Celebrity Chef Gordon Ramsay has revealed a chilling encounter he experienced while diving for spiny lobsters off the coast of Tasmania.
As part of the Conde Nast Traveler’s 2025 Readers’ Choice Awards, where Tasmania came in second place for Best Islands in Australasia and the South Pacific category — the 58-year-old Brit said while the Apple Isle had some of the best seafood in the world — collecting it proved to be quite the heart-pumping experience.
While diving for the huge spiny lobsters off the state’s coast, Ramsay revealed in the video that the encounter took place in the thick of 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 clip.
“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?”
Ramsay said as part of the interview for the publication that he “fell in love with Australia”, mainly because of the “uniqueness” of the cuisine and produce.
“I couldn’t quite believe the standard of fish, shellfish, lamb, beef,” he said, adding that he came across “some of the best whiskey in the world in Tassie”.
Tasmania came in second place in the Australia and South Pacific category — with Fiji winning top spot, followed by Bora Bora and Moorea (both French Polynesia).
