Cousteau's Great White Shark

Few creatures in the world of nature are more feared, more talked about, and less known than the great white shark. On beaches around the globe, whispers of shark attack are enough to clear the sands, yet the real threat is remarkably remote.
To learn more about this formidable ocean dweller-a valuable link at the top of the undersea food chain-the Cousteau team mounted a full-scale investigation in 1989, traveling to the south coast of Australia for two-and-a-half years of study. Leading the expedition-the most extensive of its kind ever launched-was Jean-Michel Cousteau, accompanied by a team of some 40 scientists, technicians, divers, still- and motion-picture cameramen, and sailors.
Concentrating their efforts on an area called Dangerous Reef, the Cousteau team set out to attract great white sharks in order to identify individuals, tag them, and attach transmitters so that their movement patterns and behavior could be studied. Easier said than done! Getting the sharks near enough the ship to attach the tags or transmitters was one thing, then following them with radio tracking gear for as long as 28 hours in small craft was another. In addition to these efforts, a great deal of time was spent observing the sharks underwater, with divers and cameramen working from specially built stainless steel cages and a unique one made of clear plastic.
The narrative of this fascinating series of adventures is told in lively fashion by Jean-Michel Cousteau and Mose Richards and pictured in more than 120 thrilling color photographs made by the team from underwater and above. Also reproduced are drawings by scientist Rocky Strong and marine artist Dominique Serafini, who actually sketched white sharks from only a few feet away in a steel cage dangling beneath the ship. In the course of the team's efforts, much is learned of shark lore, behavior, and biology; many myths are dispelled, and a new appreciation emerges of a powerful predator, surprisingly cautious in the presence of humans and engaged in a lonely, lifelong hunt for food-a creature whose preservation is necessary to maintain the balance of life in the sea.