Ocean Ramsey

Ocean Ramsey Original Work Sharks, powerful creatures that have been depicted as dangerous, man-eating monsters. Society has always been afraid of sharks, and some fishermen actually kill sharks just for the use of their fins in shark fin soup. Many people are unaware that sharks greatly benefit marine life and other organisms by being an apex predator, meaning if they were to go extinct, they could unbalance the rest of the marine ecosystem by controlling their prey population. This problem continues to grow, and many people do not know how to help. One amazing and inspirational woman, Ocean Ramsey, is showing us how we can help and is currently raising awareness to the public about this major issue. Ocean Ramsey is a marine biologist and shark conservationist who lives on the island of Oahu, Hawai’i (where she was also born). She continues to inform the public about sharks and how we can help save them through her highly successful program One Ocean Diving, in which people can free dive with sharks and learn about the biology, physiology, and behavior of sharks and how to safely interact with them. These divers will also learn about their current efforts in saving these impactful creatures. Ocean Ramsey's constant selflessness, bravery when exploring new things, and inspiration to others makes her a hero.

Ramsey constantly advocates for sharks and marine life solely to benefit the ecosystem and animals who cannot defend themselves. Majority of her life has been dedicated to helping protect sharks. She not only posts to her social media to encourage our government to pass bills against the killing and finning of sharks but she advocates for them on television and in interviews: "The main goal is protection for sharks," said Ramsey, who has been championing the passage of a bill to ban the purposeful killing of sharks not only in Hawaii, but all around the world. "I need people to see that they're not monsters so that they can care enough, or respect them enough, just to give them the same protection that dolphins and whales have been given” (Chiu). Based on this evidence we can see that Ramsey is selflessly fighting for those who don't have a voice. By advocating for sharks she is doing nothing to benefit herself, she just wants to get an important, unpopular issue (killing and finning of sharks) across the table to help the vulnerable sharks. Ocean Ramsey constantly takes time out of her day to post about this on her social media. She does this only to help sharks by gathering her thousands of followers to make a difference. Additionally, Ocean Ramsey continues to fight for the protection and respect of these creatures and goes out of her way to ensure that the public is aware of this current issue: “With my passion for the ocean, and seeing how humans were affecting marine life, I didn't let anything stop me from trying my hardest to make a difference. I continue to do so on a daily basis and want to spread the message that if you love something and work hard to protect it, amazing things can happen” (Hackett). Based on the evidence we can see that Ocean Ramsey is selfless because she did anything she could to get her message across. She is not doing anything to benefit herself, she is trying to help those who do not have a voice. Ocean works this hard on a daily basis to ensure that she is doing all she can to help stop shark finning and violence against sharks. She once again displays selflessness by putting so much care and effort into fixing this horrific issue of shark finning. Ocean will always do whatever it takes to try and ensure shark safety and awareness: "Ocean Ramsey believes a hands-on approach with her subject is necessary to convince people that sharks are not the vicious creatures portrayed in films" (“US Woman”) Ocean Ramsey is not afraid to get a hands on experience with sharks to show the world that they have a bad reputation, no matter what the consequences. Ramsey is not just hopping in the water with sharks for pure enjoyment, she is doing it to help protect and defend sharks since they cannot themselves. This shows that she is selfless because she goes free diving with sharks to learn more about them and in turn, help them. Ocean swims with sharks to help protect them by showing that sharks are not the vicious creatures that they are made out to be. Ramsey believes that if we learn this we can start protecting sharks from violence and purposeful killing. Ocean Ramsey shows that she is selfless through always trying her hardest to overcome obstacles to help sharks and by dedicating her life to shark and marine conservation.

