NewsflareY’know the thing about sharks is they’ve got lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll’s eyes, or at least that’s what Quint the shark hunter from Jaws says.
To be honest, I wouldn’t know because I have had the good sense to never in my life have come within a hundred years of a shark, mostly because I enjoy keeping my blood and organs inside my body.
Maybe though these unlucky people in South Africa could tell me if it’s true. After all, they got up close and personal with a ruddy great white shark while diving.
They even videoed it so they can relive the precious family memory of being attacked by a hungry shark whenever they want!
The video of the attack was filmed in 2015 and shows the shark trying to bite a bait next to the cage as the divers can be heard screaming while the shark tries to nom the bait.
One of the people who filmed it wrote online afterwards:
After a fairly uneventful day, we went in the cage one last time in hope of getting up close and personal with these magnificent Great White Sharks.
I think it’s safe to say we got more than we bargained for!
NewsflareSouth Africa’s renowned for its sharks being the first country in the world to grant legal protection to great white sharks. Since then shark viewing and cage diving have become a major tourist industry.
According to the BBC, there have been 500 incidents involving sharks in South Africa since the 1900s, most of which were unprovoked and not fatal.
In fact, sharks are a lot less dangerous than films like Jaws would have you believe. Culum Brown, a fish biologist at Macquarie University told The Guardian it’s exceedingly unlikely you’ll ever be attacked by a shark.
He said:
Your toaster is more likely to kill you than a shark. It is extremely unlikely that you will ever be, or even know, a shark attack victim.
I think the numbers are pretty obvious. There are more people in the water each year: it’s not that there are more sharks. In fact in all likelihood there are fewer sharks due to over-fishing and habitat damage.
Brown went on to explain that the chances of being attacked are extremely small and those who are attacked tend to be bitten on the legs which suggest sharks are exploring their potential prey rather than trying to eat it.
BBCHe finished:
We do know that sharks don’t like to eat people.
Studies show they respond strongly to the smell of seals and fish, but not humans. The trouble with sharks is that they are inquisitive and when checking out a potential prey item they typically come up and have a nibble.
Of course, if a 4m white shark has a nibble on you, it’s likely to be life-threatening. If they don’t like what they taste they leave.
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More of a concept than a journalist, Tom Percival was forged in the bowels of Salford University from which he emerged grasping a Masters in journalism.
Since then his rise has been described by himself as ‘meteoric’ rising to the esteemed rank of Social Editor at UNILAD as well as working at the BBC, Manchester Evening News, and ITV.
He credits his success to three core techniques, name repetition, personality mirroring, and never breaking off a handshake.