Spanish Teacher is Passionate About Sharks

Photo Courtesy of Pam James

With her cold wet suit on and oxygen tank on her back, Spanish teacher Pamela James is weighted down to 34 feet below the ocean off of Tiger Beach in the Bahamas. She didn’t care that she could see the razor sharp, white teeth of the bull sharks in front of her— she was more entranced by the graceful way the sharks circled around her.

Moments later, a tiger shark swam up near the researchers and grabbed her first piece of bait from the food box.  Then in a systematic motion, the 15-foot shark swam past James and the other divers and went around again. As she passed James, James immediately noticed the shark’s broken fin.

This is not the first time James has seen this shark. Five years ago, she had encountered Emma, the queen of Tiger Beach, at a shark research lab in Bimini, an island in the Bahamas.

Through these shark excursions, James has become enlightened on the peaceful and friendly aura that sharks possess, contradictory to the negative reputation that society holds for them.  As a teacher, James hopes to use the knowledge she has learned on her shark trips and shed a positive light on sharks to her students.

“Sharks are so misunderstood,” James said.  “Today, [society] always takes the side of misrepresented people or animals.  My goal is trying to help people understand that sharks aren’t mindless killing machines, they’re actually very clever and social.”

James has always been a “Shark Week” fan. However, while watching these episodes, she was more concerned with learning facts such as where the mother sharks give birth, as opposed to seeing someone freak out over a shark bite scar.

Five years ago, her college best friend, Rachel Lee, invited her to go on a trip to a shark research lab in Bimini, where they were able to swim with sharks, tag sharks and watch researchers take their blood for DNA samples.

This first trip has evolved into an annual outing for the two, and has sparked James’ passion for sharks so much that two weeks ago she took her own trip to Tiger Beach

“I was able to see how peaceful [the sharks] were in person which I really enjoyed,” James said.  “They were really curious— I could see them watching and trying to figure out what they would have to do to get treat.  They never did get one, but it was interesting to see them be curious and cautious, whereas I had always thought of them as bold.”

Initially, James had a more intimidated view of sharks. On her first trip to Bimini, she was the last diver to enter the shark infested waters. Finally under the water though, she let her guard down when she noticed how calmly the sharks would swim past the other divers.

“They would just swim around and wanted a treat, but they knew we were not the treat,” James said.  “Now when I get in [the water], I’m not even scared at all.”

According to sophomore Anna Gunderman, sharks are always incorporated into James’ class in unique ways, such as through students drawing sharks on the back of their quizes or James sharing stories about her shark vacations.

“My spanish vocabulary has really grown, since I’m able to learn different Spanish words about sharks and their habitats in her class,” Gunderman said.  “Also, my view towards sharks has definitely become more positive. I think we all have a scared perception of sharks, but seeing Señorita James’ shark pictures has shown me how friendly they actually can be.”

In addition to her trip to Bimini next year, James is also planning on traveling to Guadalupe Island, where she will be cage diving with sharks.  James has always had a passion for snorkeling, but has loved the adventure aspect that comes along with seeing sharks.

“I just hope [my students] realize that just because someone says there’s a shark in water, they know that they aren’t in danger,” James said.  “Sharks are very important to health of ocean and entire marine life, and it’s important that we try to change public opinion of sharks.”