Gordon Ramsay has spoken about a terrifying underwater encounter with a Great White Shark while diving for spiny lobsters off the coast of Tasmania.
The experience, described during Condé Nast Traveler’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards, came as Tasmania was ranked second in the Best Islands in Australasia and the South Pacific category.
Ramsay, 58, praised the Apple Isle for having some of the finest seafood in the world, but admitted the process of collecting it offered a harrowing experience.
While diving off the Tasmanian coast, he explained that the encounter took place in what he referred to as the “Great White Highway.”
“I went diving there … and I’m bending down among all this kelp, on aerated tanks from the boat, when I spot my first Great White Shark,” he said in the video.
“I just stayed calm. I had my hand on this spiny lobster and thought, ‘I’ve got the prized asset … am I about to be eaten by a Great White?’ I propped my tummy on top of the spiny lobster, laid down on the kelp, and waited for this 12-to-14-foot Great White to pass me.
“When I got back on the boat, I said to my dive buddy, ‘Did you see the size of that shark?’ He says, ‘No – are you talking about the juvenile? The baby Great White?’ And I’m like, ‘Oh my god – that was the baby one?’”
As part of his interview for the publication, Ramsay also shared his admiration for Australia’s culinary scene.
“I fell in love with Australia,” he said, crediting the “uniqueness” of the cuisine and produce.
“I couldn’t quite believe the standard of fish, shellfish, lamb, beef,” he added, noting he had also discovered “some of the best whiskey in the world in Tassie.”
In the Reader’s Choice rankings, Tasmania placed second behind Fiji, with Bora Bora and Moorea – both in French Polynesia – taking third and fourth place, respectively.
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