Unique Experiences

Item Description

Lunch or Dinner with Cristina Zonato  — Shark Behaviorist and Cave Diver — in Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas

Cristina was born in Italy in December 1971 and grew up in the middle of the rain forest of the African Congo until the age of 15.

She started diving in 1994 during a vacation to Grand Bahama, fell in love with both diving and the island and decided to make the Bahamas her home, and diving her life.

Fluent in five languages, Cristina has become the Diving Operations Manager for UNEXSO.

Still with the original love of diving, she actively teaches and guides on a regular basis. Passionate about sharks since childhood, Cristina found her place under the mentorship of legendary Ben Rose, from whom she learned the art of shark feeding and tonic immobility. In 1996, she became the shark feeder trainer. She created a course for a shark-friendly experience and has educated divers over the beauty of these creatures and the need to conserve them and their environment. Cristina’s unique gift is to be able to put a shark into a state of hypnosis through a gentle touch on its snout. Sharks respond comfortably to her touch and approach. Cristina uses this technique to remove hooks, parasites and to educate people on viewing sharks differently.Her non-profit work towards shark conservation is countless.

Parallel with her passion for sharks is her love for cave diving. Certified as a full cave diver in 1996 in Florida, in 2001, she became a full cave diving instructor. Cristina has dived and explored caves in the Bahamas, Florida and Mexico. She is mapping two of the major cave systems on Grand Bahama. The final survey will be used by the Bahamas National Trust to create unique Marine Protected Areas.

 Cristina believes in the power of education and knowledge, especially of the younger generations. Her belief can be summarized in this quote: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less" [Marie Curie]

 www.unexso.com

Item Special Note

Being auctioned is dinner or lunch with one the world’s foremost shark experts or celebrities. It is a unique opportunity to “talk shark” face-to-face, one-on-one, with a real authority on sharks. 

How it works:

1. Bid on a celebrity, shark scientist or conservationist that lives or works in your area, unless you are willing to drive or fly to meet them in their area.

2. The winning bidder pays for the lunch or dinner and may bring as many guests as he or she wishes.

3. We will introduce the winning bidder to the celebrity, scientist or conservationist. The two of you then set a mutually agreeable  date, time and place to meet within one year of the close of the auction.

All winning bids are charitable contributions deductible from US Federal 2013 income taxes.  Funds raised by the auction will be used to support shark research and conservation programs.