Shark Week 2011

If you've been reading my blog for a while then you may already be well aware of my fascination with all things shark related. Everything. I live, breathe, and sleep sharks. My life goal is to free dive with a Great White (after many many many cage diving experiences, of course!). Some people get excited for Harry Potter (or did, I should say), Twilight or maybe even the newest Judd Apatow film... but me... I get excited for Shark Week. I have all of the DVDs, books, and even a collection of plush sharks to commemorate the annual event. Last year we rushed to move into our new place and had cable installed the day of Shark Week's premier so we wouldn't miss it.

Last year's Shark Week set up!

My love for sharks doesn't stop at the jaw-dropping entertainment on Discovery. Instead of just watching the shows or learning about them, we should also make a conscious effort to help keep them alive. With overfishing, finning, and sport, Great Whites are now more endangered than tigers! That's kind of huge. The population of white sharks have dropped 90% in the last 2 decades. Since I've been alive! To think that I may not have the chance to educate my children on the incredible creature that lives in our oceans is a horrifying thought. Sharks have been around for 400 million years! And we're managing to wipe them out without a second thought. With the booming popularity of Shark Week, other shows have made a break in mainstream media such as Expedition Great White. These shows help educate the general public that white sharks don't eat people for fun. They're actually very very intelligent creatures. We all need to do our part to help.

Whether it's donating money to a conservation organization, adopting a shark of your own, or signing a petition to help stop shark finning, we can do so much with so little. (Sharks aren't the only sea creatures that need our help. Please check out the above links and do what you can to help save our waters!)

Tonight we're throwing a Shark Week party. Shark and ocean themed food and drink. Balloons, decorations, and some Andy Samberg. Hopefully our guests will finally be able to see just how passionate I am about these mysterious but magical creatures! (And I have a petition here for all of the guests to sign, too!) 

I urge you all to check out Shark Week, check out various resources around the web, and to get involved! (and swing by our party if you're in Nashville!) Happy Shark Week! 

PS; Here's my shark infographic from my final semester of college! I can't seem to find the version where all of the typos are fixed so you'll have to make due with this one! (Click to view it larger!)