It really wasn’t until World War II when people read news reports about sharks attacking shipwrecked sailors that we decided they were vindictive killers. Like some Greek tragedy, we became the thing we feared and started massacring sharks, which is a problem. Costa Del Mar, the number one maker of quality polarized sunglasses, has released an awesome limited edition line benefiting OCEARCH and the work they do to help sharks in honor of World Oceans Day.
Why should I spend my cold hard cash on sunglasses that will protect cold hard killers, you ask. You probably shouldn’t. Luckily, sharks aren’t cold hard killers. They’re awesome, all 440 different species of them. They range in size from the gentle giant Whale Shark, which can grow up to an impressive 65 feet, to the adorable, pocket sized Dwarf Lanternshark, measuring up at a diminutive seven inches. For over 400 million years sharks have been swimming the seven seas, which means they pre-date the dinosaurs. And post-date them (RIP, dinos). You don’t survive this long without being a true boss.
Sharks don’t have hands, so they “mouth”– they use their mouths to figure out what something is. That innate curiosity probably isn’t appreciated if they’re figuring out what your arm is, but shark attacks are rare and even more rarely fatal. In the US, we’re looking at about 16 shark “curiosity bites” a year, with a fatality once every two years. More people die falling out of bed in the US than die because of sharks and nobody is trying to get rid of beds.
At the beginning of the 20th century, we were so convinced sharks had never and would never attack a human, someone put money on it. Apparently, the prize for shark bite was never collected. Sure, there was that time in 1916 when a Great White shark went batshit and ultimately inspired Jaws, but that was one shark with a chip on its fin. Still, combine the awesome success of Jaws and the World War II-induced fear and it spelled disaster for sharks. We decided they were bloodthirsty, vengeful, monstrous man-eaters who live to feast on human flesh. Fishing tournaments aimed at killing sharks sprung up, hell, people killed them for fun, all thinking they were performing some sort of public service. In reality, they were helping to decimate the shark populations by upwards of 90% in some species, and by extension, decimating oceans.
Costa Del Mar sunglasses are beloved by fisherman and lovers of watersports the world over, so it makes sense the company is helping to look after oceans. There’s no real point to polarizing sunglasses if there’s nothing in the water to look at. Costa Del Mar has long been teamed up with OCEARCH, an organization that tracks and researches keystone marine species, which includes sharks. Sharks help maintain coral reefs, biodiversity, and species health. Without them, the delicate ecosystem is destroyed, which ultimately means we don’t get to eat delicious seafood or look at anything interesting when we snorkel. Plus, people are starting to realize live animals mean more money for us humans. For example, a reef shark enjoying its habitat in the Bahamas generates $250,000 in tourism. A dead one gets the fisherman a mere one-time $50.
OCEARCH has the fascinating Global Shark Tracker, which allows you follow your favorite new shark, like Mary Lee, Hilton, Oscar, The Judge, and Miss Costa, to name a few, as he or she migrates. It also provides valuable research and data for scientists who are trying to protect them and maybe give them some much-deserved good PR for once.
Costa Del Mar’s limited edition line has everything you need to get out on the water and support your local sharks. A portion of every purchase from the collection benefits OCEARCH’s tireless and badly needed work. In addition to their phenomenal sunglasses, the collection includes hats, and shirts, many of which support your favorite Great White that OCEARCH tracks. Mary Lee is a crowd favorite, but Lydia and Katharine also get repped. Did we mention all of Costa Del Mar’s sunglasses are made in the US?
Your awesome Costa Del Mar polarized sunglasses are saving sharks and American manufacturing. You’ll look sharp as a Great White’s tooth.
