Valerie Taylor

Valerie Taylor is a shark and ocean treasure. A global marine pioneer, conservationist, winner of multiple awards as a photographer and filmmaker, scriptwriter, author and painter, she is also an inaugural member of both the Diving Hall of Fame and the Women Divers Hall of Fame.

Valerie and her husband, Ron, made numerous documentaries and sequences for films such as Jaws and Valerie played herself in the film Blue Water White Death. Her photographs have appeared in National Geographic magazine, and she has twice appeared on the magazine's cover.

Valerie's many awards include the NOGI award for Arts from the Academy of Underwater Arts & Sciences, Order of the Golden Ark (presented by his Royal Highness, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands), the American Press Club's American Nature Photographer of the year and the Golden Palm Award at Antibes, France. A 90-minute documentary of Valerie's life, Playing with Sharks, was shown last week at the Sundance Film Festival 2021, and a biography, Valerie Taylor: An Adventurous Life: The remarkable story of the trailblazing ocean conservationist, photographer and shark expert, is due out in June.