To coincide with the public’s annual love affair with sharks during Discovery’s Shark Week, the folks at the Shark Research Institute have decided to invite willing “selachophiles” to get more intimate with their love of sharks with a sort of shark expert “bachelor/bachelorette auction.” For ten days, over fifty eligible shark experts — many of which have been seen on Discovery, Animal Planet and the BBC — are up for grabs for lunch or dinner, and whatever that may lead to. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even get to go “all the way” — especially when you bid on Santa Barbara-based marine filmmaker Tom Campbell or Miami-based conservationist David Shiffman who guarantee that your date includes a boat ride to attempt to get up close and personal with sharks themselves.

Other celebrity shark experts in the auction include: Dr. Eugenie Clark, founder of Mote Marine Lab; Dr. Leonard Compagno, the world’s top expert on sharks; diving legends Jeremiah Sullivan and Valerie Taylor; Donald Schultz, host of Animal Planet’s Wild Recon; award-winning underwater photographers Amos Nachoum, Michael Aw, Matt Potenski; shark behaviorist Dr. Erich Ritter; Ralph Collier, author of Shark Attacks of the 20th Century from the Pacific Coast of North America; and ocean activist Dr. Sylvia Earle, honorary president and trustee of the Shark Research Institute.

The details of all the celebrity shark experts, plus the post-bidding process can be found on the Shark Research Institute’s website. The auction is being held on eBay with bids starting at fifty bucks. Anyone wanting to place a bid should act quickly before the auction ends on August 11th; sharks may be fast creatures, but when it comes to celebrity shark experts, they’re going once… going twice… gone!