tha thanks. >> right below you. right below you! >> that's a great shot! >> there's a shark. i think they like my feet. they like it. it's exactly what he went for. they're staying deep and they're coming up and hitting. just keep pulling them out, you know. i've already had two bumps now that have been pretty deliberate. they look like they're getting a little bit more fired up what was that ? >> jimi, hello. thank you so much for joining me this afternoon for a chat. it's lovely to have you. >> it's a pleasure! it's a pleasure! this is the perfect time to do things like that, now that we're all at home. >> what makes you love working with sharks and going back year over year? >> the sharks, really. it's also a lifestyle, which i'm slightly addicted to it, perhaps. >> nothing wrong with that, jimi. next question, have you ever been attacked or bitten by a shark? >> no, i don't think i have? well, definitely nothing serious. nothing serious. >> it's early. all right. ready? >> so in the spring of 2020, jimi and i were shooting a show for shark week and the idea was, could we find a great white shark offshore. and if we did find one, jimi was definitely getting in the water with it. >> the reality is, these sharks spend most of their time in open ocean. where we can't observe them. where these animals go and what they do is the next great mys mystery. >> jimi had this theory that great whites might be more aggressive offshore, where their food sources are scarce. and to prove his theory, he actually wanted to jump in with a great white shark in open ocean. the problem was, how do you find one of these animals in the middle of the pacific? >> how far offshore are we, john? >> 75 miles. >> out in the middle of nowhere, huh? >> so we're way offshore. we got reports from a fishing boat that there was a dead whale out there. >> what's this here, mate? >> and it was starting to get dark. >> okay! >> and there it is! >> that was pretty cool running into a whale carcass that far offshore. it was definitely like a giant chum slick, which would be very attractive to sharks. >> in nature, these things can take many, many hours, but i am convinced that it's going to attract one of our mega open ocean great white sharks. >> so we ended out pretty late last night and finally went to bed. first thing in the morning, lo and behold, we got a sizable great white circling the whale. >> jimi was basically getting himself ready to go in the water. >> did you think he was nervous? >> hell, yeah, i know he was nervous. a great white in open ocean. i wouldn't do that. >> you say you're not scared, but that doesn't mean that you're just going to blindly go into it. you respect them for the apex predators they are. >> that's right. and they do give me a fright from time to time, but i'm not scared of sharks. but there are definitely moments where you have to -- you have to be brave. if they're going to swim directly at you, for example, they might test you, you know, so you have to kind of hold your ground. and i would be lying that if in those moments, you didn't come out with your heart going a little bit quicker than normal. >> he's going back down. >> can you pass me the gopro? >> do you want to do your side? >> ready? okay? we good? >> yeah. we're good. >> well, we are getting something. >> okay. >> jimi wanted to get in this clear polycarbonate cage to observe the sharks. it was very low impact for the sharks and he was determined to use this cage to get very close to these animals. >> hey, you got it! >> like driving a car for the first time. it's all right. >> jimi being jimi, the guy is pretty fearless, he goes ahead and hops inside that thing. >> it's pretty good, actually. ni nice. >> jimi knows the risks of working with big great white sharks. right below you! right below you! that's a great shot. >> anyone who works with them knows the risk. >> just keep calling them out, you know? i think it's working, matt, i really do. >> it's pretty me monotonous for 35 minutes to an hour. >> i think they like my feet. that's what he went for. >> the next thing you know, it all happened. >> there's a shark here. >> give this five or ten more minutes. they're staying deep and coming up and hitting. i've already had two bumps now that have been pretty deliberate. they look like they're getting a little bit more fired up. what was that? is that a shark? >> yeah, it was. >> [ bleep ] . >> hey! 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[ bleep ] [ bleep ] >> the first thing that went through my mind was, he's a goner. >> we didn't know if jimi had been hit by the shark. i've been working with sharks for 30-plus years and i've never seen anything like that. a shark that big, probably 15, 16 feet, hits a guy going full steam, i think, it's over. >> holy [ bleep ]. >> did it hit you? >> you already? >> yeah, just let me get my breath. >> holy [ bleep ]. [ bleep ] [ bleep ]. >> jimi being jimi, somehow he was able to avoid the shark's teeth. >> it was just a miracle what happened, because the shark basically was taking a chomp. technically thep plexiglas save jimi's life. >> i feel like the bottom of the cage, you know, kept me safe and i went with the bottom of the cage and the shark went away from