Florida Diver Befriends 15-Foot Tiger Shark
“There’s no question whatsoever that Emma has been my friend all these years,” Jim Abernethy tells Inside Edition.
Forget about a dog, one man’s best friend is a shark.
Jim Abernethy has been exploring the waters off the coast of the Bahamas for decades. The 15-foot tiger shark named Emma befriended him after he pulled fishermans’ hooks out of her mouth, gaining her trust.
“There’s no question whatsoever that Emma has been my friend all these years,” Abernethy tells Inside Edition.
Tiger sharks are said to be aggressive and ferocious predators, but Abernethy says Emma is not like the others.
Emma is a sweetheart, Abernethy says, more like a dog than a man-eater. She even gently nudges Abernethy when she recognizes him under the sea and likes getting her head rubbed.
Abernethy says he communicates with Emma using specialized hand signals, and that she has never once acted aggressively toward him.
“Emma and her kind have emotions and feelings. It’s critical that we all take care of them,” Abernethy says.
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