Uploaded June 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From the Radiolab podcast: We go to the shark-infested waters of South Australia to meet the monster for ourselves
This is episode two of Swimming with Shadows: A Radiolab Week of Sharks.
Jaws spawned a thousand imitators: sharks in tornados, sharks in avalanches, sharks that battle giant octopuses. Hollywood has officially turned sharks into monsters of every shape and size. And yet, somehow, there will always be more.
Reporter Rachael Cusick and a crew of people travel to the Southern Coast of Australia to look past, around or through their fears, hoping to find a great white shark. When the shark finally appears from the depths, it’s something more complex, mysterious and beautiful than they’d ever imagined. Rachael sees a creature that has perfectly evolved not to kill, but to survive. Paleontologist John Long and marine biologist Jaida Elcock explain how sharks have existed for over 400 million years, longer than the Earth has had trees. Longer than Saturn has had rings. Sharks have survived five mass extinction events and continue to survive the ever-changing ocean ecosystems.
Today, we go visit that shark.
Video includes footage by Alison Kock, @kazu2k7 on Instagram, Radiolab Editor Becca Bressler, and reporter Rachael Cusick.
Special thanks to Andrew Fox, the entire team at Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions, John Long whose book The Secret History of Sharks inspired our obsession with sharks, and Greg Skomal, whose wonderful new book on his life studying white sharks is Chasing Shadows: My Life Tracking the Great White Shark.
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Rachael Cusick
with help from Pat Walters
Produced by Rachael Cusick and Simon Adler
with help from Pat Walters
Sound design contributed by Jeremy Bloom
with mixing help from Jeremy Bloom
Fact-checking by Natalie Middleton
and edited by Pat Walters
EPISODE CITATIONS:
Videos -
Loved learning about all the different kinds of sharks there are? Check out even more Jaida Elcock’s videos on sharks.
Book -
The Secret History of Sharks by John Long
Chasing Shadows: My Life Tracking the Great White Shark by Greg Skomal
Signup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (radiolab.org/newsletter)!
Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (members.radiolab.org/) today.
Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org.
Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
🎧 Subscribe to Radiolab wherever you listen to podcasts: lnk.to/radiolab!youtube
🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: bit.ly/3I9KI53
🖋 Subscribe to Radiolab’s Newsletter: radiolab.org/newsletter
🌱 Check out Radiolab's Starter Kit Playlist: bit.ly/3sX8f4P
👍 Like this video ✏️ and leave us a comment!
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Our newsletter includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up here: radiolab.org/newsletter
Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: radiolab.org/the-lab
Photo illustration by Jared Bartman
Video by W. Harry Fortuna
From the Radiolab podcast: We go to the shark-infested waters of South Australia to meet the monster for ourselves
This is episode two of Swimming with Shadows: A Radiolab Week of Sharks.
Jaws spawned a thousand imitators: sharks in tornados, sharks in avalanches, sharks that battle giant octopuses. Hollywood has officially turned sharks into monsters of every shape and size. And yet, somehow, there will always be more.
Reporter Rachael Cusick and a crew of people travel to the Southern Coast of Australia to look past, around or through their fears, hoping to find a great white shark. When the shark finally appears from the depths, it’s something more complex, mysterious and beautiful than they’d ever imagined. Rachael sees a creature that has perfectly evolved not to kill, but to survive. Paleontologist John Long and marine biologist Jaida Elcock explain how sharks have existed for over 400 million years, longer than the Earth has had trees. Longer than Saturn has had rings. Sharks have survived five mass extinction events and continue to survive the ever-changing ocean ecosystems.
Today, we go visit that shark.
Video includes footage by Alison Kock, @kazu2k7 on Instagram, Radiolab Editor Becca Bressler, and reporter Rachael Cusick.
Special thanks to Andrew Fox, the entire team at Rodney Fox Shark Expeditions, John Long whose book The Secret History of Sharks inspired our obsession with sharks, and Greg Skomal, whose wonderful new book on his life studying white sharks is Chasing Shadows: My Life Tracking the Great White Shark.
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Rachael Cusick
with help from Pat Walters
Produced by Rachael Cusick and Simon Adler
with help from Pat Walters
Sound design contributed by Jeremy Bloom
with mixing help from Jeremy Bloom
Fact-checking by Natalie Middleton
and edited by Pat Walters
EPISODE CITATIONS:
Videos -
Loved learning about all the different kinds of sharks there are? Check out even more Jaida Elcock’s videos on sharks.
Book -
The Secret History of Sharks by John Long
Chasing Shadows: My Life Tracking the Great White Shark by Greg Skomal
Signup for our newsletter!! It includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up (radiolab.org/newsletter)!
Radiolab is supported by listeners like you. Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab (members.radiolab.org/) today.
Follow our show on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @radiolab, and share your thoughts with us by emailing radiolab@wnyc.org.
Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Simons Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
🎧 Subscribe to Radiolab wherever you listen to podcasts: lnk.to/radiolab!youtube
🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: bit.ly/3I9KI53
🖋 Subscribe to Radiolab’s Newsletter: radiolab.org/newsletter
🌱 Check out Radiolab's Starter Kit Playlist: bit.ly/3sX8f4P
👍 Like this video ✏️ and leave us a comment!
Follow Radiolab:
Instagram — Instagram — lnk.to/radiolab!instagram (@Radiolab)
X — https://x.com/Radiolab
Facebook — facebook.com/Radiolab
Threads — threads.net/@radiolab
TikTok — tiktok.com/@radiolab
Our newsletter includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up here: radiolab.org/newsletter
Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: radiolab.org/the-lab
Photo illustration by Jared Bartman
Video by W. Harry Fortuna
