A great way to introduce your friends and family to the issues of shark conservation is by hosting a party to show Sharkwater. Here are some suggestions for organizing the event:

• Sharkwater is available on DVD for rental or purchase.
• Consider hosting the viewing party at your home, office, house of worship, school, or club.
• There are some obvious basics to planning an event, such as making sure the room is large enough to accommodate the number of people you expect to show. Ensure that you have enough seats for everyone that you invite, and that they will have a clear, unobstructed view of the film. Watch out for bright lighting that may cause a glare on the screen.
• Download one of these blank invitations and add your details. We have two versions: one for use if you would like to make this event a fundraiser for Shark Savers, and one if you don't. Invite everyone you know to attend.
  Download: Sharkwater...
• If you plan on offering refreshments, mention that in the invitation as it may be an incentive to come!
• Determine how you will show the film, and then test beforehand to ensure it works how you'd like. In a small room, a good-sized television connected to a DVD player will suffice. For large rooms, you may want to use an LCD projector.
• Prepare handouts with additional information ahead of time. Download one or more of these files which you can have printed.
  • Download: Fact / Fiction Flyer fact and fiction.pdf 
    This dispels some of the more common misconceptions about sharks (print front and back, to yield 2 copies on each 8.5x11 letter-size paper)
  • Download: Brochure Shark Savers Brochure. v5.pdf
• Plan that your presentation will take about 2 hours. The film runs for about 1 1/2hrs, and you'll want to spend about 5 minutes at the beginning introducing the film, and some time at the end asking and answering questions.
• Here's a suggestion of what you could say to introduce the film:
  “The documentary we are about to see was made by a Canadian filmmaker, Rob Stewart, who has always been passionate about sharks diving with them since childhood, he was a wildlife and underwater photographer and witnessed firsthand the depletion of sharks in the ocean, that is why he set up to make the documentary we are about to see, to change the perception of people about sharks, an “antijaws” movie, so we would care about saving them from extinction just like we care about saving whales or pandas .It took him over 4 years to have this movie made and went through many adventures above water witch set the tone of his documentary. I hope you will enjoy the movie, Thank you.”
• Here are some suggestions on how to lead a discussion after watching the film:
  • Ask your guests what they thought of the movie
  • Ask them how the movie has changed their perception of sharks. You could ask what specific parts of the movie played a role in changing their perception about sharks
  • You could summarize the main issues raised by the film. Reviewing other material on the Shark Savers site could help to prepare you for this. Here are some suggested thoughts:
    • Sharks are not the monsters or man-eaters depicted in the media and movies
    • There is only an average of 60 shark related incidents per year worldwide, and only an average of 4 or 5 that are fatal. This number is miniscule compared to such incidents as dog bites or lightning strikes.
    • In contrast, up to 73 million sharks are killed each year, mostly for their fins or due to by-catch
    • In the last 30 years 90% of some shark species have been depleted.
    • Because of their bad reputation and the irrational fear they instigate, people do not care about saving them.
    • Sharks have been around for over 450 million years, 150 million years before the dinosaurs
    • They play a vital role in our ocean ecosystem. As the apex predators they have been keeping marine life in a healthy balance.
    • We need sharks to keep our oceans healthy and we depend on healthy ocean to survive.
    • Learn more about sharks; learn what they can do to save sharks: visit the Shark Savers web site.
    • Donate to Shark Savers.
• If you do operate this event as a fundraiser, don't forget to send us the proceeds! And, thank you.