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Cristina Zenato is an Italian-born shark diver and conservationist. She is known for her work with Caribbean reef sharks in The Bahamas.

Early life

Zenato was born in Italy in 1971. Her father was a special forces military diver. She was raised in the Congo until she was 15. She completed high school in Italy.

Career

Zenato began scuba diving at age 22 when traveling to The Bahamas. She started training as a dive instructor and working with sharks in 1995. The same year, she began working for Underwater Explorer's Society (UNEXSO). Later, she became both a PADI Course Director and NSS-CDS Cave Diving Instructor. Zenato's cave diving projects have included remapping the underwater caves in the Lucayan National Park. Zenato was inducted into the Women Divers Hall of Fame in 2011. She is known for promoting the conservation of, diving with, removing fish hooks from Caribbean reef sharks around Grand Bahama Island. Her work has garnered her the titles of "shark whisperer" and "mother of sharks."

Zenato has been featured in films and television programs including Shark Week's Sharktacular, Against the Current, and Save This Shark. In the late 2010s, she founded the non-profit, People of the Water. She completed her PADI Course Director training in 2016.

Personal life

Zenato first went to the Bahamas in 1994, during which time she decided she wanted to move there permanently.

References

1. ^ Toorish, Jeff. "A Passion For Diving: Cristina Zenato". www.advanceddivermagazine.com. Archived from the original on 2010-09-15. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
2. Kovac, Klara (2020-10-22). "Sharks are not a scary as we might think". Kovac Family. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
3. Burke, Owen James (2014-07-24). "Life in Salt: An Interview with Underwater Explorer and 'First Lady of Sharks' Cristina Zenato". The Scuttlefish. Archived from the original on 2014-07-29. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
4. ^ "Q&A with Cristina Zenato: Technical & Cave Diver". Scuba Diver Magazine. 2023-06-06. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
5. "Grand Bahama shark handler, Cristina Zenato featured in Marie Claire magazine". The Bahamas Weekly. 2013-05-08. Archived from the original on 2013-05-11. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
6. ^ Kirkby, Sarah (2011-05-04). "Local diver is recognized at 'Women Divers Hall Of Fame'". The Bahamas Weekly. Archived from the original on 2011-05-12. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
7. Bahamas National Trust (2018-01-04). "Mapping the Underwater Cave System at Lucayan Ntl. Park". www.thebahamasweekly.com. Archived from the original on 2019-09-05. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
8. Evans, Mark (2021-09-04). "Cristina Zenato Joins Bite-Back's Media Campaign". Scuba Diver Mag. Archived from the original on 2021-09-03. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
9. How one diver became the 'shark whisperer' - CNN Video, retrieved 2022-01-02
10. "This Woman Can Hypnotize Sharks by Touching Them". The Inertia. 2015-09-30. Archived from the original on 2015-10-01. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
11. Kate, Cary (2021-05-31). "Cristina Zenato is known as the 'Shark Whisperer'". The BL. Archived from the original on 2022-01-02. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
12. Evans, Mark (2023-01-12). "'Mother of Sharks' Cristina Zenato takes centre stage". Scuba Diver Magazine. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
13. Helmy, Sam (2017-07-27). "More Women Take Center Stage On Discovery Channel's 'Shark Week' - DeeperBlue.com". www.deeperblue.com. Archived from the original on 2017-10-01. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
14. Singh, Rhea (2019-03-27). "Women directors leading in Ryerson's film festival". The Eyeopener. Archived from the original on 2019-03-28. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
15. Dalton, Trent (2020-08-29). "Mick Fanning faces his demons". The Weekend Australian. Archived from the original on 2021-06-21. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
16. Ramachandran, Mythily (2019-03-27). "Dancing with the sharks". gulfnews.com. Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2022-01-02.

• 1971 births
• Living people
• Cave diving explorers
• Professional divers
• Italian underwater divers
• Shark conservation
• Women Divers Hall of Fame