via FOX NewsOriginal WorkRamsey swims with apex predators at the top of the food chain, constantly risking her life. She does this to advocate for a worldwide problem that is widely ignored and unknown. Ocean Ramsey also swam with one of the largest known sharks in the world: "Incredible swimming with 'Deep Blue', " she wrote, adding that the shark had used her boat as "a scratching post" and described “Deep Blue” as "so mellow and beautiful." Marine biologists have estimated that Deep Blue, who may also be pregnant, is approaching 20 feet in length and weighs around 6,000 pounds. On average, a female great white shark is 15 to 16 feet long, according to the Smithsonian" (Chiu). Based on the evidence we can see that Ocean Ramsey is very brave to swim with one of the largest if not the largest shark in the world (with the exception of whale sharks). While she shares videos swimming with the giant great white known as Deep Blue, she is also posting to her Instagram to let almost a million followers know that these creatures should not be feared. Ocean is bravely swimming with unpredictable creatures to help protect them. She is shining light to a problem that has been in the dark for many years (violence towards innocent sharks). Ocean also swims with these great white sharks on a daily basis using no gear: "An American woman has swum with great white sharks without any protective gear to prove they do not deserve their murderous reputation" (“US woman”). Ocean Ramsey is brave because she swam with a shark with no gear just to prove that they are not as dangerous as they are portrayed. Not only was this dangerous for her but it doesn’t even benefit her in any way. She also demonstrates her bravery by standing up against society’s views of sharks and risks facing backlash from a community that has been so terrified of these creatures. In addition Ramsey switched professions to focus on something she was more passionate about: “Marine biology was always a passion of mine, but when I realized the misconceptions of sharks versus how they truly were, that was when I knew I had to do something about it” (Hackett). Based on the evidence we can see that Ocean is brave because although marine biology was her passion she decided that she should focus more on a misconcepted issue. Not only was she switching to a profession that might not support her economically, she was leaving the comfort of being a marine biologist to selflessly help sharks. Ocean Ramsey switched to something that she was more passionate about, despite the backlash she may have received because opinions on sharks can get so controversial. Ocean Ramsey shows that she is brave through switching professions (despite the unknown) to swim with apex predators (sharks) on a daily basis with no protective gear.

Ramsey is a hero because she remains selfless through the ups and downs of her career, is constantly showing bravery through challenges and inspires people to follow their dreams. Ocean Ramsey is always striving to do her best to selflessly help sharks, who cannot defend themselves. Ramsey has deticated majority of her life to showing people that sharks do not deserve their murderous reputation. She bravely accepts any challenge, no matter the risk to advocate for marine life and ecosystems. Ramsey not only changed her career to something she was more passionate about, but she worked her way up from the bottom to become one of the world’s leading experts on shark behavior in a short amount of time. In addition Ocean Ramsey is always following her dreams and inspiring others through her social media: "Beyond magic!" the shark conservation advocate and marine biologist wrote earlier this week in the caption of an Instagram video documenting her chillingly close encounter with the shark that had amassed more than 300,000 views as of early Friday morning. Several photos and videos of Ramsey swimming with, and even occasionally touching, the giant shark have since gone viral on social media, leaving many awestruck over the breathtaking images" (Chiu). Ocean is inspirational because she is passionate about advocating for sharks and is brave to face the critics by posting videos with a large great white shark, Deep Blue. She is selfless by always speaking up for shark killing and finning and she is not afraid to address this widely ignored topic. Ocean is inspirational because she is following her dreams and taking risks by swimming with apex predators with no protective gear. Ocean Ramsey teaches society to follow their dreams and always do what you are passionate about- even if it is out of your comfort zone. There are not many people in this world who would dedicate their life to helping sharks, but Ocean Ramsey has. Through her selflessness and bravery, Ocean Ramsey has inspired not only myself but many others to stand up for what they believe in and work hard to accomplish their goals and dreams, even when it may seem impossible.

Works Cited

Chiu, Allyson. "A diver's extremely close visit with a giant great white shark went viral. Marine

biologists say don't copy her." Washingtonpost.com, 18 Jan. 2019. Student Resources In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A570170482/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=b64104e2. Accessed 25 Mar. 2019

Hackett, Jessi. “Meet Ocean Ramsey.” Warren Miller Entertainment, 14 Apr. 2016, warrenmiller.com/meet-ocean-ramsey.

"US woman describes 'joy of locking eyes with a great white shark'; An American woman has swum with great white sharks without any protective gear to prove they do not deserve their murderous reputation." Telegraph Online, 5 Mar. 2013. Student Resources In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A321242521/SUIC?u=powa9245&sid=SUIC&xid=46c2c563. Accessed 26 Mar. 2019.