'I want people to see sharks in a different light to Hollywood movies'

From Grimsby to the Gulf of California, marine biologist Dr Darren Whitehead has built a career studying sharks and encouraging people to see beyond their frequent media portrayal as man-eaters.

Although the Lincolnshire coast is not known for sharks, Darren said he had always "liked an underdog story".

"I've been amazed by how people have so much fear of sharks and they've never seen a shark in their entire life.

"Hollywood and all these movies have just kind of influenced our opinion and perception of sharks.

"I just wanted to knock on the door of that and see if there's something true about that or if they're just misunderstood animals."

Darren spent his early years between Grimsby and nearby Caistor, on the north-western edge of the Lincolnshire Wolds.

"I grew up by the ocean, loving the coast, loving the smells and sounds.

"I have fond memories of Cleethorpes, going down to the waterfront, spending time with my family and just enjoying the cold, fresh breeze of the North Sea."

At 19, he began studying marine biology in the UK before moving overseas, spending time in Spain, Mallorca, Kenya and the Philippines.

"Unfortunately we don't have that tropical weather in Grimsby," he added.

"I was always drawn to the more tropical regions of the world."

Darren is the founder and director of Shark Research Mexico, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the research and conservation of sharks and rays in the Gulf of California.

Alongside protecting sharks from the threats they face, one of the group's key aims is to educate people how to safely interact with the animals in their natural environment.

He believes those encounters can play an important role in changing public attitudes towards sharks and supporting their long-term conservation.

"Sharks are not cold-blooded killers.

"They are complicated, beautiful marine predators that are curious by nature, and having that chance to interact with them in the wild really does help change the perspective of [them]," he added.

The risk of being bitten by a shark remains extremely low: the number of unprovoked shark attacks worldwide has remained broadly stable for the past 30 years, at about 70 bites per year.

Darren's work featured on the BBC Two programme Wilderness with Simon Reeve, where he worked with fishermen to satellite-tag endangered scalloped hammerhead sharks.

Reflecting on the path that took him from Lincolnshire to Mexico, he said: "I'm not sure if I ever thought I would be in Baja California growing up in the streets of Grimsby and Caistor... but they still have a soft spot in my heart."

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