Cristina Zenato | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1971 (age 53–54) Italy |
| Years active | 1994-present |
| Known for | Shark diving |
| Website | cristinazenato |
Cristina Zenato is an Italian-born shark diver and conservationist. She is known for her work withCaribbean reef sharks inThe Bahamas.
Zenato was born in Italy in 1971.[1] Her father was a special forces military diver.[2] She was raised in the Congo until she was 15.[1] She completed high school in Italy.[3]
Zenato began scuba diving at age 22 when traveling to The Bahamas.[4] She started training as a dive instructor and working with sharks in 1995.[5] The same year, she began working for Underwater Explorer's Society (UNEXSO). Later, she became both aPADI Course Director and NSS-CDSCave Diving Instructor.[6] Zenato's cave diving projects have included remapping the underwater caves in theLucayan National Park.[7] Zenato was inducted into theWomen Divers Hall of Fame in 2011.[6] She is known for promoting the conservation of, diving with, removing fish hooks from Caribbean reef sharks aroundGrand Bahama Island.[8][9] Her work has garnered her the titles of "shark whisperer"[10][11] and "mother of sharks."[12]
Zenato has been featured in films and television programs includingShark Week'sSharktacular,[13]Against the Current,[14] andSave This Shark.[15] In the late 2010s, she founded the non-profit, People of the Water.[16] She completed her PADI Course Director training in 2016.[4]
Zenato first went to the Bahamas in 1994, during which time she decided she wanted to move there permanently.[6]
