Tiddler swims with sharks

ELLA Addison, 9, is the world's youngest shark activist. And her fearless determination to change the "bad" reputation of these feared predators has caught the eye of a major US talk show.

The spunky blonde from Widenham on the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast appeared on The Today Show with her parents last week, spreading her message of protecting marine life.

The producers of The Today Show, a national US morning news and talk show, were looking for an ordinary family living an extraordinary lifestyle when they stumbled on an internet video clip of Ella swimming with sharks.

"It was really nice being on TV, talking to everybody about how sharks are in trouble," Ella said of her appearance on the show.

"I even got to meet Khloe Kardashian" - the reality TV star - who was also a guest on the show on the day.

By the time she was four, Ella was already swimming fearlessly in shark-infested waters without the protection of a cage.

Her passion for marine conservation runs in the family. Her parents, Mark and Gail Addison, are diving instructors and her grandfather, Brent, is a retired a marine scientist.

The family operate a diving expedition company and are active in highlighting the plight of sharks.

They are ambassadors for the international conservation group, Shark Angels. Ella is the group's youngest representative.

The grade 3 Scottburgh Primary pupil this week told the Sunday Times: ''I hope that people understand that there are over 500 species of shark on our planet, and most of them are harmless, They deserve to be given a chance. Children deserve to still have these creatures in our oceans when they grow up."

Next month the schoolgirl will take her message to COP17, the United Nations climate change conference which is to be held in Durban.

She and Olympic gold medallist Ryk Neethling will present the conference with a list of pledges from people around the world who have vowed to look after their coastlines.

Ella has swum with duskies, black fins, hammer heads and whale sharks. ''I've swum near a tiger shark but not with it. I love tiger and whale sharks. Tigers because I like the stripes and they're really amazing, and the whale sharks because they're the biggest sharks."

She said there where a few rules when swimming with sharks: ''When you get into the water, don't make a big splash and, while swimming, don't disturb them. And keep your hands tucked in or they might think it's bait."

Proud father Mark said the family wanted to debunk negative perceptions of sharks. In more than 30 years of diving with the creatures around the world, he has come face to face with some of the most feared.

''Cages promote fear, not understanding, and I have spent a considerable amount of time in the water with sharks to better understand their behaviour."

Mark said he hoped his daughter's courage would inspire other children to get actively involved in conservation.

Said Ella: "Most people think they're gonna eat you. They are predators and they are very good for the ocean. You have to be careful, they're not teddy bears, you can't go give them a hug."

• To watch Ella swimming with sharks go to youtube.com/watch?v=UQ20HI4I-aw