OVER MY JOURNEY I HAD THE PLEASURE TO MEET WITH MANY remarkable scientists who have uncovered the inner workings of sharks and their world. Their research, based on years of study out on the ocean, often under challenging conditions, contributes to society’s crucial knowledge of the environment to implement the right regulations to protect the oceans.
I started my journey with meeting Greg Skomal, who has worked for years on great white sharks in the Northeast. He was so generous with his time, and his insights were extraordinary. I also had great help from Jeffrey Carrier, for his insights and for opening up his Rolodex and introducing me to other marine biologists and scientists such as Mike Heithaus and his colleague Wes Pratt. Mike’s study on sharks and the marine ecosystem in Australia is truly remarkable research. I enjoyed talking with him and with Wes, whose enthusiasm about sharks is infectious.
I have also had the assistance of so many others, like Tristan Guttridge, who has uncovered the social world of sharks, and Neil Hammerschlag, who has published a litany of important research reports. Pete Klimley has made likewise great discoveries, too numerous to mention here, over his illustrious career. Jelle Atema was another great scientist who was so generous with his time. He provided the sounding board for so many concepts that I wrote about. I wish I had more room so I could discuss more about each one of these scientists, their work, and how generous they were with me.
One of the key lessons along my journey is that everything is interconnected. A book like this can appear only because of the work of many others. When Paul Rachman, who has helped me so much along the way, introduced me to Peter McGuigan of Foundry Media, the book started to take shape with his great team of Richie Kerns and Mike Nardullo.
Working with HarperCollins was a dream come true. I want to thank my publisher, Judith Curr, who continues to champion the book, and Miles Doyle, a remarkable editor who put his heart and soul into this project. I also want to thank Suzanne Quist and her production team for turning the manuscript into a book.
To all these great men and women, I thank you and I am the first to say, this book would never have been written without you all.