I don’t often do interviews, but when the universe decides to bash me over the head, I have to listen.

Let me explain.

Bored on the train last week I was fooling around searching different hashtags on Instagram.  I’d just bought Brenden Brazier’s book, Whole Foods to Thrive, so I decided to see what other Thrive fans were up to.  I searched #thrivediet and a bunch of pics came up.  The first one was of a guy’s back, covered in tattoos of sharks.

I was intrigued.

I read his bio and then went to his website and out found out that he was a 100% plant-based endurance athlete, open water swim coach and – get this – he leads shark swimming expeditions down south as a way to raise awareness about these misunderstood creatures and help protect them.

He’s basically a vegan superhero.

I couldn’t resist.  I sent him a message just saying how cool I thought his mission was.  He responded right back to say thanks and to tell me that – get this – we actually live in neighbouring towns.

Seriously.  In the whole planet that is represented on Instagram, I live about 20 min away from this guy.

How crazy is that?

When the universe sends a sign like that, I’m just way too superstitious to ignore it.  I asked him if I could interview him for my blog and he was totally up for it.  So here you go:

246Todd Cameron is the founder and director of Lateral Line, an eco-tourism company that provides clients with a once-in-a-lifetime experience to swim and interact with sharks in their natural habitat. Their goal, through these encounters, is to begin to change the way people see sharks and eventually to put an end to the slaughter of these powerful and important animals.

Todd is also a competitive open-water swimmer.  He recently completed a 2300km Swim for Sharks to help raise awareness for the species. Todd is a PADI certified diver, swim coach, and plant-based nutrition coach for elite and professional athletes.

toddrotaryPlant-Based Diet

How long have you been vegan?

I have been 100% plant-based vegan since Jan 14th, 2011. Just over 3.5 years.

Why did you choose to move to a plant-based diet?

I naturally progressed slowly at first in this direction, limiting meat more and more as it just felt right before I even knew much about plant-based nutrition or veganism. In 2009 my involvement with sharks and shark awareness/conservation put me in the company of animal rights activists and the blinders that most of the human race has on when it comes to animals started to lift. Then that day comes…when you get it, you get it. It’s only when you fully comprehend that you change, to seeing meat differently and for what it truly is. Then learning about the health implications of eating meat and dairy, the environmental cost, and the rebound effect on your karma. I read The THRIVE Diet (by Brendan Brazier) on Jan 13th, 2011 at a friend’s house one night and was up ’til 3am reading it. I went vegan the next day cutting out the remaining animal in my diet at that point; fish and dairy, permanently.

toddBOTBcropWhat effect has moving to a plant-based diet had on your own training and athletic performance?

Recovery and energy exploded, meal prep got faster, cheaper, and yummier. Sleep quality improved and mental clarity has been steadily increasing since. My eyesight also improved in my first year on a plant-based diet. That is it in a nutshell, again; WIN-WIN-WIN-WIN.

Is everyone on the Lateral Line team vegan?

Yes I am proud to say our entire team lives a plant-based lifestyle.

GEEndurance Performance on a Plant-Based Diet

How do you respond to people who say that a plant-based diet isn’t adequate to support an endurance athlete?

By a person stating this I know right off where they sit on knowledge, understanding, and comprehension of nutrition for the human body. If they are immediately steadfast on this belief and not open-minded my response is usually to change the topic. I don’t like to say this but this is a hard and steadfast one, akin to discussing religion. It can be a dead-end debate. People do not like to be told what to eat, but if you eat animals you have been told what to eat your entire life! The masses have been brainwashed when it comes to nutrition; by tradition, culture, society, family influence, and media. Some athletes, especially older athletes who have been ingrained with the meat = protein myth for decades, are very resistant to unlearning and change and have unfortunately spent most of their lives at a loss to their training, wallet, health, karma, and impact on our planet. This entire experience has been so life-changing and eye-opening I am writing a book on it all; 8 Feet of Blue Dynamite! Sharks, swimming, and discovering plant-based living!

What kind of results have you typically seen with the clients and athletes you coach moving to a plant-based diet?

Immediate improvements in energy and recovery. Obviously this carries over into immediate benefits to training and racing. The THRIVE Diet series of books explains this very well in more detail. Quite simply plants don’t stress the digestive system of energy to be processed and assimilated as does meat and dairy. Unlike animal tissues and secretions plants are also both alkaline and anti-inflammatory. Both very important factors for hard training athletes.

008Sharks

When did you fall in love with sharks?

Since I was about 6 or 7 and watched JAWS 2 on TV. I was fascinated and from then on it was everything shark toys and books. My parents took me to see JAWS 3-D when I was 9 and that just fuelled the fire. Growing up far from the ocean it was years later but I got to do a shark dive in the Bahamas and that was it!

tigercullWhy do sharks need our protection right now?

Sharks are the top predator in our largest ecosystem. This makes them crucial to the health of the oceans; 71% of our planet. If we lose sharks we lose the oceans, and we cannot survive without the oceans. Humans are killing sharks at a rate now higher than 100 000 000 sharks a year, mostly for a nutrition-less over-priced soup. To compare sharks on average kill 7-10 humans.

What kinds of sharks can people expect to see on your guided trips?

We currently have expeditions to see Blues, Makos, and Oceanic Whitetips, and we are adding trips to see Bull, Tigers, Reef, Hammerhead, and Whale sharks within the next 2 years.

DCIM100GOPROWhat do you love most about leading shark expeditions for others?

Showing people that sharks are not mindless monsters as portrayed by Hollywood and the media, but intelligent, serene, and beautiful animals.

Ever have a scary encounter with a shark?

Never once. But plenty of adventure, respect, and excitement. They are stunning animals.

toddblue42014Where do you hope to see Lateral Line 10 years from now?

Creating real change for sharks, marine life, and our oceans. Bringing people to see and interact with many different species of sharks in their natural environment and educating as many as possible about the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle. We are slowly but steadily heading into a new world where sharks and all animals will have their rights.

Thank you so much to Todd.  If you want to learn more about his training programs or guided shark expeditions, visit the Lateral Line site.

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