Brendan Talwar, a postdoctoral scholar at Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego, and Chris Malinowski from the Ocean First Institute, were named winners of Netflix’s “All the Sharks,” a competition series that followed four teams as they photographed sharks in their natural habitats around the world.
The six-episode show challenged participants to collect images of various shark species in locations such as the Maldives, Galápagos Islands, The Bahamas, South Africa, Japan, and Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. Teams earned more points for photographing rarer species. Talwar and Malinowski competed as the “Shark Docs” team and received $50,000 for their chosen nonprofit organizations: Reef Environmental Education Foundation (REEF) and Ocean First Institute.
Talwar described his initial hesitation about joining the series: “Chris and I received an email that read: ‘We are producing a global series that will feature the most biodiverse exploration of sharks that has ever been done.’ How could we say no? But, of course, we nearly did. It seemed too good to be true, and our scientific minds poked countless holes in the idea of participating. Would it help or harm our careers? Would it be worth the time we could spend publishing papers?”
He credited advice from his advisor at Scripps with helping him decide to participate: “As my Scripps advisor, Brice Semmens, explained: Worst case—you don’t like the show but get to dive together in some of the last remaining near-pristine marine ecosystems the world can offer. Best case—the show plays a part in inspiring the next generation of marine biologists, showcases the wide diversity of sharks and rays in our oceans, and makes a global audience excited about these animals and their habitats, many of which are under increasing threat. So, we decided that the goal of the show was worth the risk, with every encounter with a shark or ray a ‘win’ for the audience.”
Talwar spoke about adjusting to being filmed constantly during fieldwork: “I’ve always preferred being behind the camera—taking the group photo, rather than being the focus. Upon landing in the Maldives, I quickly realized this was going to be the opposite experience. At any given moment, we were filmed from three directions: the close-up to capture our reactions, the wide shot from a drone buzzing nearby and the split shot from just below the water’s surface.But we got to know the crew behind the camera on such a personal level that, two months later, we barely felt like we were being filmed at all, and the moments captured on camera were more genuine than ever.”
He recalled one surprising encounter while diving near Darwin’s Arch in Galápagos: “The moment that surprised us most was shortly after arriving at Darwin’s Arch… We were seeking whale sharks… But… nothing but scalloped hammerheads in sight—a diver’s dream in any other context—we started to question our decision… Back on the boat… we saw an enormous black dorsal fin slicing through… After a few moments… one of those white splotches grew into …a juvenile killer whale rocketing up to meet us… Sharing space with killer whales had been at top of my bucket list since I saw ‘Free Willy’ as a kid.”
During filming across six locations with four teams participating overall,“our crew photographed over 50 shark and ray species—a remarkable percentage of their global diversity.” Talwar said his favorite sighting was encountering leopard catsharks off South Africa’s coast.
On selecting REEF as one beneficiary for prize funds,Talwar said:“We chose REEF because their mission of monitoring reef fishes and marine life through citizen science aligns with our deepest values. REEF empowers everyday divers to become scientists and stewards of ocean… We even used REEF’s dataset in ‘All The Sharks’ to guide our dive planning.” He added that data collected by REEF volunteers have contributed to research projects including those informing conservation policies.
Looking ahead,Talwar said he hopes media exposure will help spread urgent messages about shark conservation:“Given opportunity of moment,I’m working with Chris to leverage media interest…through Instagram (@Shark_Docs)and podcast‘Beyond All The Sharks,’where we host discussions with researchers…and threats facing sharks/rays.”
Talwar noted challenges facing regional research efforts:“Recent funding cuts/shifting priorities have dramatically reduced regional shark research/conservation efforts.The primary threat—overfishing—continues…With many species caught elsewhere,the importance local refuge habitats is growing.” He emphasized need for interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists,policy makers,and communities.“That’s kind collaborative expertise Scripps scientists are uniquely positioned provide…”
Reflecting on future ambitions,Talwar said,“If we want people care about ocean,we have tell stories help them feel part it.”
