Rodney Fox
Encyclopedia
Rodney Winston Fox is a South Australia
n film maker, conservationist
, survivor of an attack by a great white shark
and one of the world's foremost authorities on the great white shark. Fox was inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame
in 2007.
In the attack Rodney's abdomen was fully exposed and all rib
s broken on his left hand side. His diaphragm was punctured, lung
ripped open, scapula
was pierced, spleen
uncovered, the main artery
from his heart
was exposed and he was minutes away from his vein
s collapsing due to the loss of large amounts of blood
. Tendon
s, fingers and thumb in his right hand were all cut and to this day he still has part of a great white tooth embedded in his wrist. Many stitches (462) were required to sew him together after the attack.
Fox went on to design and build the first under water observation cage to dive with the great white shark (white pointer shark), and for over 40 years has led major expeditions to film and study his attacker. He arranged and hosted the very first white shark expedition to welcome sport divers, and has run hundreds of expeditions in the thirty years since.
He is regarded as a world authority on the great white shark and has a great reputation as an expedition leader and producer
of shark documentaries. Rodney has been involved in some way with most great white shark films made in the 20th century. Rodney has hosted expeditions for over 100 major feature and documentary films with film makers and shark researchers from 16 different countries. Disney, Universal Studios, IMAX, Cousteau Society and National Geographic have enlisted his help and have filmed and studied the great whites from his cages.
Rodney's life since the attack has involved consulting and coordinating film crews and arranging and guiding ecotourism
adventure trips and expeditions specializing in great white sharks (white pointer shark) and other marine creatures. He also travels the world giving talks to people about his experiences with sharks and the need for conservation efforts to continue.
Rodney's talks and films on the Great White Shark have educated swimmers and divers to the realistic potential of shark attack. He delivers a firm message that "sharks are not all that bad, we have very few confrontations with them and we should look after all our fishes especially the Great White". He positions the Great White as an important "keystone predator" directly controlling the diversity and abundance of other species in the great web of life.
Rodney has a large private collection of displays and items from 40 years film making on the ocean which are on tour around Australia and the world. The displays feature great white shark models, shark proof cage
s from the film Jaws
, giant and ancient fossil
shark teeth, plus photos and video highlights from many films that Rodney has been involved in.
Rodney, along with his son Andrew Fox, after more than 40 years, still continue to run Rodney Fox Great White Shark Expeditions, a shark cage diving operation to view great white sharks in the wild off Southern Australia. This operation also acts as a platform for much needed further research of great white sharks as well as encouraging quality natural history documentaries on the species.
Rodney and Andrew Fox along with shark researcher Dr. Rachel Robbins, founded the Fox Shark Research Foundation (FSRF) which is devoted to the study and conservation of the great white shark.
The great white shark is listed by the IUCN as a vulnerable species. The Fox Shark Research Foundation is endeavouring to expand our understanding of great white sharks, using the latest technologies and methods of research and working in collaboration with other scientific institutions.
Rodney currently strives to further raise public awareness of the plight of all shark species through his dive operation and research foundation, via publications, public speaking, and the films his operations facilitate.
In 2007 Henry Trenorden, one of his grandchildren, was featured on What A Life International and he mentioned his grandfather's (Rodney Winston Fox) job.
In 2009 Fox was nominated for the 2010 Indianapolis Prize
, the worlds largest individual monetary award for animal species conservation.
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
n film maker, conservationist
Conservationist
Conservationists are proponents or advocates of conservation. They advocate for the protection of all the species in an ecosystem with a strong focus on the natural environment...
, survivor of an attack by a great white shark
Great white shark
The great white shark, scientific name Carcharodon carcharias, also known as the great white, white pointer, white shark, or white death, is a large lamniform shark found in coastal surface waters in all major oceans. It is known for its size, with the largest individuals known to have approached...
and one of the world's foremost authorities on the great white shark. Fox was inducted into the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame
International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame
The International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame is a web site that recognizes those who have contributed to the success and growth of recreational SCUBA diving in dive travel, entertainment, art, equipment design and development, education, exploration and adventure.This is not just a website but an...
in 2007.
Biography
Rodney Winston Fox was born in South Australia on 9 November 1940. He is married to Kay, and they have three children, Andrew, Lenore and Darren and seven grandchildren.Shark attack
Rodney Fox was attacked by a great white shark and badly bitten around the chest and arm in December 1963. His story of the attack and escape has been published many times. He is regarded as a miracle survivor of one of the world's worst non-fatal shark attacks.In the attack Rodney's abdomen was fully exposed and all rib
Rib
In vertebrate anatomy, ribs are the long curved bones which form the rib cage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the chest cavity. They serve to protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thorax...
s broken on his left hand side. His diaphragm was punctured, lung
Lung
The lung is the essential respiration organ in many air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of the heart...
ripped open, scapula
Scapula
In anatomy, the scapula , omo, or shoulder blade, is the bone that connects the humerus with the clavicle ....
was pierced, spleen
Spleen
The spleen is an organ found in virtually all vertebrate animals with important roles in regard to red blood cells and the immune system. In humans, it is located in the left upper quadrant of the abdomen. It removes old red blood cells and holds a reserve of blood in case of hemorrhagic shock...
uncovered, the main artery
Aorta
The aorta is the largest artery in the body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and extending down to the abdomen, where it branches off into two smaller arteries...
from his heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
was exposed and he was minutes away from his vein
Vein
In the circulatory system, veins are blood vessels that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated blood to the heart...
s collapsing due to the loss of large amounts of blood
Blood
Blood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
. Tendon
Tendon
A tendon is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that usually connects muscle to bone and is capable of withstanding tension. Tendons are similar to ligaments and fasciae as they are all made of collagen except that ligaments join one bone to another bone, and fasciae connect muscles to other...
s, fingers and thumb in his right hand were all cut and to this day he still has part of a great white tooth embedded in his wrist. Many stitches (462) were required to sew him together after the attack.
