Latest news with #greatwhiteshark
CBC
6 days ago
- Science
- CBC
Close encounter with a great white shark near Halifax
Geraldine Fernandez and Neil Hammerschlag tell The National about the moment a male great white shark made a surprise appearance during a research expedition off the coast of Halifax.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Large great white shark spotted near Santa Monica
A roughly 15-foot great white shark was captured on video last week swimming close to Santa Monica's shores, providing a rare glimpse of the fully grown apex predator idling in near-urban waters. Photographer Carlos Gauna launched a drone Thursday about a mile north of the Santa Monica Pier after hearing reports that some great white sharks had been observed breaching — launching themselves out of the water in acrobatic displays of force and fury. He figured he'd find juvenile sharks, which are known to frequent the area and can grow up to 10 feet. Experts say that newborn and juvenile great white sharks are attracted to near-shore warm waters where there is plenty of easy-to-catch prey and few predators. Adults, on the other hand, prefer colder, deeper waters. Soon after launching his drone, Gauna said he was stunned to see the silhouette of a 15-foot great white gliding near the surface about 50 yards off the coast. "The Santa Monica Bay is known as a nursery ground for juveniles," Gauna said. "But this was no juvenile. This is the real deal." Gauna said he later informed a lifeguard as a precaution. In California, encounters with sharks, especially violent ones, aren't frequent, according to California Fish and Wildlife. Around 200 incidents have been verified in California waters from 1950 to 2021, with 107 resulting in injuries and 15 in deaths. For Gauna, the shark sighting was more awe-inspiring than fear-inducing. And he said it's a spectacular example of the magnificent kinds of creatures that lie just off our shores. "It's a good reminder of how a great ecosystem exists next to one of the busiest cities in America," Gauna told The Times. "And just how rare a shark attack here really is." This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
CBC
04-08-2025
- Science
- CBC
#TheMoment a great white shark surprised Halifax researchers
Geraldine Fernandez and Neil Hammerschlag tell The National about the moment a male great white shark made a surprise appearance during a research expedition off the coast of Halifax.
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Close encounter with great white shark near Halifax sparks awe, disbelief
A Dalhousie University student studying marine biology is sharing a breathtaking photo of a great white shark she took while on a recent research expedition off the coast of Halifax. Geraldine Fernandez snapped the picture Wednesday from a cage atop a boat operated by Atlantic Shark Expeditions near Sambro, a rural fishing community in the Halifax Regional Municipality. The male shark can be seen rising out of the water, staring almost directly at the camera, with his mouth agape and his teeth showing. For some, the image may be menacing. But for Fernandez, who is studying to become a shark biologist, coming up close and personal with the shark was closer to love at first bite. "The whole interaction was [one of] the most elegant, graceful and natural interactions that I have personally ever had with a shark," she said Friday in an interview with CBC's Mainstreet Halifax. "It was able to show its size and its power without even doing anything. "People think they're these mindless animals that just attack, and, honestly, all it was doing was checking out the people, being a little curious, and I just got really lucky that day." 'Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' When the image was shared on social media, many of the people commenting thought it had to be the product of artificial intelligence. But it came from a camera that Fernandez had attached to a pole. The shark was being monitored from a cage above, where she was stationed, and by divers underwater. "This encounter was extremely unique," said Neil Hammerschlag, the founder and president of Atlantic Shark Expeditions. His company regularly works with researchers like Fernandez. It also offers shark tours for civilians in Halifax and Yarmouth at various times of the year. "The other great whites we've seen this season, and there's been a handful of them, they've all been really cautious," Hammerschlag said. "This one stuck around for hours, they had no interest in the bait … was more interested in looking at the cage, rubbing up against the cage … and looking at what people were doing on the boat." Fernandez has been obsessed with sharks since she was young. As a summer research student with Dalhousie's Future of Marine Ecosystems Lab, she's been collecting data for a new method of monitoring sharks, which involves using a tool called a "shark bar" to measure the size of sharks in the water. Her close encounter with the great white shark is more proof she's on the right track. "It definitely felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she said. "All it's done is just put more drive in me to continue my research and continue with shark exploration." MORE TOP STORIES
Yahoo
03-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Large great white shark spotted swimming close to Santa Monica pier
A large, 15-foot great white shark was spotted last week off the coast of Santa Monica – sparking real-life Jaws fears for California beach goers as the predator usually stays further off the coast. Photographer Carlos Guana sent out a drone to capture footage of the shark on Thursday after hearing reports that some Great White sharks had been breaching, or launching themselves out of the water and into the air, he told the Los Angeles Times. Video shared to YouTube shows the massive white shark swimming near someone on a paddleboard who appears completely unaware of its presence. When Guana heard there were great white sharks in the area, he assumed they were juveniles, which are smaller and known to frequent the area as they are attracted to near-shore warm waters. However, when Guana reviewed his drone footage, he was surprised to see an adult great white, which usually opt for colder, deeper waters, swimming near the surface, about 50 yards off the coast. 'The Santa Monica Bay is known as a nursery ground for juveniles,' Gauna told the LA Times. 'But this was no juvenile. This is the real deal.' Guana said he told a local lifeguard as a precaution, as encounters with violent sharks, like the great white, are rather uncommon in California. According to the California Fish and Wildlife, about 200 incidents involving great white sharks have occurred in the state's waters from 1950 to 2021. Of those encounters, 107 have resulted in injuries and 16 in deaths. Attacks from great whites are also incredibly rare. Fish and Wildlife officials say that while the sharks don't usually prey on humans, they may pose a threat to humans if they find them on their 'turf,' or near them in the water. The sighting was more awe-inspiring than scary for Guana, who took the chance encounter as a reminder of what wonderful wildlife exists just off California's beaches. 'It's a good reminder of how a great ecosystem exists next to one of the busiest cities in America,' he told the paper. 'And just how rare a shark attack here really is!' The sighting also comes after the largest great white shark ever was tagged off the coast of Massachusetts last month. Contender, a mature male shark measuring 13.8 feet and weighing around 1,653 pounds, emerged near Nantucket on July 18. The shark's tag pinged around 100 miles south of Boston and 30 miles from Cape Cod – a popular tourist destination. The powerful animal had been tagged in January, around 45 miles off the coast of Florida and Georgia, in order to help researchers and conservationists. Shark Week 2025, an annual programming block from Discovery, coincidentally began two days later on July 20.
