Dance of the snappers

By Simon Round

Wolfgang Leander swims with sharks — to photograph them. He’s not crazy, he tells Simon Round

In recent years, thousands of people have taken the opportunity to swim with dolphins. Far fewer have been overtaken by the urge to swim with sharks. Wolfgang Leander is one of those who has.

Sixty-seven-year-old Leander, the son of a German-Jewish refugee who was born and raised in South America, developed a passion for diving despite spending much of his childhood in the landlocked country of Bolivia. On Mediterranean holidays he snorkelled and indulged in spear-fishing. Then, 40 years ago on a Caribbean holiday, he encountered sharks for the first time. He was hooked and has followed his passion ever since. [TheJC.com]