RI couple Lauren and Joe Romeiro  to be featured on 'Shark Week' Saturday night

SOUTH KINGSTOWN — Lauren and Joe Romeiro get up close and personal with sharks — as in three feet away, armed only with large, boxy cameras. 

On Saturday at 8 p.m., the couple, who study shark behavior for a living, will be featured on the Discovery Channel’s show, "Shark Week."         

The show, called “Return to Shark Vortex,” will follow them as they observe shark behavior off the coast of Rhode Island in their 46-foot vessel, the War Fish, berthed at Point Judith. 

The couple met and later fell in love because of their shared fascination with sharks, especially the Northern Atlantic ones, such as the mako and the great white.  

Sharks, especially great whites, have gotten a bad rap, said Lauren, 27, a marine biologist with a master’s degree from the University of Rhode Island. Her mission — and Joe’s — is to protect sharks from their primary predator — humans.  

“We lose three sharks per second in the world, and soon sharks will face extinction if we don’t lead the way on conservation,” Joe said. “Our goal is to showcase sharks as beautiful creatures that are critical to our ocean ecosystem, and to fight for their survival as a species.” 

Joe Romeiro, 45, is a wildlife cinematographer who has been studying and filming sharks for 10 years. A Rhode Islander and former commercial fisherman, he grew up with the "Wild Kingdom" show on TV and, of course, the movie, "Jaws."

In his 20s, he bought his first underwater camera and, from then on, he was hooked. Lauren Romeiro spent summers on her family’s boat in Rhode Island and remembers seeing her first shark cruise along its side. 

The couple, who live in Exeter, talked about several popular shark myths — and some cool facts.  

◘ Sharks create a healthy ocean ecosystem because they feed on species like seals that would otherwise consume too many smaller fish.  

◘ Sharks are a lot more afraid of us than we are of them.   

“We tune into certain behaviors,” said Lauren, who said she has never been attacked. “We know when they are aggravated and know how to stay safe. We have this three-foot rule. We either have these big cameras or some kind of object in front of us so we have time to react.” 

◘ Sharks don’t eat humans. “They are not out to get us,” she said. “If there is just one shark and we jump in, that shark will leave.” 

◘ New England's waters have more than 30 species of shark, thanks to the collision of two ocean currents. Of the 500 species, only a few are rebounding, Joe said. The mako is on the endangered species list. 

Linda Borg covers education for The Journal.