Paul De Gelder Biography

Paul De Gelder was an elite soldier and shark attack survivor and is now the host of Shark Week on Discovery Channel. He is the key personality shown on Seaspiracy [the movie, 2021] and the host of the podcast The Dirt Down Under.

Today, he is a multi-talented personality and travels the world as a shark advocate, passionate environmentalist, and motivational speaker. He participates in various charities and has talks with US Navy and UN. he is originally from Australia and lives in Los Angeles with his rescue dog Odus.

As shark week is going on in July 2023, Paul will remain the host of Shark Week on the Discovery Channel. Also, he released his book by the name- “Shark: The World’s Most Misunderstood Predator” on 20-Jul-2023.

Early Life

Paul De Gelder is 46 years old and was in the wrong company since a teenager. He used to drink, fight and steal and had no agenda in life or any aim to become like. He left his house, started a new life, and joined strips club or adult clubs. Paul likes Australian Music and had a small participation in the opening for Snoop Dogg in 1998.

In November 2000, when Paul became 23 years old, he joined the army as a paratrooper. During that time, he learned various things related to the army. He practiced various activities such as specialist communications; combat first aid; parachuting and sniping; and was deployed as a United Nations peacekeeper. He completed his education at St Edmunds College Canberra.

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Paul De Gelder Career

In 2005, intending to expand his career, he attempted to join Royal Australian Navy Clearance Diver selection process., where he had a one-year training program and was selected for the dive team. But this selection troubled him a lot, and in February 2009, while on dive, he was attacked by the bull shark.

The bull shark bit him down, and he lost his right leg and right arm in this accident. He had to spend nearly two months in the hospital and endure challenging rehabilitation. After he left Navy Service in August 2012 [serving as a Navy Diver for nearly 3.5 years], he became a motivational speaker, passionate environmentalist, adventurer, and mentor for school kids.

Paul has been a motivational speaker at various venues worldwide, at United Nations, New York, and from Paris Casino in Las Vegas and the US Navy in San Diego to Australian Anzac Day military celebrations. He has also been part of various charity organizations.

Since 2014, he has hosted Shark Week on Discovery Channel and hosted the National Geographic special ‘Fearless.’ Besides having experience with speaking at public events, he has also been an actor and debuted in FOXTEL’S ‘Fighting Season’ and then appeared in ‘Shellshocked’ in 2022.

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Paul De Gelder Biography

Real Name Paul De Gelder
Birth Date 1978
Age (as of 2023) 46 Years
Birth Place Sydney, Australia
Profession Shark Expert & Internet Personality
College St Edmunds College Canberra
Qualification Graduate

Physical Statistics

Height in feet inches – 5’ 10” – in Centimeters – 177 cm
Weight in Kilograms – 60 kg  –  in Pounds –  132 lbs
Hair Color Bald
Eye Color Brown

Family

Father
Mother
Sister
Brother

Relationship Status

Marital Status Married
Who is his wife? Rhiannon Avatar
Children Two

Personal Life

Paul De Gelder is a happily living married man. His wife’s name is Rhiannon Avatar, and both are raising a beautiful daughter. There is no information available though when they met or from when they know each other. 

Social Media

Paul De Gelder is available on Twitter and Instagram, and one of his fan pages is also on Facebook. On Twitter, he has the name – @PauldeGelder, which he joined back in September 2010 and has since gathered around 14K followers.

On Instagram, he is available with the handle name – pauldegelder; he joined in August 2012 with a verified blue tick or a verified account. He has nearly 107K followers on Instagram and 3,179 in the following list.

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Paul De Gelder Net Worth

He is acquiring a livelihood with different careers and professions. He continues to be a renowned speaker, writer, book author, actor, and host. There is no mention of his net worth anywhere so it’s kind of difficult to predict his wealth at this moment. 

Trivia

  • Paul was named among the top 15 inspirational Australians and top ten speakers.
  • He tries to advocate the story he was part of when he was attacked by the shark in the ocean. He also talks about shark safety.
  • Paul is a writer, actor, motivational speaker, and Royal Australian Navy diver, and had several participations in Africa to protect wildlife from poachers.
  • Paul De Gelder also remained part of documentaries like “Fearless” and “The Shallows.”

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