"Seriously misunderstood creatures, spiders are. It's the eyes, I reckon, they unnerve some folk." - Hagrid, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2009)

Same sentiment here in PLAYING WITH SHARKS as scuba diver and ocean activist Valerie Taylor recounts her life's work educating the public about one of Earth's most misunderstood creatures: the sharks (thanks, JAWS). In a character development that rivals that of Zuko from Avatar: The Last Airbender, Taylor did a 180-degree turn after her "first life" as a deepsea spearfishing champion, even having killed a shark. Upon realizing the beauty, intelligence, and emotional lives of these animals, she turns advocate for them. Alongside her husband Ron, who shared a similar past, Taylor vows to shoot only with cameras, amassing a collection of stunning underwater footage, much of Valerie scuba diving amongst marine life.

In a bittersweet manner, after watching PLAYING WITH SHARKS, Valerie told People Magazine, "It brought back memories. I was pleased to see Ron's footage being used as it should be used. A lot of it is history — it can never be done again or filmed again, because that life and that ocean doesn't exist anymore."