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NZ Herald
26-04-2025
- General
- NZ Herald
Diver bitten by shark thought to be a great white in Dusky Sound, Fiordland
Both the man and his dive buddy eyeballed the shark immediately after the incident, and described it to charter staff as a great white. 'Both him and his buddy saw it, [they said it was a great white] no question'. The pair were diving in Bowen Channel in the remote sound in the southwest section of Fiordland National Park about 4.30pm on Thursday when the man was bitten. 'It was one bite and let go.' The man didn't need help to get back to the surface, and when asked why, Kuster said: 'Adrenaline. He found himself on the tender before he knew it.' She wasn't aboard but had been told the man was conscious and alert, but in shock. He was given first aid and a helicopter had landed on the charter boat's on-board heli pad within an hour to fly the man to hospital, Kuster said. 'The whole situation was as smooth as it could be. That's why you have those systems in place.' A Hato Hone St John Ambulance spokeswoman confirmed a man was flown by helicopter from Dusky Sound to Southland Hospital in a moderate condition just after 5.30pm on Thursday. Kuster didn't want to say how old the man was or where he came from – although their clients were always New Zealand-based as Dusky Sound was off the regular tourist trail. The man held no animosity towards the shark, but she hadn't asked if he planned to return to the water, she said. Kuster has been involved in the charter boat business for 15 years and had never seen a great white in Dusky Sound, she said. '[We see] seven-gills all the time. We always say, 'If you're not seeing a shark, your eyes aren't open'.' A curious great white was captured eyeballing a camera set up to record fish species in Fiordland last month, with footage showing the mature male snapping at a bait pot. Scientists working on the project were amazed by the rare on-camera appearance, which occurred during a survey in Dusky Sound last month, RNZ reported. 'It was quite a shock', Sea Through Science researcher Adam Smith said. 'It's great to see these majestic creatures in their natural environment and to see how curious they are. We've only seen a [great] white shark once before during our surveys, at the Kermadec Islands, the other end of New Zealand.' The Herald contacted shark scientist Riley Elliott, but he didn't want to comment without confirmation the shark involved was a great white, such as by seeing photos of the bite marks. Department of Conservation marine scientist and shark expert Clinton Duffy couldn't be contacted. New Zealand is a global hotspot for great whites, which are protected in our waters, according to an online DoC page on the species. 'In New Zealand waters they occur throughout the Exclusive Economic Zone north of about … Campbell Island … [and] juveniles and adults occur in shallow coastal waters, including large harbours and estuaries. 'Sub-adults and adults also occur in the open ocean, as well as around offshore islands and banks.' Genetic and satellite tagging studies had shown movement of the sharks between New Zealand, Australia and the southwest Pacific, and Australia and South Africa, according to the page. Satellite tagging of New Zealand great whites had also shown that juveniles and adults migrated seasonally, from March to September, 'between aggregation sites at Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands to the tropical and subtropical Pacific'.
Miami Herald
18-03-2025
- Science
- Miami Herald
‘Curious' great white shark approaches camera off New Zealand. See ‘very rare' video
When scientists in New Zealand checked the footage from an underwater camera, they expected to see a variety of fish and some sharks, and they did. But, much to their surprise, they had also recorded a 'very rare' video of a great white shark. Researchers visited Dusky Sound in February to conduct a Baited Remote Underwater Video survey, or BRUV survey. The project involved dropping a baited camera unit to the seafloor, leaving it to record and then collecting it and checking the footage, New Zealand's Department of Conservation said in a March 13 news release. 'It's a great opportunity to collect valuable data and to see what species are attracted to the bait,' Richard Kinsey, a senior ranger with the department, said in the release. In total, the team recorded over 200 hours of footage, officials said. But a roughly two-minute-long clip stood out. The video showed an adult male great white shark approaching the camera, scaring away another smaller shark and some fish in the process. The shark circled the camera several times, tried to eat the bait and knocked the contraption around. Eventually, the shark seems to give up and swims away. 'It was quite a shock!' Adam Smith, a researcher with Sea Through Science involved in the project, said in the release. 'We had been laughing about how cool it would be to see something like that. It's very rare to get such great footage.' 'We've only seen a white shark once before during our surveys, at the Kermadec Islands, the other end of New Zealand,' Smith said. 'It's great to see these majestic creatures in their natural environment and to see how curious they are around the BRUVs.' New Zealand is considered 'one of the world's hot spots' for great white sharks, officials said. These iconic oceanic predators frequent the coasts, harbors and nearby open ocean as part of their migration patterns. Still, great white sharks are considered endangered in New Zealand and protected by law. Surveys at Dusky Sound have finished, but researchers are still studying their footage. Dusky Sound is along the southwestern coast of New Zealand's South Island and on the opposite end of the country from Auckland.
