Playboy model Marisa Papen has shocked her fans after sharing photos from a photo shoot where she can be seen diving naked alongside sharks.
The Belgian model’s images went viral after they were taking off the coast of Hawaii, with the aim to challenge taboos about the sea predator as well as nudity.
In an exclusive interview with Real Press, Marisa said her latest project was shot earlier this year.
“It was one of the most peaceful experiences of my life being with the sharks. Being in their presence, I felt complete serenity. People ask me if I was scared, but actually, I was not scared at all,” she said.
“They were Galapagos sharks. There were also a couple of reef sharks around and one tiger shark that swam up to us, we didn’t get to photograph him though, he was in and out.”
Marisa said she hoped to challenge taboos by making people rethink their ideas about both nudity and sharks.
“The message is all about breaking stigmas and taboos, nudity is seen as bad in our society, and so are sharks,” she explained.
“Over the years, sharks have gained a bad reputation because of the film industry. I wanted to challenge viewers by looking at these magnificent creatures with a different eye.”
Asked how she prepared mentally for being in the water nude with the sharks, she said: “Before I jumped off the boat, I was meditating on the environment and preparing myself to tap into their energy, I had no clue what that would feel like since I had never swum with them before.
“I wasn’t going to wear any goggles because I didn’t want to be able to read their movements, I just had to trust I would be okay. After a couple of dives I realised that their energy is actually so subtle, they are so at one with the ocean, I could barely feel their vibration.”
The model said she dived around 20 times in the span of around 45 minutes. The images of Marisa swimming naked with the sharks were used for her Earth Family Calendar which she said “shows an intertwining of two completely worlds, co-existing in harmony”
The 28-year-old has famously stripped naked at some of the UK and US’ most famous landmarks as well as in countries across Africa, Asia, South America and even the South Pacific.
Photographs and videos of Marisa made headlines around the world when she was imprisoned after posing naked at the Karnak Temple Complex near the Egyptian city of Luxor.
The ‘shock model’ has also posed nude at famous religious sites such as The Vatican, the Wailing Wall, and Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia where she famously lifted up her burka to reveal her genitals.
After her latest stunning photo shoot, the nude model said she was more scared when she stripped off for photos in countries like Egypt, Turkey, and Israel than she was when she jumped in the sea with a shiver of sharks for these amazing snaps.
