We recently had the chance to connect with Cristina Zenato and have shared our conversation below.
Cristina , really appreciate you sharing your stories and insights with us. The world would have so much more understanding and empathy if we all were a bit more open about our stories and how they have helped shaped our journey and worldview. Let’s jump in with a fun one: Have you stood up for someone when it cost you something?
I stood up for sharks, and it cost me financially when I turned down filming opportunities with both Discovery Channel and National Geographic because I felt that the products they wanted to create were once again abusing the image of sharks as mindless predators, rather than trying to portray them in their true light. I have decided a long time ago that no amount of money is worth going against my principles or compromising my mission to change the erroneous perception of sharks.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am a shark behaviorist and ecologist; I recently connected with people in the field of anthrozoology because we cannot understand the ecology of an animal without considering the human presence, both in positive and negative ways. During my day-to-day work, I am a professional scuba diver, specializing in taking guests diving with sharks and interacting with them. I lead trips to meet up to ten different species of sharks in unique locations around the world, educating participants about their differences and their vulnerable state. I teach cave diving and rebreather cave diving. I may have chosen to venture into two of the most misunderstood fields: encountering what are wrongly considered “large carnivorous animals – sharks,” and “tight rocky places underwater in eternal darkness – caves.” The one part of my work for which I am most known is removing hooks from live swimming sharks while diving with them. I have collected over 350 of these hooks.
My life is my work, my work is my passion, and my passion is exploration, education, and conservation. I live and breathe these three without a boundary between what is considered a job, a time-off activity, and my purpose.
My mission, some of which is already accomplished, is to protect both caves and sharks, but even more to demonstrate how they are vitally interconnected. Caves are this incredible circulatory system of our planet; their well-being is often unknown and disregarded. Nutrients and pollutants travel through them from one location to another without us even realizing it.
Currently working on a project to protect a vast area in The Bahamas, my home, where caves, sharks, corals, mangroves, and more depend on each other and are at risk of development and exploitation.
These projects are self-financed through my work, a job that allows me to stay on location and combine my professional responsibilities with my personal interests.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What breaks the bonds between people—and what restores them?
Trust, or lack of. We break that bond when we lie, when we use someone for our benefit instead of fostering a mutual understanding and support. Lack of trust breaks bonds.
Love restores bonds through acts of reaching out, connecting, forgiveness, and acceptance. Understanding that each one of us is walking a path, that we aren’t unique, and most of the time we aren’t alone, the capability of accepting others’ journeys restores bonds.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
You are enough, and the path you choose is the right path for you. No matter the negative attitudes and comments you receive, they do not know how deeply you feel, and they cannot choose for you or your well-being. So, keep being true to yourself, keep following the call of your heart; it knows the way, and what you do will be enough.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
I am as genuine as they come; the public version of me is the real me, with my passions, accomplishments, fears, mistakes, and doubts. I share my journey so that others can find inspiration and relate to it. Life is not perfect, and perhaps the biggest issue with social media and public posting these days is that we want to create an ideal, perfect scenario and hide, as we used to say in the past, “the dirty laundry.” Sharing the good with the bad allows me to connect to others, and it allows them to see that we all go through similar experiences, feelings, happy moments and negative doubts. When people meet me in real life they often tell me they feel they have known me a long time; the reason is that when they meet me, it’s an expansion of what they have felt through the public persona.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
Almost every day, unless there is a looming thunderstorm and I am supposed to be on a boat or in the field by a cave.
In all seriousness, I tap dance to work nearly every day, because I have made those choices, which, of course, come at a price, to ensure I am looking forward to “now,” not the weekend, not the holiday, or vacation. It’s the most significant gift we can give ourselves: the happiness of knowing we are doing what we love, following our passions and our mission. Understand that all days include dealing with mishaps brought on by this amazing thing called life, but being able to look forward to what we are about to do that day, every day, is the reward for those choices and it’s the fuel to work through most obstacles.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cristinazenato.com www.pownonprofit.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cristinazenato/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cristinazenato/
- Twitter: https://x.com/CristinaZenato
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CristinaZenatoExplorer/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@czunderwater
Image Credits
All images by Kewin Lorenzen
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
