Latest news with #FabianClinton
USA Today
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Surprise great white shark encounter has divers yelling into masks
Surprise great white shark encounter has divers yelling into masks When a large and heavily scarred great white shark confronted divers at an Indonesian island in March, they were in awe and understandably concerned for their safety. After all, white shark sightings are extremely rare in the region, and the battle-worn predator turning to approach them was not what they expected. 'This is beyond the holy grail of diving,' Fabian Clinton, a Swedish divemaster, recalled via Instagram. 'A huge great white shark passed us and then turned on us on one of the local dive sites in Penida today. Front seat with my shaky gopro. Amazing and scary as ... " The unlikely encounter occurred at Nusa Penida, an island off Bali. In Clinton's footage viewers can hear the divers yelling into their masks, expressing their astonishment. (Swipe through Clinton's post for the video.) Clinton described the encounter to Dive Magazine as 'One in a million… getting close to the greatest.' Clinton shared a different version of the footage this week, with music drowning out reactions of the other divers, stating: 'Two months has passed since we had the luckiest and most unexpected encounters in our lives, with a Great White at Nusa Penida Island. Not a day goes by without thinking about her, still.' He added that a great white shark, perhaps the same large female, was spotted two weeks after his group's encounter, but at a different spot. Dive Magazine reports that the first documented white shark sighting at Nusa Penida occurred in September 2019 near Crystal Bay.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Yahoo
Tourists divided after ‘one in a million' great white shark encounter in 'very rare' spot
Video footage of a great white shark at a popular tourist diving spot has been described as 'very rare' by experts. The five-metre female was spotted in waters off the Balinese island of Penida last week, with the tourists who witnessed it telling Yahoo News they feared for their lives during the 20-second face-off. Local divers say it was a 'one in a million' encounter as it's only the second time they recall a great white has been spotted in the area. The first sighting occurred in 2019. White sharks are extremely migratory and known to travel long distances, with one recorded making a 20,000km roundtrip from Australia to South Africa in under nine months in the early 2000s. Marine biologist Lawrence Chlebeck explained the sighting was 'unusual' but 'not unexpected'. 'It's definitely something that can happen, but sighting one in Bali is definitely a once in a lifetime experience,' he told Yahoo News. 'We know white sharks prefer temperate, cooler, more productive waters where they find their primary food sources. But every so often they pop up in these tropical spots, there's even been great white sightings in Hawaii. So they do tend to go on a holiday to some of these tropical islands sometimes.' Diving instructors from the group that encountered the shark told Yahoo News they'd never seen one before. Fabian Clinton, the Swedish adventurer who filmed the face-off, said it was the 'craziest experience' of his career. The dive was organised by Scuba Junkie Penida which told Yahoo there has been 'quite a lot of like talk' about the great white sighting. Because they can travel so far, it's believed to have likely left the area for good. 🌕 Incredible event 'triggered by full moon' off coast 😳 Australia faces 'big problem' as US tourist who snatched baby wombat flees 🗑️ Beachgoers asked to 'think twice' after devastating find in 25kg of rubbish 'There's been a very split reaction from anyone who has read about it. Some people think they were so lucky, it was a once in a lifetime experience. But others simply say they're so glad they weren't on that trip, they would have feared for their lives,' Amelia from the dive company said. 'We were talking about the statistics about this — it's a one in a million type thing. If you think about the number of dive centres that we have on the island, and the number of dive centres in Bali, each doing at least two dives a day, and then times that by 365 days of the year. That's a lot of dives. And this is the first great white we've seen in six years.' Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diver's spine-chilling face-off with five-metre great white in Bali: 'Time slowed down'
'Complete shock' was just one of the emotions a group of divers felt when a five-metre-long great white shark eyed them in waters off the coast of Bali. Video of the encounter shows the lone predator swimming passively beside the group 22 metres below the surface. But it suddenly becomes curious and swims directly at the camera. The GoPro was attached to divemaster Fabian Clinton, who was part of a group led by Scuba Junkie Penida this week which conducts tours to see marine life including sunfish, manta rays and turtles. They were exploring deep blue waters off Penida island, when he first spotted a dark shadow in the great blue expanse of the ocean. Initially he wasn't sure what it was, only that it was big, and so he began to follow it. Immediately after realising it was a great white, Clinton began making noise and gesturing to the others to take a look. Then it swam towards him, time slowed down, and he rapidly became aware of his mortality. 'My first thought was oh f***, sorry mum, I shouldn't be here,' the 31-year-old Swede told Yahoo News. Related: Sharks found bitten in half close to popular Aussie beaches Dutch national Amber Doornekamp was swimming close by and feared for her life when the animal turned. 'The size of the shark was like nothing I'd ever seen before. It reminds you of how small people are,' she said. What happened next shifted the entire group's feelings from fear to an even stronger emotion. Dive leader Reynold Kaheming from Scuba Junkie Penida had never seen a great white shark in the wild before, and said it didn't seem real. 'I recognised that this was the shark from the movie. I was pretty nervous as it got closer to me and then turned to [Clinton],' he said. Related: Angler reveals major detail missed in jaw-dropping video of 'legendary' predator View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fabian Clinton (@foffo4) Over the next 20 seconds Clinton and the shark calmly faced off. Then, his diving training kicked in, helping him hold his nerve. 'I swam backwards slowly and kept eye contact with it. I tried to have an upright upper body position,' he said. 