Off the Hook: Shark Defenders | Nat Geo SharkFest

Описание: Florida International University Ph.D. candidate Davon Strickland is more than just a scientist. He’s also a passionate athlete who spent years of his undergraduate career not only on the FIU football team but also serving as its captain.

Now, Strickland is pursuing his doctorate in shark ecology, an interest he says started already at a young age.

"As a kid, sharks just always looked cool to me. When I got to around high school, that’s when I was actually able to get my first taste of marine biology and shark sciences as a whole, and from that point on, it kind of got me hooked to the career path," Strickland says.

Alongside his mentor, Dr. Mike Heithaus, Strickland was featured in National Geographic’s Bull Shark vs. Hammerhead, a documentary investigating the outcome of a potential matchup between two of the ocean’s top predators.
"I loved getting my hands dirty, I loved getting out into the field," Strickland said of the experience.

Now, Strickland is continuing his work of educating people about sharks and fighting harmful misconceptions about them. As part of that work, he took his girlfriend, Sofia Arraut, on her first experience swimming with sharks.

"Usually football players have this negative persona where they’re just the big dumb athlete," Strickland says. Sharks are similarly misunderstood, he notes.

Strickland hopes that his work both in the lab and outside of it will continue to encourage others to be more open-minded when it comes to sharks. He also hopes to become a role model for younger generations and serve as a reminder that they don’t have to choose between athletics and academics, but can excel in both.

Watch Bull Shark vs. Hammerhead and more jaw-dropping SharkFest content on National Geographic and #DisneyPlus.

For more on Sharkfest visit National Geographic and ABC.com.

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