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Ocean Ramsey swims with Great White sharks

Local model and diver Ocean Ramsey is getting national attention for her rendezvous with a great white shark.

A diver in Hawaii is making waves with her campaign to change the image of sharks by diving with them, sometimes holding on to their dorsal fins to swim along with them.

Her name is, appropriately, Ocean Ramsey and the video she posted this fall showing her shark exploits is getting worldwide attention. On her website, entitled Water Inspired, Ramsey says her goal is to teach the world that sharks aren't the man-eating monsters depicted in films like Jaws.

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Ramsey says she has studied marine biology and grew up diving in Hawaii and San Diego, where she developed a love of sharks. Now she's trying to reduce over-fishing by promoting them as largely peaceful animals with a vital role in keeping our oceans healthy.

Last week, a study in the journal Marine Policy found a third of shark species are at risk of extinction from over-fishing, according to Reuters.

Unlike animals that seem cute and cuddly, sharks don't always elicit much sympathy for their plight. Better in our soup than with their jaws around our legs, we might think. Ramsey says we're wrong.

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"Sharks are intelligent, calculated and generally very cautious about approaching humans," she wrote.

As she glides along with sharks in video footage, the animals don't seem to pay her any mind.