South African scuba diver, Reel van der Merwe, has a powerful message ahead of Shark Week (August 4 to August 11). <br /><br />In an interview from July 20, Reel explained: “The ocean is where the sharks live. We go into their territory, so we obviously need to respect them.<br /><br />“There is this inherent fear of sharks that we work with our clients about, to educate them. They’re not these vicious killers that we make them out to be.”<br /><br />He confessed: “To be honest when I started diving, I had this ‘Jaws’ fear of sharks as well. And there really was a turning point at one stage when you realise they’re not out to get you.”<br /><br />After diving for two decades, three years ago, Reel gave up corporate life and started his own dive center, Garden Route Scuba in Western Cape Province's Mossel Bay.
