Illusionist Andrew Mayne turns Ghost Diver for an episode, airing this Saturday, of Discovery Channel's iconic Shark Week

MASTER illusionist and best-selling author Andrew Mayne will be using all his skills to outsmart one of the deadliest predators of the sea, the great white shark.

He has created the first-ever shark suit that will, hopefully, conceal him from this apex predator. But the only way to prove that this suit works is for Mayne to dive into Australia’s shark-infested waters.

To do this, he is collaborating with underwater cameraman Andy Casagrande and marine ecologist Dr Neil Hammerschlag.

The preparations and results of this endeavour will be featured in Andrew Mayne: Ghost Diver, part of the Shark Week series of documentaries that are airing daily this week at 9pm on Discovery Channel (Astro channel 551).

Mayne has astounded viewers with illusions that included making ghosts appear on cell phones, shrinking himself to just one foot tall, and making the residents in a town think they are besieged by UFOs.

But will he be able to fool a shark, and a great white at that?

In a recent email interview, Mayne said he had been a fan of Shark Week from the very beginning (Shark Week is now into its 31st year).

“I could never get enough,” he recalled. “It’s amazing to go from a guy watching Shark Week on the couch to being the person down in the water surrounded by great whites.

“It’s surreal. It’s like being a fan of Marvel movies and finding yourself in The Avengers – literally in the movie.”

Mayne said everyone he talks to about the show – even those who are terrified of sharks – has a deep respect for these magnificent creatures.

“Shark Week allows us to explore our fascination and awe of sharks,” he added.

As to how he got involved in making Ghost Diver, Mayne recalled: “It started with a conversation with the producers about how I always wanted to see if I could use my knowledge of magic to fool a great white shark – an admittedly insane idea, but something I’d always wondered.”

When the producers took up his idea, Mayne said they only had a short amount of time to pull it off, especially with the shark suit.

“So I started with a list of ideas and then met with the experts and then tested them all. I then had to refine and rebuild. The whole process [took] about four months.”

Describing his experience when he finally ‘took the plunge’ in his suit, Mayne said: “I was in the water for a second and the first thing I saw was a great white about 10 feet away looking at me.

“He had that kind of sharky grin as he stared. I’m terrified of sharks, but oddly enough, it wasn’t a frightening moment.

“I was in his territory. He was curious, but he wasn’t there to eat me. Not to say that one curious bite couldn’t have killed me, but he was doing his thing, wondering what I was doing in his space.

“Great whites can tell when you’re looking at them. Staring them down constantly to keep them away was crazy. It made me appreciate that there’s a lot more going on behind those eyes than we realise.”

On what he hopes people will take with them when watching Ghost Diver, Mayne said: “Sharks are a vital part of our ecosystem. To preserve and protect them, we need to find ways to do more research, while letting them go about their business.”

Andrew Mayne: Ghost Diver airs Aug 3 at 9pm.

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