Speaker 2>helping all those because so many people now are researching

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<v Speaker 2>and looking at sharks. We had these four sigentists out

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<v Speaker 2>on our boat during a film the other day and

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<v Speaker 2>we died with them with great white sharks from South

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<v Speaker 2>Africa and America, and they were really quite interested. And

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<v Speaker 2>they also knew half the words of the Jaws movie.

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<v Speaker 1>It seems to be the basis of the lexicon, doesn't it.

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<v Speaker 1>Nineteen ninety nine was an important year in this whole

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<v Speaker 1>story for Australia though, because that's when the federal government

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<v Speaker 1>declared the great white vulnerable to extinction. And when that happens,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, things happen, Things change from a legislative point

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<v Speaker 1>of view. When you think about the movie came out

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<v Speaker 1>on this day in nineteen seventy five, and then it

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<v Speaker 1>took the better part of twenty four years before the

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<v Speaker 1>federal government here is that actually, you know, if we

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<v Speaker 1>actually scientifically look at the numbers, these things are under pressure.

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<v Speaker 1>Just give us a sense, if you could ron if

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<v Speaker 1>the Great whites were hunted to extinction because everyone feared them.

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<v Speaker 1>Would what would the ocean ecosystem look like?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, it's basically that they apply pressure to any schools

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<v Speaker 2>of fish that get too large that we eat all

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<v Speaker 2>the food that they eat, or the dolphins or the seals.

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<v Speaker 2>They actually are very good at locating the sick and

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<v Speaker 2>the slow ones because they're easy to catch, the dolphins,

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<v Speaker 2>the seals, the whales, and so they keep our oceans clean.

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<v Speaker 2>And so they're called a major predator in our sea

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<v Speaker 2>for sea life farm and we really need them in

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<v Speaker 2>our oceans, and just to wipe out something from fear

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<v Speaker 2>is not just the thing to do. We've got to

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<v Speaker 2>learn to live with them and not just kill them

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<v Speaker 2>from fear.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, what about those that go into the water, their

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<v Speaker 1>surfers or their ocean swimmers or whatever. What can they

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<v Speaker 1>do to as best as possible not be attractive to sharks?

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<v Speaker 1>Shark's drawn to us? Or I mean, what's the story

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<v Speaker 1>with the relationship.

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<v Speaker 2>I made my living as an abalony diver in the

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<v Speaker 2>same order as we're filming all these great white sharks

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<v Speaker 2>for sixteen years, and I used to use the analogy

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<v Speaker 2>that sharks only eight to ten sort of kill eight

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<v Speaker 2>to ten people in the whole world per year. They

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<v Speaker 2>don't like abalony, and generally speaking, there's a reason. And

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<v Speaker 2>a lot of the surfers that get bidden, of course,

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<v Speaker 2>are in the same area where the sharks like to live,

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<v Speaker 2>on the reefs where the seas break, and that's where

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<v Speaker 2>the fish live, and so at surfer on the surface

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<v Speaker 2>of his legs over the side looks like a dolphin

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<v Speaker 2>or a seal. That could be a damage or cook.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, a surfing is not really a good place

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<v Speaker 2>to go. And a lot of our southern headlands and

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<v Speaker 2>coastlines because that's where the great white sharks hang out.

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<v Speaker 3>That makes sense.

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<v Speaker 1>I guess wherehere's sort of swimming in their supermarket, as

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<v Speaker 1>it were.

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<v Speaker 2>Well, that's right, it's their world out there, and we've

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<v Speaker 2>got to learn to live with them and not just

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<v Speaker 2>kill them from fear. And over the years, the Finders

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<v Speaker 2>University and a lot of people and we on our

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<v Speaker 2>boat have been trying to make available to anybody who's

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<v Speaker 2>got a great shark repellent. And you know, there's been

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<v Speaker 2>fifteen or twenty different times, and there's an electronic shark

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<v Speaker 2>repellent now that you wear that sends out an electrical

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<v Speaker 2>field that keeps sharks they reckon. It's very, very good,

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<v Speaker 2>and the results have been by the Frienders University has

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<v Speaker 2>shown that they actually are keep sharks away.

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<v Speaker 1>Just finally, Rodney, because I've soaked up a lot of

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<v Speaker 1>your precious time, but it is fascinating speaking with you.

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<v Speaker 1>Just had a text come in from someone who was

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<v Speaker 1>listening as we speak, and it's from Jeffy says, my

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<v Speaker 1>mate and I were on a surfing trip up Foster

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<v Speaker 1>Away in nineteen seventy five and we saw the movie

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<v Speaker 1>Jaws for the first time at the local cinema. We

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<v Speaker 1>didn't surf for the rest of the holiday. Now, I

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<v Speaker 1>mean that was stock standard. But having overcome that extraordinary attack,

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<v Speaker 1>and I've seen the photos of what the shark did

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<v Speaker 1>to you, I mean you were a mess. How did

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<v Speaker 1>you overcome what I think would be completely acceptable as

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<v Speaker 1>a natural fear of these creatures, to not just go

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<v Speaker 1>back in the water, but to dedicate your life to

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<v Speaker 1>their preservation and the study of them.

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<v Speaker 2>When I was in hospital, they and after about a

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<v Speaker 2>week I was allowed visard this but they allowed forty

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<v Speaker 2>visitors to come instead of two the normal two. The

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<v Speaker 2>doctors thought that if they showed that I was really

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<v Speaker 2>loved and I had something that lived for, i'd fight

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<v Speaker 2>hard and to fight off any problems that I had,

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<v Speaker 2>And so I noticed at that time, but the word

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<v Speaker 2>shark was really a feared and horrible thing, like death

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<v Speaker 2>and hell and the devil up there, you know, the

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<v Speaker 2>sort of you know they're there and they might affect

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<v Speaker 2>you in time, and the fear of not seeing them

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<v Speaker 2>in the water by standing on the beach was really

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<v Speaker 2>quite a difficult thing because you didn't know there was

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<v Speaker 2>a shark within a few meters or miles away from you.

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<v Speaker 2>And as an avaloni, as a diver snorkler in the

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<v Speaker 2>early days when I was attacked, I knew that when

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<v Speaker 2>you had the mask on and you go into nice

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<v Speaker 2>clear water, you could see there were those sharks there.

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<v Speaker 2>And I badly wanted to get back diving again. It

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<v Speaker 2>was a fabulous sport where you not only saw all

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<v Speaker 2>these incredible, beautiful scenes, but you got healthy and well

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<v Speaker 2>at the same time. And I certainly wanted to dispel

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<v Speaker 2>the myths that people had that you just had to

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<v Speaker 2>kill them for the safe of fear.

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<v Speaker 1>Well, you've done that. It's been an extraordinary right of yours.

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<v Speaker 1>Wonderful to speak with you, Rodney. I've really enjoyed the opportunity.

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<v Speaker 1>Thank you for your time.

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<v Speaker 2>Yes, thank you for calling all the best.

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<v Speaker 3>Bye, bye, Rodney Fox. As I said, instrumental in the Sharks.

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<v Speaker 1>Scenes in Jewels and Jewels came out on this day

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<v Speaker 1>in nineteen seventy five.

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<v Speaker 3>You might have seen it in the early days. You

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<v Speaker 3>can