me, thankfully. all that i saw was the big tail when it was going back down into the water. my initial response was just, hold on to the thing, and then i was like, get your head in the water, see where the shark is. and that's when i swam. but i think he realized he made a mistake and thankfully was gone and gave me menough time t get back to the boat. it's unbelievable i don't have a scratch on me. first-ever person ever to have a breach on them and be able to survive and tell the tale. unbelievable. >> the animal gave a number of warnings. it was very cautious in the beginning and as it became more bold, it started bumping the box. >> initially, what happened is, i felt a bump and i actually shouted up to the boat, was that a shark? i wasn't quite sure and i felt this kind of jerk. it must have been a trial run for the shark or they were testing out. the shark was doing that first bump, and they decided to really go for it the second time. >> this behavior has been observed many, many times along the pacific coast, in other areas worldwide, where sharks will perceive something to be a threat and will aggressively go after it. that's when it came up and it rammed the box, which is a behavior to drive that object away. this validates something i have suspected for more than 40 years. that the behaviors of these sharks are not all predatory. the majority of the attacks by white sharks on humans are investigation and/or displacement, defending a territory. jimi's case is very unique in that, fortunately, he was not hurt. some of that has to do with his ability in the water and his knowledge. a lot of it had to do with luck. it's something you don't want to try at home, but we were also grateful that the shark wasn't injured, either. there were no cuts, no abrasions. so both escaped injury free. and fortunately, there was a camera in the water filming, so we had the opportunity to see exactly what the shark did, which tells us why it did it. it gave science, those of us that study white sharks, a fantastic opportunity to see what these animals do under certain circumstances. >> i love all wildlife and i knew the risks involved. i chose to put myself in that position, no matter what happened, i was never, ever going to blame the animal. for the shark, it was just an ordinary day. but for me, it was a day that will stay with me for the rest of my life. i spend more time with great white sharks than i do my own family. as such, i've developed a deep admiration and love for them. i guess you could say i've had some close calls in the past, but i believe these are acceptable risks if you're working with such a large predator. these risks are worth taking, if we're going to push the boundaries of our shark know knowledge. >> there's only a few guys in the world that have a way with big sharks. showing the world that they're not man eaters. they're not hunting us. >> he's one of the few guys in the world that could do the things that he did. jimi loved these sharks. he was never afraid to push the envelope and get close to these ani animals. >> i didn't talk to him for months. kind of went off the grid for a while. >> jimi went home to jersey in the uk and when i finally did talk to him, he still seemed a bit shook up. he said he was having nightmares. waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. >> in the days after the incident, i must have experienced almost every emotion, from great highs of adrenaline to real lows of self-esteem. i was happy, of course, to have survived such an incredible encounter, but at the same time, i was left with a strange sense of guilt over what had happened. they call it ptsd, apparently. okay. let's do this. i have to get back in the saddle. i have to get close to these animals again. >> whoa! >> jimi, it's topside. do you read me? 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[whistling] . >> after an encounter like that, you probably want to get right back in the water and face your demons. in a normal year, he would be off to guadalupe island in mexico, running cage diving trips. >> well, as you can see, this morning, we have classic guadalupe island conditions. another successful ship to guadalupe. tons of shark activity and some amazing guests. this is jimi partington with islander charters. we hope to see you soon out there one day, signing out. >> but guadalupe was shut down due to covid, and that was not good. >> guadalupe wasn't going to be an option, and when i finally got hired to do some shark filming, it was in new zealand. and they asked me to put together a team. well, jimi was the first guy i called and he couldn't have been more excited. i remember him saying, when do we leave? let's do it! >> southern new zealand, it's like the land of the lost. it's the very bottom of the world. the water is freezing, the wind howls, which makes the ocean like a washing machine. so right to film white sharks in elements like that, it becomes a challenge. but that never matters to jimi. he was telling me on the flight, he was gung ho for this. >> what's up, jk! let's do this, guys. let's do this! >> are you ready? >> let's do it! >> and nicky shifl was on the trip to not only bait the sharks, but also to watch our backs, because the sharks