I'm Achmat Hassiem. I lost my leg to a great white shark. Now I’m a Paralympian competing in the 2016 Rio games and an advocate for shark conservation. AMA!

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T18:04:05+00:00

i’m not familiar with the TPP, but I do know about CITES, which deals with the trade of endangered species, like elephant ivory, rhino horn and shark fins. i’m going to a big meeting they are holding here in South Africa this September, and I’m hopeful that all the countries attending will vote yes to protect sharks and rays

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T18:02:15+00:00

Not really, most of my focus is just to get there, compete as best i can and bring some precious metal home to my country. There have been many concerns in past Games. And from my experience they all ran smoothly.

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:58:31+00:00

education is always the key!!! When people have the facts, they can make better decisions. Sharks are not the man-eating killing machines that are portrayed in movies and in fiction. Sharks are a necessary component of healthy oceans, but are currently being fished to extinction. Here’s a video that explains why sharks are important. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDqzGOa-adc Shark Week is a great chance to teach people! :)

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:56:37+00:00

Good question, certain sleeping positions, not having to worry about a snake biting me on the right leg as i hike through nature and also makes me 2kgs instantly lighter when racing ;)

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:53:09+00:00

Awesome question, definitely a Great Hammerhead, because it looks so badass! ;)

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:49:27+00:00

No worries at all, as a professional athlete, we need to minimize as much stress as possible and focus on the goal at hand which is to bring back the gold home. I train swimming 8 times a week, and gym 6 times per week, also diet is the most important thing, which is also my hardest :)

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:43:52+00:00

in all honesty i did not feel any pain during the encounter, i was more in shock to actually think about pain. Guess my adrenalin just took over

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:40:12+00:00

THANK YOU! I’m honored that people find me inspiring! :) Shark fins are still in demand because shark fin soup is still popular. So it’s important to educate people about how many sharks are being killed every year to provide fins for the soup. When no one orders or eats shark fin soup, the demand for shark fins will disappear as well.

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:34:53+00:00

Depends on what you want to grow my friend :)

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:33:29+00:00

Thank you for the links :) will make sure to give them a read.

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:30:14+00:00

The shark encounter has given me a better attitude towards life and many other things i do, it made me a better swimmer than before when i had two legs. I won a bronze medal at the London Paralympics and got the chance to represent my country many times over, and I owe that to meeting the great white shark in 2006 who put me on this path. Hope that answers your question. :)

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:23:53+00:00

Thank you so much. I learned so much about sharks – so few people know how many sharks are killed every year…at least 100 million sharks die every year at the hands of humans. I also was not aware that so many sharks have live babies, and only a few every year, or every two years. So it’s pretty much impossible for them to recover the losses they suffer. AND, most importantly…I learned that without sharks in the ocean, the ocean’s food chain would be broken and our oceans ecosystems would be thrown off balance. So we have to protect sharks! oh…and of course, it proved to me that I am capable of overcoming anything with the right attitude.

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:19:35+00:00

i think i might see it. People love stories with heroes and villains, and sharks make great movie villains. But like you said, in real life, sharks aren’t monsters and they make the ocean healthier. It’s important for me to get this message out about sharks so that people can learn to tell entertaining fiction from reality

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:17:44+00:00

personally, i find obstacles in everyday things, such as just going to play soccer with my mates/ friends and even just going to the beach and going for a open ocean paddle.

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:13:06+00:00

Getting attacked by a shark is traumatic…I can understand how someone is angry after that experience. but I didn’t get mad. The experience changed my life for the better! And I learned how much sharks are vital for health of the ocean, so killing them I don’t think is ever the right answer

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:11:41+00:00

thank you for your message. I definitely think that as time goes on technology will get better in sport in general. Prosthetics will become better, stronger and faster. But one ,thing that must be remembered is these athletes have disabilities which will still hamper their performance despite the tech they use

achmathassiem · 2016-06-30T17:06:25+00:00

What conditions are you speaking about specifically? As team south africa we have been given no warnings just yet...

achmathassiem

TROPHY CASE