Fox went on to design and build the first under water observation cage to dive with the great white shark (white pointer shark), and for over 40 years has led major expeditions to film and study his attacker. He arranged and hosted the very first white shark expedition to welcome sport divers, and has run hundreds of expeditions in the thirty years since.
He is regarded as a world authority on the great white shark and has a great reputation as an expedition leader and producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
of shark documentaries. Rodney has been involved in some way with most great white shark films made in the 20th century. Rodney has hosted expeditions for over 100 major feature and documentary films with film makers and shark researchers from 16 different countries. Disney, Universal Studios, IMAX, Cousteau Society and National Geographic have enlisted his help and have filmed and studied the great whites from his cages.
Rodney's life since the attack has involved consulting and coordinating film crews and arranging and guiding ecotourism
Ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of tourism visiting fragile, pristine, and usually protected areas, intended as a low impact and often small scale alternative to standard commercial tourism...
adventure trips and expeditions specializing in great white sharks (white pointer shark) and other marine creatures. He also travels the world giving talks to people about his experiences with sharks and the need for conservation efforts to continue.
Rodney's talks and films on the Great White Shark have educated swimmers and divers to the realistic potential of shark attack. He delivers a firm message that "sharks are not all that bad, we have very few confrontations with them and we should look after all our fishes especially the Great White". He positions the Great White as an important "keystone predator" directly controlling the diversity and abundance of other species in the great web of life.
Rodney has a large private collection of displays and items from 40 years film making on the ocean which are on tour around Australia and the world. The displays feature great white shark models, shark proof cage
Shark proof cage
A shark proof cage is an extremely strong metal cage used by a SCUBA diver to safely examine dangerous types of sharks up close, such as the Great White shark or bull shark. Shark proof cages are built to withstand being rammed by large, powerful sharks. The cages provide a visual and tactile...
s from the film Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
, giant and ancient fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
shark teeth, plus photos and video highlights from many films that Rodney has been involved in.
Rodney, along with his son Andrew Fox, after more than 40 years, still continue to run Rodney Fox Great White Shark Expeditions, a shark cage diving operation to view great white sharks in the wild off Southern Australia. This operation also acts as a platform for much needed further research of great white sharks as well as encouraging quality natural history documentaries on the species.
Rodney and Andrew Fox along with shark researcher Dr. Rachel Robbins, founded the Fox Shark Research Foundation (FSRF) which is devoted to the study and conservation of the great white shark.
The great white shark is listed by the IUCN as a vulnerable species. The Fox Shark Research Foundation is endeavouring to expand our understanding of great white sharks, using the latest technologies and methods of research and working in collaboration with other scientific institutions.
Rodney currently strives to further raise public awareness of the plight of all shark species through his dive operation and research foundation, via publications, public speaking, and the films his operations facilitate.
In 2007 Henry Trenorden, one of his grandchildren, was featured on What A Life International and he mentioned his grandfather's (Rodney Winston Fox) job.
In 2009 Fox was nominated for the 2010 Indianapolis Prize
Indianapolis Prize
The Indianapolis Prize is an award given every other year to an individual who has made significant strides in conservation efforts involving an animal species or multiple animal species.-The prize:...
, the worlds largest individual monetary award for animal species conservation.
Quotations
- "Rodney Fox's attack is perhaps the best known of all shark attacks. Rodney Fox is a man whose life has been all but defined by the white pointer. The 1963 attack left him with a great fold in his left side where he was sewn together, but he nonetheless chose to devote much of his life to the pursuit (with camera and tourists) of Carcharodon. There has scarcely been an expedition, movie, book or scientific study of the great white shark in which Rodney was not involved."
- From "Great White Shark" 1992, by Richard EllisRichard Ellis (biologist)Richard Ellis is an American marine biologist, author, and illustrator. He is a research associate in the American Museum of Natural History's division of paleontology, special adviser to the American Cetacean Society, and a member of the Explorers Club. He was U.S...
& John McCosker
- "An Australian named Rodney Fox, probably has more experience with live White Sharks than anyone. For more than 20 years he has conducted regular sorties into their realm."
- From the Cousteau Society's Calypso Log. August 1989
- "Rodney Fox, an Australian man of the sea who had guided us to this spot, knew about white shark attacks and miraculous escapes at first hand. In 1963, while participating in a spear-fishing tournament off Aldinga Beach south of Adelaide, his home town, Rodney was nearly bitten in half by a great white. Held together by his wet suit, he was rushed to a hospital, where 462 stitches were required to sew him up. Rodney was back in the water less than three months afterward. Today he is regarded as one of the world's foremost authorities on the behaviour of the great white shark."
- From National Geographic MagazineNational Geographic MagazineNational Geographic, formerly the National Geographic Magazine, is the official journal of the National Geographic Society. It published its first issue in 1888, just nine months after the Society itself was founded...
article Australian Southern Seas.
External links
- Rodney Fox's web site
- Shark Survivor And Saviour:Rodney Fox Interview 2007
- Shark And Awe: Cage Diving With Rodney Fox 2007
- http://www.diveplanet.co.nz/gwdivfox/index.asp Shark Diving Rodney Fox
- Images of the wounds inflicted
- Monday 24 July 2006 Australian Shark Films a hit in 1965
- Great White Sharks Cage Diving with Rodney Fox