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Briana Darcy

Wednesday, 21 April 2010

Some people may think that Briana Darcy is a crazy kid for choosing to swim with wild sharks…for fun! But we think that she is just one very brave, and very motivated young lady! At the age of 13 Briana has not only swam with sharks multiple times, but she has also recently been featured in the Northeast Dive News magazine and took the cover photo!

What do your friends say about their friend who swims with sharks? What do you tell them?
My friends all think I am crazy because they think sharks are dangerous creatures. I always tell them they are wrong because if we did not have sharks, the food chain would be destroyed. Just because you hear bad things about sharks, it doesn't mean it is always true. I also tell them you have more of a chance getting attacked by a dog or getting hit by a car while walking across the street. I tell my friends all the time that 5 people are killed by sharks every year and 100 million sharks are killed by people. And you never hear about that. All for what, Soup?? How sad is that??

Tell us about your first experience diving with sharks! What was it like?
The first wild shark dive I did was in Rhode Island with Joe Romeiro and my dad in September of 2009. It was an amazing trip. I was nervous at first because I was not used to having the sharks coming up so close to me and checking me out. I went free diving with Blue Sharks. We had a cage in the water, but I did not want to go in it. I wanted to be swimming freely with them. Since I didn't go in, none of the adults used it either. Before this I had swam with other sharks such as sand tigers, black tip, nurse, and Caribbean reef sharks, but nothing as social as the blues!

Wow thats a lot of sharks! How many shark dives have you been on since your first one, and which dive has been your favorite?
I have done about 8 dives with sharks all together. My favorite dive was with Joe and my Dad free diving with the Blues and my other favorite was with Cristina Zenato and my dad in the Bahamas doing a shark feed. If I had to choose, I would say that diving with the Blue Sharks was my favorite because they were very social and didn't leave us. I would love to go diving with because those are my favorite sharks and I have loved them and been interested in them ever since I was little. They are very different, just like me.

Such wonderful experiences must teach you a lot. What lessons have you learned from diving with sharks?
I have learned you need to be aware of your surroundings and you need to be responsible and respectful for the sea life. With shark diving, you also need to be aware of and respectful towards the sharks, because you are in their home.

What inspired you to start diving at such a young age? What was your first diving experience like?
My dad was the one who inspired me to start diving. I have always had a love for the ocean and for all the sea creatures that live in it. I started diving when I was 5. I started on the sassy unit. My first actual dive was when I was 10. I was getting my Jr. open water certification in Marathon Key, Florida. I was nervous at first, but then I became comfortable in the open ocean and loved it.

When did you first discover photography? What has made it so important to you?
I first discovered photography when I saw all the beautiful underwater photographs displayed at different dive shows that I have been to. I like underwater photography because I get to capture what I am seeing underwater and I can show all my friends and family what they are missing on dry land. I will also always have the photographs to remember how ocean is like a whole other universe that not many people get to see.

What you do takes a lot of bravery for a 13 year old! What are some things that you would like to tell both kids and adults who respect what you are doing for both the world’s oceans and sharks?
I would say to always recycle, use less plastic and to never pollute. Most importantly, I believe everyone should care about the environment. I think that all kids should be told to go

with your gut instinct and do what you want to do. Don't let anybody hold you back! My parents always tell me to be a leader and not a follower.

With such exciting experiences already under your belt, what are some of your plans for the future?
I would like to become a Marine Biologist and have recently been thinking about joining the Coast Guard. I intend on going to school at either Woods Hole in MA, FAU in FL, Texas A&M, Duke University, Keys Community College or a Coast Guard Academy. It would be my dream job to wake up Beneath the Sea Annie Crawley Briana Darcy

Beneath the Sea Annie Crawley Briana Darcy

and go diving with sharks everyday to try to keep them from any danger. There are also many places I would love to travel to, such as South Africa, Fiji, Guadalupe, Holbox Mexico, and the Galapagos Islands.

Annie Crawley, founder of Dive Into Your Imagination, first met Briana Darcy through friends. Annie thought Briana was lucky to have a mom and dad who allowed her to experience the Ocean and take her diving with Blue Sharks at such a young age. They have been back up singers together at two conferences, but have yet to scuba dive together! They both know it will happen. "Briana is our future. I want to do everything I can to support our youth in exploring their dreams! Briana also has younger sisters and she is a true role model! Let's Go Diving Briana!"

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