'The last thought I had was I might have to put my fin on the nose to make it go away. But then just before that I had a crazy relief and it turned.' ❄️ World hidden beneath Antarctic ice reveals staggering reality 🐟 Thousands replace divisive Aussie fish product with NZ alternative 🌊 Tiny crab could be 'missing link' in controlling destructive ocean starfish If you listen closely while watching the video, you can hear the group's excited screams as the shark swims away. Photos taken after the group returned to their boat highlight their excitement at the encounter, with everyone beaming from ear to ear. Most divers only experience seeing great whites from inside protective cages — seeing one up close was a thrilling experience, Kaheming said. He called it the 'perfect dive'. 'It was the most amazing dive of my life. Everyone is going to be jealous,' he said. Doornekamp, who had only seen great whites in documentaries, described the thrill of seeing one in person as 'exciting'. 'After this experience I don't think anything is going to top it… I am super impressed by nature,' she said. Clinton's video has been viewed thousands of times since he uploaded it to his @foffo4 Instagram account. In his accompanying post he described the encounter as 'beyond the holy grail of diving.' The shark appears to be a pregnant female, and her scar-covered body indicates she's lived a long life. People watching the video at home were thrilled by Clinton's video, which shows her in close-up detail. 'Wow, beautiful. You must have been in shock,' one person wrote. 'I don't know what you felt when he turned his face towards you, but now you are the happiest guy in the world,' another said. When Clinton spoke to Yahoo on Friday, two days after seeing the shark, he confessed he's still struggling to keep his "feet on the ground" and "be humble" after having such a rare experience. 'I'm still shaking as we're talking about it,' he said. White sharks are listed globally as vulnerable to extinction, largely due to overfishing from trophy hunters who value their teeth and fins. Shark and ray numbers have dropped by a staggering 71 per cent over the last 50 years due to overfishing, and many species are seldom spotted in the wild. 'I've always had respect for sharks, and I've dived with other types of sharks. But this has to be the craziest experience of my career,' he said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
Yahoo
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Diver's spine-chilling face-off with five-metre great white: 'Time slowed down'
'Complete shock' was just one of the emotions a group of divers felt when a five-metre-long great white shark eyed them in waters off the coast of Bali. Video of the encounter shows the lone predator swimming passively beside the group 22 metres below the surface. But it suddenly becomes curious and swims directly at the camera. The GoPro was attached to divemaster Fabian Clinton, who was part of a group led by Scuba Junkie Penida this week which conducts tours to see marine life including sunfish, manta rays and turtles. They were exploring deep blue waters off Penida island, when he first spotted a dark shadow in the great blue expanse of the ocean. Initially he wasn't sure what it was, only that it was big, and so he began to follow it. Immediately after realising it was a great white, Clinton began making noise and gesturing to the others to take a look. Then it swam towards him, time slowed down, and he rapidly became aware of his mortality. 'My first thought was oh f***, sorry mum, I shouldn't be here,' the 31-year-old Swede told Yahoo News. Related: Sharks found bitten in half close to popular Aussie beaches Dutch national Amber Doornekamp was swimming close by and feared for her life when the animal turned. 'The size of the shark was like nothing I'd ever seen before. It reminds you of how small people are,' she said. What happened next shifted the entire group's feelings from fear to an even stronger emotion. Dive leader Reynold Kaheming from Scuba Junkie Penida had never seen a great white shark in the wild before, and said it didn't seem real. 'I recognised that this was the shark from the movie. I was pretty nervous as it got closer to me and then turned to [Clinton],' he said. Related: Angler reveals major detail missed in jaw-dropping video of 'legendary' predator View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fabian Clinton (@foffo4) Over the next 20 seconds Clinton and the shark calmly faced off. Then, his diving training kicked in, helping him hold his nerve. 'I swam backwards slowly and kept eye contact with it. I tried to have an upright upper body position,' he said. 'The last thought I had was I might have to put my fin on the nose to make it go away. But then just before that I had a crazy relief and it turned.' ❄️ World hidden beneath Antarctic ice reveals staggering reality 🐟 Thousands replace divisive Aussie fish product with NZ alternative 🌊 Tiny crab could be 'missing link' in controlling destructive ocean starfish If you listen closely while watching the video, you can hear the group's excited screams as the shark swims away. Photos taken after the group returned to their boat highlight their excitement at the encounter, with everyone beaming from ear to ear. Most divers only experience seeing great whites from inside protective cages — seeing one up close was a thrilling experience, Kaheming said. He called it the 'perfect dive'. 'It was the most amazing dive of my life. Everyone is going to be jealous,' he said. Doornekamp, who had only seen great whites in documentaries, described the thrill of seeing one in person as 'exciting'. 'After this experience I don't think anything is going to top it… I am super impressed by nature,' she said. Clinton's video has been viewed thousands of times since he uploaded it to his @foffo4 Instagram account. In his accompanying post he described the encounter as 'beyond the holy grail of diving.' The shark appears to be a pregnant female, and her scar-covered body indicates she's lived a long life. People watching the video at home were thrilled by Clinton's video, which shows her in close-up detail. 'Wow, beautiful. You must have been in shock,' one person wrote. 'I don't know what you felt when he turned his face towards you, but now you are the happiest guy in the world,' another said. When Clinton spoke to Yahoo on Friday, two days after seeing the shark, he confessed he's still struggling to keep his "feet on the ground" and "be humble" after having such a rare experience. 'I'm still shaking as we're talking about it,' he said. White sharks are listed globally as vulnerable to extinction, largely due to overfishing from trophy hunters who value their teeth and fins. Shark and ray numbers have dropped by a staggering 71 per cent over the last 50 years due to overfishing, and many species are seldom spotted in the wild. 'I've always had respect for sharks, and I've dived with other types of sharks. But this has to be the craziest experience of my career,' he said. Love Australia's weird and wonderful environment? 🐊🦘😳 Get our new newsletter showcasing the week's best stories.
