A tribute to Ralph S. Collier

There are moments in life were one has to sit down and travel back down memory lane, remembering special events. This usually happens when one receives some sad news. Two days ago, I received the news of the passing of a dear friend and Shark research colleague Ralph S. Collier.

Ralph and I have been friends for some 30 years and during this time, we have shared loads of information about shark incidents and shark conservation. We have also been a shoulder to each other as we dealt with and shared personal issues. When I first put up my website on line in 1997, Ralph was one of the very first Shark researchers I interviewed. That interview can be found here.

Ralph S. Collier was a pioneer in Shark and humans interaction research. His investigation work and studies in Shark attacks led to the discovery of a lot of data and knowledge that we know today. As Director of the Global Shark Attack File, he did his utmost to find out the facts about shark attacks and change the negative image portrayed by the media. 

Ralph was also Founder / President of the Shark Research Committee. He also provided accurate and factual data to the scientific communities. He also published numerous research papers and articles. His book, Shark Attacks of the Twentieth Century; from the Pacific Coast of North America published in 2003 is a comprehensive analysis of 108 shark attacks that occurred between 1900 and 1999.

Ralph's knowledge of shark/human interactions made him as #1 consultant on many shark documentaries on Animal Planet, National Geographic and Discovery Channel amongst others. Shark Week will never be the same without Ralph S. Collier.

Rest in peace my dear friend. Gonna miss you..... and thank you for always supporting my work.