Kendyl Berna On Discovery Shark Week, Researching Mako Sharks, And Beyond The Reef

Kendyl Berna’s career as a marine biologist and film producer is a perfect marriage thanks to her work on Discovery Shark Week. Tonight she gets in shark cage for Biggest Mako on Earth (premiering on Discovery at 10 pm et/pt). Berna talked to Deepest Dream about her passion for sharks and the ocean and she also elaborated why her non-profit Beyond The Reef is a big part of her life.

 The City of Angels Provided Early Ocean Passions For Kendyl Berna

Kendyl Berna grew up in Southern California, and knowing the lay of the land helped give her a bit of familiarity diving into these Discovery Channel projects.

“This is my fourth year actually going out there and studying the Makos for Shark Week,” said Berna. “So I grew up right there. But growing up, I went diving a bit. My mom would take me diving. But I was a little bit less into it. It’s a little cold in California, truthfully. Then I moved to the British Virgin Islands and started an ocean conservation non-profit. And I was in the water five times a day diving for something – whether it was shark research, cetacean research, ghost fishing gear removal, and actually cutting nets out of coral coral research. Things like that. I became a real water baby. I feel very comfortable in there.”

Did You Say Chum Cloud?

Part of Shark Week’s fun, from Berna’s point of view, is getting to think like “10-year-olds doing a science experiment.” That approach is evidenced on the exploding chum that Berna had to deal with in Biggest Mako on Earth!

 ”Okay, so the exploding chum, you don’t get off of any of your equipment until, like, the following year,” said Berna. “Like, no matter how hard you try, think of being just in a chum cloud, right? There is just fish everywhere. When you get out of the water and you take your first breath outside, the fish water goes into your mouth. It’s pretty repulsive, especially because that fish has been sitting around for a very long time. You just reminded me of the chum cloud and how disturbing it is. But that said yeah, I think as a scientist, it’s fun to do different things and get to go outside of the usual lane that you’re in.”

Check out my full interview with Kendyl Berna as she also talks about Beyond The Reef and being a goat mom!

Catch Biggest Mako on Earth on Discovery (10 pm et/pt) and share your thoughts on Shark Week below!

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