Ocean Ramsey has made a career out of getting dangerously close to sharks. But now, the famous shark conservationist, better known as the “shark whisperer,” is facing a different kind of controversy.
Former employees of her Hawai‘i-based shark-tour operation, One Ocean Diving, are speaking out with allegations of a toxic workplace, abusive treatment, and questionable business practices. The accusations have emerged amid a broader reckoning over sexual harassment and assault throughout the ocean-tourism and diving industries.
See one description from a former employee, linked here, and below.
@mermaid.kayleigh I will try to answer any questions you have but please be patient this is a very re-traumatizing situation. We are spreading awareness now so more young men & women don’t end up in dangerous situations working at the company. Thank you everyone for your patience & support. #oneoceandiving #oceanramsey #juanoliphant #hawaii
Ramsey, whose viral videos show her swimming alongside enormous great whites and tiger sharks, became a household name following her 2025 Netflix documentary, Shark Whisperer. Her sometimes controversial hands-on interactions with sharks, often photographed in bikinis, have attracted millions of followers.
But behind the idyllic images, former staff members are now raising troubling questions about the business.
Social media posts and discussions involving former employees allege a hostile working environment and raise concerns about the company’s management and operating practices. Online accusations have also prompted questions about employee safeguarding and sexual misconduct. The specific allegations remain unproven, and their full scope has not been independently established.
Related: Video: Surfer Swims With ‘Record-Breaking Largest Great White Shark’ (Throwback)
Staff accounts detail systemic bullying, intimidation, and the aggressive silencing of young female divers through strict non-disclosure agreements and non-compete clauses.
“It was only a matter of time before this type of stuff gets exposed,” shared members of the dive community responding to the revelations. “Diving facilities should not get people to sign NDAs or non-competes. That is just weird. I feel terrible for those who were affected by the way things were run.”
Marine scientists have echoed these concerns, noting that the controversy exposes the dark underbelly of influencer-driven “wildlife entertainment” masquerading as conservation.
Ramsey has responded publicly on Instagram, while One Ocean Diving has issued its own response.
The controversy comes as women across the broader diving industry publicly recount experiences of harassment and sexual assault.
In an investigation by DeeperBlue, freediver Tania Panes described accounts involving men holding positions of authority, including instructors and expedition leaders.
Francesca Trotman, founder of Love The Oceans, was particularly concerned about industry protections.
“The reality is that our industry is still completely unregulated when it comes to safeguarding,” she wrote.
A 2025 diving-industry survey found that 35% of 1,066 respondents reported experiencing sexual harassment, although researchers warned that the voluntary survey could overrepresent affected individuals.
The developments also coincide with separate allegations surrounding professional surfer and former Olympian Alan Cleland Jr., who has been linked by published reports to provisional suspensions following allegations of abuse connected to an August gathering in Tahiti. The allegations have not (yet) resulted in a publicly established guilty verdict.
There is obviously no direct connection between the Tahiti allegations and those involving One Ocean Diving.
Still, together with the growing number of women speaking publicly, these controversies raise an uncomfortable question for the ocean-sports industry:
Is this its own #MeToo moment?
Stay tuned.
Related: Ocean Ramsey Supports New Shark Deterrent Device: ‘It Actually Works’ (Video)
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