Meet Rick Anderson, an Australian who refers to a female Port Jackson shark as his buddy and claims she comes to snuggle with him anytime she sees him. “I started playing with her when she was approximately 6 inches long, roughly seven years ago,” Anderson told The Dodo. “I approached her slowly so as not to startle her, then began softly patting her. I’d cradle her in my palm and whisper soothingly to her through my regulator after she got acclimated to me.”
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“Over the following seasons, she’d remember me and would swim up to me for a pat and snuggle,” said the guy, who has been scuba diving for 27 years and operates a dive school. She quickly became used to me, to the point that she will swim up to me as I pass and tap me on the legs until I reach my arms out for her to rest on for a hug.”
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“Most divers seeing this for the first time can’t believe it,” he added. “I don’t feed her or any of the other sharks I play with — I basically treat them like I would a dog.”
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More info: Rick’s Dive School | Facebook (h/t: thedodo)