in new zealand, they are not only some of the biggest, but they're also the most unpredictable sharks in the world. >> so after a year stuck at home, a 13-hour flight, a two-week quarantine in auckland, two more flights, and a two-hour ferry ride, jimi was now finally getting his chance to dive with great whites again. >> oh, nice! >> just grabbed it! >> yeah, yeah! >> he just reached in -- >> look at the shark, though! it's going to turn on the bait. come take this out. >> okay, get ready! >> what an amazing start here on edwards island. di dickie's been wrangling an amazing shark on the bait line. >> you've got your work cut out for you there, mate. >> this is the first time i've encountered a great white shark since i was almost killed by one, and let me tell you, it's an emotional experience for me . >> how do you feel about getting ready to go in for the first time? >> yeah, mate. it's my first time out here at edwards island, and already we have half a dozen big mail sharks around the boat. i know what i have to do. i have to get back in the saddle. i've got to get close to these animals again and reaffirm in my own mind that they're not malicious and that they're not out to get me. >> good luck in there, jimbo. >> thanks, dickie! >> have fun. >> i have to do this. if i ever hope to work with great whites again . >> we were anchored in about 22 feet of water, and the dive plan was for jimi to go down about 10 feet, get acclimated to the sharks, and to the cage. and when he was ready, he would go down to the bottom. >> hey, jimi, is your valve closed? all right, cool. >> jimi, jimi, jimi, this is topside. do you read me? over. jimi, jimi, jimi, it's topside. do you read me? ov over. >> guys, just standby one moment. standby. standby. >> this is really the most nerve-racking part, i mean. >> we all got pretty nervous at this stage. >> this is topside, can you hear m me? 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i can't! i'm just telling everyone! hey! for a limited time, get 50% off for back to school. visionworks. see the differenc. when i make decisions as a leader, it's not about me or the folks that are here. it's about the next seven generations coming behind us, making sure that they have the ability to move forward. prop 27 will help small rural tribes like mine get a seat at the table will be transformational for my tribal members. taxing online sports betting gives us an opportunity to really enhance the lives of our tribe and strengthen the future of our people. vote yes on prop 27. jimi, jimi, jimi. this is topside. do you read me? over? jimi, jimi, jimi, it's topside. do you read me? over. >> all right, guys. just standby one moment. uh, standby. standby. >> this is really the most nerve-racking part. i mean -- >> this is topside. can you hear me? over. >> we all got pretty nervous at this stage. i think jimi just needed a moment to gather himself. we were just about to pull him back up. >> this is topside. can you hear me, over? >> and then he finally spoke. >> thanks for checking in on me, mate. i don't know what you can see, but down here the size of these animals, i would say they're slightly bigger in this deep water. but all is good. everything's safe. there's some megasharks down here. maybe one is going to come up to you, mate. >> the sharks down here are just out of this world. unbelievable. what a location! >> everything looks okay? >> we're good. >> okay. copy that. >> we kind of all breathed a sigh of relief at that point. but then we all just kind of sat back and let him do his thing. >> it's like a conveyor belt of endless sharks. >> it was a really special moment for jimi not just jimi, but for all of us, really. i think we all had a little bit of ptsd. in that moment, it was gone. >> the visibility here is just absolutely spectacular. i can see anywhere up to ten sharks at one point. passed right over my head. it's just given me the most insane pass. this is an animal -- this is a fully mature male shark that could be over 30 years of age. unbelievable. >> jimi, how's it going down there? bro, do you need to go down a bit deeper? yeah, i'm starting to go down. >> from what i could hear in the qu c co coms, it sounded like jimi was having a great dive. he was really in his element. >> okay, i've reached the bottom. i can see the whole landscape under the boat. >> we had at least 12 sharks and he sounded very relaxed, very comfortable in the water there. the water was clear. >> it's a completely different scene down here. >> being surrounded by sharks is jimi's thing, and he was having an incredible day. >> it looks really familiar. some really characters. real individuals. >> one shark in particular really was interested in jimi and it was this shark that had a collection of copa pods, or these little parasitic animals on its back, so we could easily identify it. but it kept coming around and coming around and getting closer and closer to jimi. this shark sort of followed him around all day long. >> this is a magnificent shark . i'm all good. this is incredible! whoa! oh! okay, guys. it's been a hell of a dive. i've survived. my air's looking a little bit low. i'm down to around 50 bars, so it's going to be time to come up, i think. >> i