THE WATERMEN PROJECT [PARTNER SPOTLIGHT]

Cape Clasp was founded with a mission to protect marine ecosystems across the globe. Through our partnership model, we donate 15% of profits from each design to a related nonprofit, and we want to share their stories with you.

Introducing our Hammerhead Necklace partner: The Watermen Project.

The Watermen Project is a Swiss nonprofit organization that is dedicated to marine conservation, focusing on sharks. The organization was founded in 2012 by competitive freediver William Winram.

The Watermen Project approaches shark research differently than most. Instead of photographing and tagging sharks from large metal diving cages or noisy boats, the researchers quietly free dive with sharks, taking care not to startle or stress out the animals with loud noises from scuba equipment or strange objects. The result is breathtaking: divers harmoniously swim next to sharks, representing how our two species can peacefully coexist with one another.

The divers use a modified speargun to strategically tag the shark by the dorsal fin, where the skin is the thickest, ensuring the tag will stay in and will not harm the animal. They then analyze the data from each tag to learn more about the shark’s behavior and migration patterns, helping the scientific community better understand sharks and how we can protect each species.