Arnold von Engelbrechten

To teach us about the myths and realities of sharks, Arnold created an original movie, and to make this film, he had to draw upon several of his talents. First, he drew upon his knowledge base. He has been interested in sharks ever since he can remember and has travelled extensively to study them. Second, he drew upon his skills as a diver. Arnold has his PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certification and has been diving for two years. Finally, Arnold used his film making skills to create an engaging lesson for his audience.

In his film, Arnold is on a mission to get a close up of a shark to further his point that they are a friendly species. He tries many times, finally succeeding on his last dive. In the meantime, the audience sees wonderful images of sea life interspersed with interviews from shark experts.

Arnold interviewed several scholars for his project, but his mentor was Mr. Brendan Talwar from The Cape Eleuthera Institute, a research organization born out of the Island School in the Bahamas. Arnold visited the Institute with his father in February.

The audience really enjoyed Arnold’s presentation, and learned that in reality, sharks are to be respected, not feared. Congratulations, Arnold, on a job well done!