Palm Beach-based scuba diver Jim Abernethy has spent a good chunk of his life under water. As owner and operator of Scuba Adventures, he regularly travels to the Bahamas to a place called Tiger Beach where he dives with clients—and forges lifelong friendships with tiger sharks. It sounds crazy, but the truth is: sharks aren’t the “mindless maniac monsters” Hollywood has made them out to be, pleas the 63-year-old adventurer and conservationist. Contrarily, they’re incredibly “loving and affectionate,” as his 20-year relationship with one tiger shark, named Emma, tells. The diver first encountered the 15-foot “gentle giant” in 2001 when she appeared at Tiger Beach during his excursions, keeping her distance initially—sharks are inherently fearful of humans—yet an astonishing relationship soon blossomed. “Over a period of time of not being abused, [sharks] gain a sense of trust and come closer,” Jim told The Epoch Times. “Once they are to that point …