A shark educator’s perspective
Cristina Zenato
Exploring connected waters, sharing a passion for conservation.
Learning from sharks
Cristina is a shark ecologist and behaviorist, conservationist, explorer, and educator whose work with Caribbean reef sharks has helped people see these animals with greater knowledge and less fear.
Born in Italy and raised in the Congo, she developed an early appreciation for wild places. Learning to dive brought her to the Bahamas, where she made her home and built a life around exploring, teaching and protecting the underwater world.
Exploring connected waters
Cristina’s exploration extends from shark encounters to the underwater caves of the Bahamas. Her work includes surveying cave systems and tracing a connection between an inland cave and an ocean blue hole. These experiences inform her conservation work: caves, mangroves and the sea are connected, and protecting them calls for looking beyond a single habitat.
Sharing knowledge
In 2019, Cristina founded People of the Water to support exploration, education and conservation. Its work includes training, research and mentoring. Teaching is central to her work, whether she is training divers, speaking to an audience or encouraging young people to ask questions about the ocean.
Cristina and Beneath the Sea
Cristina has shared her experience as a Beneath the Sea seminar and Marine Careers speaker. In 2025, Beneath the Sea named her Diver of the Year for Environment. Her invitation to young artists in the 2027 Ocean Pals Poster Contest continues that connection through ocean learning and artwork.
An invitation to young artists
See sharks through young artists’ eyes
As the featured collaborator for the 2027 National Ocean Pals Poster Contest, Cristina invites young artists to notice how sharks connect with reefs, prey, and the wider ocean—and to turn what they learn into artwork that helps others see sharks differently.
Cristina invites us to see sharks through the eyes of younger generations. Drawing on more than three decades working with sharks in the Bahamas, Cristina shares a message of curiosity, respect and protection. For Sharks in Balance: Healthy Sharks, Healthy Oceans, young artists can help turn fear into fascination—and show why protecting sharks helps protect our ocean.
A shark educator’s perspective
Cristina brings firsthand knowledge of sharks and a passion for ocean education. Her perspective can help young artists connect imaginative ideas with a thoughtful understanding of sharks and a healthy ocean—celebrating both what they discover and how they choose to share it.
Discover, then create
Bring shark learning into the classroom
Explore how sharks connect with reefs, prey and the wider ocean, then invite young artists to share what they discover through the 2027 poster contest.
Ready-to-use lessons, student handouts and guidance for educators.
Find the theme, entry requirements, awards and regional contacts.