Photo/Illutration

Editor's note: This is part of a series of videos offering an up-close perspective on the animal kingdom. A special 360-degree video camera system was set up in zoos and other facilities to show how the animals view their world as they interact.

Also visit our special 360-DEGREE LIVES page (http://t.asahi.com/360lives), where you can watch all the previous videos.

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There's nothing quite as soothing as a relaxing dive in shark-infested waters.

But such fishy frolicking is perhaps not for the fainthearted.

These sharks look just like sharks because they are sharks, but these ones don't bite ... at least not humans.

The action is set just off the coast of the Ito district in Tateyama, Chiba Prefecture.

The site has been enjoying new-found fame as a popular diving spot for shark-loving divers.

Dozens of banded houndsharks and stingrays swim in droves, offering a spectacular sight that the biggest tank in an aquarium couldn't emulate.

Since early times, the area has been infested with sharks and rays.

They wreak havoc in the fishing industry, causing damage by bustling into fixed nets to devour fish.

In fall 2009, when Kan Shiota, 52, was preparing to open a diving shop in Ito, he met with local fishermen to chum for sharks and rays about 200 meters from the fixed nets in order to draw the fish away.

Their efforts have finally paid off.

“Since we started chumming, the number of sharks swimming into the nets has dropped to about one-20th,” said Shinobu Yoshida, 57, the head of a group of fixed net fishermen. “It saves a lot of trouble because it used to take a lot of effort to get them out.”

At the same time, the area has gained attention as a diving spot to watch sharks and rays up close.

According to Shiota, most of the fish in the area are small and gentle banded houndsharks and red stingrays. They are also accustomed to seeing divers. Some divers now even travel from overseas to dive there as the popularity of the site has grown.