Ocean Ramsey Swims with Great White Sharks Unprotected [VIDEO]: Blonde Diver Proves Almost-Extinct Predators 'Aren't that Scary'

Hawaiian shark conservation advocate Ocean Ramsey recently proved to the public that Great Whites "aren't as scary as they appear to be" by swimming in open water with several of the large ocean predators - unprotected. The beautiful free-diving expert recently hit the blue waters off the coast of Mexico to enjoy some time gliding along with the stunning creatures. In an effort to highlight the need for conservation of a species on the verge of extinction, Ramsey claims that she was able to experience a remarkable chance of a lifetime. The entire shark swimming was filmed by ocean photographer Juan Oliphant and posted on YouTube on Valentine's Day.

Ramsey, a professional scuba diver who began swimming with sharks at the age of fourteen, told the Daily Telegraph:

"The goal was to go and find some great white sharks and collect video footage of their natural behavior, but also, if the opportunity arose and the conditions were right, to actually interact with them... We wanted to show that this is what they're really like - not the Hollywood movie where you put a drop of blood in the water and the animals go crazy."

After two days of observing the Great Whites from an underwater cage, Ramsey ventured into the open water. She then slowly paddled over to a 16-foot female shark before grabbing onto its dorsal fin and sailing along. She described the experience as a mixture of "incredible joy and breathtaking emotions."

"There is an instinctive fear, knowing what the animals are capable of, but it's hard to describe what it's like to be in the presence of such a magnificent animal. I felt extremely privileged to have such a close encounter."

Even so, Ramsey strongly recommends that swimmers leave such close-encounter experiences to the professionals:

"I wouldn't recommend or encourage people go out and go freediving with these animals. They are wild animals and they need to be respected as an apex predator - they can only ever be so predictable."

Ramsey, a former marine park sharks curator who is family with the species' body language and behavior, has also swam with tiger sharks and bull sharks in the oceans of Australia and the South Pacific.

Ramsey and Oliphant's breathtaking video hit the web the same week California's Fish and Game Commission officially classified the Great White shark as an endangered species. It is estimated that there are fewer than 350 great whites swimming along the Pacific Coast, and fewer than 3,500 left worldwide.

According to Oliphant, "The biggest thing for me is to nail the shot. Here's this beautiful shark and this graceful diver swimming along in perfect harmony with each other" ("Good Morning America").

Since posted on YouTube, the "GoPro: A Blonde and a Great White Shark" video has garnered over 678,500 views on YouTube: