Captain Scott Smith, the pioneer of shark diving in the Bahamas, shares an exclusive interview with Lesley Rochat, the Shark Warrior, for The Conservation Mag.
When did your love of the ocean begin?
My father’s hobby was commercial fishing and he had me on boats ever since I can remember, I grew up around them. As I spent more time on the ocean I became more curious about the life it supports – the ocean fascinated me as a child. As it turns out my love of the ocean is in my DNA because I have ancestors who worked on the sea.
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How did you get into shark and dolphin diving trips?
My father gave me my first boat when I was 13 years old. I then started working on a live aboard dive boat in the Bahamas when I was 18 years old, and when I was 24 years old I bought my own boat and went into business by myself. In 2004 I bought the Dolphin Dream and rebuilt it - that’s what I’m been running ever since, offering shark and dolphin trips.
You pioneered shark diving in the Bahamas, please tell me about that?
My first encounter with sharks was when I was about 5 years old with my father while fishing. Later as a SCUBA diver in the Bahamas I had experience with reefs sharks and bull sharks and occasionally with tiger sharks. But at the time we focused mostly on general SCUBA diving. I then discovered a pod of friendly dolphins in the area and so I started offering trips to swim with wild dolphins. Then in 1992 at a regular anchoring point I used I discovered there were Tiger sharks in the area, and I started interacting with them by throwing scraps food in the water, which they would come up to eat at night. I recognized the opportunity for shark diving trips and started offering it to professional photographers. I later expanded to offering it to divers from around the world and have been specializing in tiger shark and great hammerhead shark diving trips ever since.
How do you feel about the fact that you have changed millions of people’s perceptions about sharks through all the film crews, photographers and divers who have been on your trips?
Since I specialize in wild animal encounters I always take into consideration the impact what I do has, not only on the animals, but also on the people that I bring out here; I look for the trade off, so if I’m negatively affecting the animals in any way by say our mere presence or by chumming, what is that tradeoff, it is acceptable? I know it’s in favor because my guests return from a trip and share the truth about sharks through the documentaries they produce, their photographs and videos they share on social media, and just by talking about the amazing time they had diving with the sharks. This all helps to change negative perceptions people have of sharks – it’s been said that we can’t protect what we don’t understand and it is my hope that by pioneering shark diving in the Bahamas I have helped to raise awareness and educate people about sharks and the need for their protection.
How do you feel about sharks?
Sharks are amazing animals who have been on our planet for millions of years – I have great respect for them - to watch them closely and observe their behavior really puts one in awe of these animals and who they really are, not what the media has led us to believe about them. It’s a great privilege to be in their domain and know that despite them being top predators they allow us into their space and do us no harm.
What do you enjoy most about what you do?
As captain and owner of the vessel I have a lot of responsibilities, but what I love most is making people happy and sharing my knowledge of the ocean, of the sharks, the dolphins, and other sea life. So not only do I have the responsibility, but I have the joy of seeing how happy people are who come on the Dolphin Dream to experience all we offer them.
Explain your love for the ocean?
I love the ocean for a couple of reason, firstly there’s the independence it provides me and then there’s the fascination I have for the amazing animal life it supports and the privilege I have of being so close to nature all the time.
