Cristina Zenato
on Shark Conservation and the Beauty of Cave Exploring
Close your eyes and imagine a shark.
Notice what rises first.
The instinctive reaction is usually fear. Mistrust and a flash of danger. Sharks are born into a reputation they never asked for. The very word “shark” comes from shurka, German for “evil” or “morally reprehensible.” In Latin, squalus meant “covered in filth, degenerate.” They begin their existence branded as villains.
But what if we’ve been taught to misunderstand them?
“The mother of sharks” invites us to step into a different relationship with these ancient beings. Cristina Zenato, shark behaviorist, cave explorer, TED speaker and founder of People of the Water, has spent decades listening to the stories that the ocean keeps hidden.
Sharks have existed for over 450 million years, surviving five mass extinctions. Yet in less than a century, human activity has devastated their populations through overfishing, coastal development, and the slow accumulation of pollution in the waters they rely on. The imbalance is not natural. It is ours.
Sharks need our help, and some of them even seek it!
Cristina’s love for the ocean began in childhood: “I grew up with a mask, snorkel, and fins. My dream was to become the guardian of the ocean. In my fantasy world, sharks were my friends. I never thought childhood dreams could come true!”
She became a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, discovering not only a profession but her purpose. Teaching became her language, and water her home. She was also the first woman to connect a land cave system with an ocean blue hole, uncovering hidden pathways beneath the Bahamas: “There is a special feeling about being where nobody has ever been before. Caves bring beauty, peace, wonder, and a magnificent sense of discovery.”
Cristina discovered that sharks are aware, sensitive, capable of trust, and she even knows them individually, by posture, by presence: Scrunchie, Crook, Peggy! She removes hooks from their jaws, and in return, some sharks choose to return to seek her touch: “Naming creates connection. Some sharks allow me to pet them, lying in my lap, seeking contact. Through this intimate work, I can monitor their health, as they have the capacity for trust and emotional response.”
Her work helped lead to the complete legal protection of sharks in the Bahamas, a ripple that started with what she calls "the power of one", the way a single person’s actions can move the world: “When I look at a shark, I see a living being. I connect to a mind and personality. I feel a soul. Sharks have amazing and unique personalities. They are incredibly shy and vulnerable. They bring me serenity and allow me to be myself!”
Read Cristina Zenato’s answers for Inspirators, and remember: conservation begins with relationship, with curiosity over fear and understanding over myth.
Thank you, Cristina, for being the Mother of Sharks!
#INSPIRATORS QUESTIONNAIRE
Name: Cristina Zenato
Company / Institution: www.cristinazenato.com; People of The Water
Title: Shark Behaviorist, ecologist, ocean and cave explorer, founder of People of the Water
Website: www.cristinazenato.com www.pownonprofit.org
LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinazenato/
Country of origin: Italy
Country you currently live in: The Bahamas
Your definition of Regeneration: Restoration that goes beyond the physical world we are in, the restoration of our minds, of what we consider important. A movement that brings us to understand that the best wealth is our health and that it’s all connected to the health of the planet supporting us.
Main business challenge you face: Having based my business on my persona and on a career considered unconventional, even irresponsible.
Main driver that keeps you going: Passion
The trait you are most proud of in yourself: Resilience
The trait you most value in others: Passion for what they have decided to pursue; empathy.
Passions & little things that bring you joy: Exploring places and ideas, my pups, reading books, the infinite horizon on the ocean or in the desert.
Credit: Kewin Lorenzen
The Inspirators who determined you to take the regenerative path:
· Dr. Eugene Clark
· Ben Rose
· The ocean creatures
A starting point for companies or professionals that are beginning the regeneration journey: Change one thing at a time, do not try to do it all at once.
Most used and abused clichés in sustainability that bother you: Recyclable, Circular Economy, Carbon Neutral.
An honest piece of advice for young people who lose hope: "Do what you can, where you are, with what you have" has worked for me. It is a way to start feeling positive and in the process to find others through your voice.
Books that had a great impact on you / Must-Reads for any regenerative professional: Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
Movies / Documentaries you would watch all over again: The Abyss (movie), Life after Man (Documentary), Idiocracy (movie).
Music that makes you (and your heart) sing: Instrumental, Celtic.
Places you travelled to that left a mark on you: Growing up in the Republic of Congo and travelling through India.
Global Regenerative Voices you recommend us to follow:
· Dr. Sara Andreotti
· Dr. Marah J. Hardt
Reasons to feel optimistic about our future in 2030: Development of technology that would allow us to redirect the use of resources available.
Reasons to feel pessimistic about our future in 2030: Population growth.
Regenerative Leadership qualities much needed today: Accountability and awareness.
The Inspirator(s) you are endorsing for a future edition:
Dr. Sara Andreotti
The quote that inspires you:
“In the end, we will protect only what we love, we will love only what we understand, and we will understand only what we are taught.“ (Baba Dioum)
Your quote that will inspire us:
