After his first encounter with a great white, he became a man with a mission and he is determined to show the world that sharks aren’t monsters. German filmmaker Ralf Kiefner won various awards with his latest documentary Beyond Fear. The movie has been aired by National Geographic and has been broadcast worldwide. It will be repeated in South Africa in the near future.
By Veerle Snijders
Ralf Kiefner’s fascination with sharks started when he was sent to Gansbaai to photograph these animals for a German diving magazine. Now, 15 years later he has just completed two shark documentaries with his wife. The last one, Beyond Fear, was filmed in Gansbaai without a cage (Not to show off but to get the image of the great whites straight.) “We want the world to understand that sharks are fascinating creatures that hunt for their living and do not kill just for fun. Not monsters, but also not toys.”
After Kiefner’s first great white encounter he realised that sharks are not aggressive as he'd presumed them to be, but cautiously inquisitive. He returned to Gansbaai a couple of years later and observed the same unexpected, cautious behaviour. “Again I did not see the ‘killing machine’ that was portrayed in all movies or other documentaries. I decided to go back and find out whether all the sharks I'd observed during my work for these magazines were behaving ‘wrong’ and all the reports and films about sharks were incorrect. I discovered the last was true and I decided straight away to do something about these false thoughts.”
Beyond Fear features three shark specialists who attempt to dispel the stereotype of sharks as blood-thirsty monsters, and encourage protection of the species. The first specialist is shark behaviourist Erich Ritter, who redefines the image of sharks. The second is fisherman and shark diving operator Michael Rutzen, who demonstrates his knowledge of the body language of sharks as he free-dives with the species. Finally, shark biologist Ryan Johnson explains shark conservation.
Kiefner wouldn’t recommend swimming among great whites without a cage.
“Obviously the sharks live from hunting and of course they will attempt a test bite, just to check the person out, whether he fits in his diet or not. You should know what to do, and, more importantly, what not to do.” He acknowledges that soon there will be many people coming to Gansbaai keen to go free-diving with the sharks. Is he worried about that? “These tourists should know film crews spend a lot of time waiting for the right conditions and the right sharks, before they enter the water without a cage. For this movie, we worked three seasons in Gansbaai, and spent most of the time waiting.”
Free-diving was outlawed in Gansbaai just after Kiefner completed his movie. He agrees with the decision. “It would be a question of time till the first accident would occur. That is exactly what we want to prevent. The press always exaggerates bad encounters with sharks which is not good for sharks’ reputation and protection. We want to get rid of the sensational stories about ‘beasts’ and ‘monsters’. Sharks should be treated in a respectful way.”
If you think in terms of protecting the Great Whites, shouldn’t cage diving be prohibited, as it might disturb the sharks natural habitat?
“If the operators don’t feed the sharks, if they would just attract them with bait and if the operators would take their time to explain the sharks’ behaviour and biology, then I think the cage diving industry can’t do any harm.”
According to Kiefner people are only interested in protecting animals when they know something about them. “If people would understand how important sharks are for the whole environment they would undertake the same effort to protect sharks as they do to protect whales and dolphins. Sharks must be protected soon, before they become extinct.”
Although he's a man with a mission, Kiefner's approach is pragmatic. When Beyond Fear was wrapped, somebody asked him: “Do you really believe you can change the world? Do you think you can change people’s attitude towards sharks?”
“I answered it is not a question of changing the world”, explains Kiefner. “But if you notice people’s ideas of sharks are seriously wrong, and if you have the possibility to try and correct something that is heading in the wrong direction, you have two choices. You can either put your hands in your pockets, turn around and walk away. Or you can start developing your idea with all your energy. That is what I did.” Kiefner would be satisfied if his message reaches only one person. “And if this person starts spreading the information he received through the film, I would be a very happy man.”
(Big Issue, July 2006)
Ik zag hem ook
van elke mogelijke hoek
en in elk denkbaar licht
Ik zag hoe hard hij was, en genadeloos.
Ik zag ook hoop en overlevings drang in de ogen van de mensen die omheen wonen.
De berg is oud.
Ouder dan de mensen.
de berg is sterk, de mensen zijn sterker.
Samen maken zij een nieuw leven.
Samen zullen zij rond de tafel zitten en hun problemen oplossen.
Ooit
Posted by: peer | June 15, 2006 at 04:47 AM