Hannah Medd

Hails from: Middletown, Maryland
Currently lives in: Delray Beach, Florida, USA
Favorite Place: Close to family and friends, especially those with gills
Favorite Things to Do: My favorite thing to do is learn, whether in the water observing, studying in a library or listening to the stories of others.
Favorite Shark: My favorite shark is the White shark because I aspire to emulate their confidence and command respect.

What shark are you most like and why?
I think I am like a tiger shark. We can be found in the waters off the U.S. east coast and southern African.  We can be solitary but also enjoy hanging with a group of close friends.  We are strong swimmers, active at night and like to eat.  We are usually unaggressive but if pushed too far we don’t hesitate to defend ourselves.  And if I spend enough time at sea, the sun streaks my hair like the stripes of a tiger shark.

If you could tell people one thing about about sharks and/or the oceans, what would it be?    
Sharks are far more complex than most people think.  They demonstrate a huge array of biological strategies, conduct complex behaviors, make impressive migrations.  So, all of this indicates they are extremely important to the oceans and, therefore, to us

I was weary of what I didn’t understand so I made myself learn and where else is it better to learn than face to face, in the water?

Learn More:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/people/Hannah-Medd/647631115
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Sharkhugger
Linked in: www.linkedin.com/pub/hannah-medd/7/589/881

Short Bio:
Her dad calls Hannah surf and turf.  She grew up spending summers on her family’s horse farm in Maryland and winters at a Florida beach house where she became fascinated by the sea.  After receiving a Bachelors of Science at Florida Tech in Marine Biology and Ecology, the travel gene she inherited from her parents switched on.  Hannah conducted graduate work in the UK and moved to South Africa where she received a Masters of Science at the University of Cape Town in Marine Biodiversity.  She became a part of the shark science community photographing, tagging and tracking white sharks, as well as a myriad of other field projects.  She worked with a white shark cage diving company to develop educational materials for their guests and volunteers and carried on that work in education and outreach, producing materials and giving presentations on shark biology and conservation throughout Florida.  She currently works as a consulting marine biologist, working to effectively employ scientific research to the shark conservation message.  She continues to ride horses when she can and loves being in the water with the sharks she works to understand and protect.