A 33-year-old South African blue-haired mermaid challenges numerous macho, male-dominated great white shark handlers.
The self-proclaimed mermaid, Zandile Ndhlovu, is the first black freediving teacher in South Africa. Her death-defying job is challenging and not for the faint of heart.
Ndhlovu is holding her breath for up to four minutes at a stretch when submerged, Daily Star wrote.
She fearlessly approaches threatening great white sharks up close to conduct a perilous, fast-paced inquiry into the puzzling absence of the critically endangered species.
In the name of research, Ndhlovu and her all-female marine biology team are taking on sharks. Ndhlovu also goes by the moniker "The Black Mermaid."
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Blue Mermaid Works With Shark Researchers While Fighting Off Such Creatures
Zandile doesn't only free dive with sharks in the shadowy depths of their feeding zones; she also works with shark researchers Alison Towner, 37, and Leigh de Necker, 31, who both have stunning, thigh-skimming blue braids.
To tag the sharks and analyze their new travel patterns, Ndhlovu also wrestles them by himself while holding them on "bait ropes."
Since great white sharks have been listed as an endangered species since 2006, it is crucial to do research on them and protect both their natural habitats and the sharks themselves.
Ladbible pointed out that the length and weight of an adult great white shark may reach 20 feet and 6,600 pounds, respectively. It's simple to imagine the harm that one of these monsters may cause with their pure raw power given that they have up to 300 serrated triangular teeth on them at any given moment.
"I don't think we fully comprehend how big white sharks are until you see one so close and you realize that it really is just a bite and you're dead." Ndhlovu told MailOnline.
Since the greatest method to discover sharks is by following their prey and waiting, Ndhlovu is aware of the true danger involved in diving with sharks and studying them.
Blue Mermaid's Challenging Role
Being in South Africa's Shark Alley and "the McDonald's drive-through" for great white sharks would be horrifying for most people.
The perilous plunge is an exciting challenge, though, as a recent television program that will appear as part of Discovery's "Shark Week" demonstrates.
A @SharkWeek first! Since 1988, this is the first show to have an all Women cast, what a time to be alive! 10pm ET on @Discovery @discoveryplus #SharkWeek #SharkWeek2022 pic.twitter.com/m4sXn26kN4
— Zandile Ndhlovu (@Zandithemermaid) July 29, 2022
"I work in Langa and I take the kids out on snorkel excursions and it goes back to the fact that when I grew up I didn't realise that there was a life that existed underwater in that way," Zandile told Cape Talk.
"My whole work is to create access to ocean spaces, particularly to marginalised communities, recognising that proximity doesn't equate to access and so what does it mean to bridge the gap."
Zandile was raised in the town of Soweto, which is distant from the coast. She first experienced being at sea and looking underneath the surface in 2016.
Blue Mermaid's Real Role
According to Meaww, Zandile's goal is to retrieve an acoustic receiver collecting information from any tagged sharks swimming through Shark Alley and currently submerged there.
When a human is submerged, great white sharks are so enormous that they cannot be adequately described in words, according to Zandile.
Zandile takes a risky dive into the kelp forest where great whites frequently patrol since it is one of the greatest methods to discover an apex predator like the great white is to follow its food. She mentioned that her capability to hold her breath for four minutes underwater is her "superpower."
Her coworker Alison, born in Lancashire, England, has examined, tagged, and written about hundreds of great white sharks over 15 years. She has a special link to the observation of six of them. Great white shark sightings off the South African coast of Gansbaai, however, began to disappear since in 2017.
As a result, the crew tries to implant a satellite tag into a passing huge great white shark to offer important information about her activities in real-time that might perhaps lead them to the others. She is desperate to find her missing family as a result. After some time, the female crew struck gold when they caught and tagged a huge female shark weighing nearly two tons.
While Zandile is in the shark diving cage taking research images and Alison uses all of her might to embed the satellite tag into a female white shark, Leigh is in charge of manipulating the bait line and enticing a great white to the boat.
RELATED ARTICLE: Giant 1,500lb Great White Shark Lurks Around Florida Shoreline After Swimming From Melbourne
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