What it's like to come face-to-face with a great white shark, with Dan Abbott of Netflix's All The Sharks

Wildlife cinematographer Dan Abbott has travelled the world documenting marine life from the peaceful turtles of the Mediterranean to the iconic great white sharks off the coast of South Africa.

And after years working primarily behind the camera, he's now found fame as one of the stars of Netflix's new series, All The Sharks.

All The Sharks is an unusual format: a unique blend of nature documentary and reality TV contest which has become something of a sensation in just a few days, hitting the Netflix Top 10 in more than 44 countries at the time of writing.

Dan joined James Fisher on the Country Life podcast at the start of 2025 to talk all things marine wildlife, from the disarming curiosity of the blue shark to the alarming rudeness of the bottlenose dolphin.

And yes, we also spoke to him about great white sharks, the awe-inspiring predator which actually inspired him to get in to a career as a wildlife film maker. Dan speaks about what it's like to come face to face with a creature which — thanks in large part to Steven Spielberg's Jaws — has a reputation as one of the scariest on the planet.

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With the Netflix show riding high, we thought it would be a great time to revisit the episode. It'll be a treat for those who might have missed it first time round, and just as much of a treat for those who listen again to this truly fascinating interview.

All The Sharks is out now on Netflix and you can follow Dan Abbott on Instagram @sharkman_dan.

You can find out more about Dan's life and career by following his Instagram page @sharkman_dan.

Episode credits

• Host: James Fisher

• Guest: Dan Abbott

• Producer and editor: Toby Keel

• Music: JuliusH via Pixabay