Read the full exclusive interview. Old Man of the Sea: Captain Scott Smith on Shark Diving and Ocean Conservation.
This transcript was electronically generated and may contain minor inaccuracies.
They call me the old man of the sea because the ocean has been my life since I was a young child. I've been doing this for so long, and so often, that it feels like it’s who I am. My father had me on boats before I can even remember, so I've always been around the water. As I grew up, I spent more time on the water, and it turns out that being a sea captain is in my DNA—I have ancestors who worked on the sea.
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My first encounter with sharks was probably when I was five or six years old, with my father. Even in my early years working in the Bahamas, I had experiences with reef sharks, bull sharks, and occasionally tiger sharks. In 1992, I began interacting with tiger sharks out of the blue by throwing scrap fish into the water, and they would come up and eat it at night. I realized there were tiger sharks in the area. At first, I did this mainly for professional photographers, but it eventually grew into offering trips for people. Now, I give people the chance to experience what it’s like to scuba dive with big tiger sharks.
I specialize in big ocean animal encounters—dolphins and sharks. When it comes to sharks, I find great satisfaction in opening people's eyes and making them more aware of these incredible creatures. I'm changing perceptions, shifting them away from the fear that the general public may have. Hopefully, more people will realize that sharks are worth protecting.
As the captain and owner of the vessel, I carry a lot of responsibility, which I take very seriously. One of the things I enjoy the most is making people happy by sharing what I know about the ocean. Because it’s my boat and my operation, I put extra effort and care into bringing people out to scuba dive.
How was your dive?
It was amazing! I had a tiger shark interact with me right from the start. The big sharks are really impressive, and watching their behaviour up close puts you in awe of these incredible animals.
How was your dive?
Incredible. So many sharks!
