Have you ever heard of a gal shaving her head on her birthday? In the name of shark protection? That’s just what Divemaster, Heather Murray did during Project AWARE’s global Finathon™ - smashing her fundraising target and raising more than $8000 to support sharks. We couldn’t be more inspired!

Among all the Finathon teams globally, Heather quickly secured first place on the leaderboard of events when she made her initial pledge on Facebook: "I decided to do something a bit radical... I want to help protect shark species, so I have decided that if I can raise $500 by the 8th of July I will shave my hair off in a stand against shark fining....gulp!” Just three days after her Facebook announcement, her first fundraising goal was smashed.

True to her word, on July 9th at 6:00 pm in Little Cayman, Heather’s 29th birthday, she concluded her presentation about threats to sharks and the need for global shark protection and then let the biggest Finathon donors line up to chop her locks. We love her new look. Don’t you?

"We can all play a critical role in saving sharks by donating to Project AWARE. They have already helped put five species of highly traded sharks, manta rays and a species of sawfish on the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), effectively limiting the commercial international trade of these animals,“ said Heather.

Thank you to Heather, the amazing shark ambassador, and to every single Finathon champion around the world. Together, we’re:
Fighting to stop shark finning
Insisting on full protections for critically endangered sharks and
Negotiating stronger policies to ensure a brighter future for all sharks.

It’s not too late to organize a wacky Finathon shark challenge of your own. Find out how to get started today!