Divers clearing deadly ghost nets from a Mediterranean shipwreck unexpectedly came face-to-face with an adult great white shark—and captured what is believed to be a historic first.
Today’s Monday Muse is a first-timer of a very different kind.
An adult great white shark has been recorded underwater in the Mediterranean Sea in what is believed to be the first footage of its kind captured by divers in the region.
Volunteer technical divers from Ghost Diving were removing abandoned fishing nets from an offshore shipwreck during a mission organized by the Healthy Seas Foundation alongside the Society for Documentation of Submerged Sites when the natural-habitat wonder suddenly emerged from the blue.
Learn more about the conservation mission and the fight to remove abandoned fishing gear.
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The encounter happened roughly 40 meters beneath the surface in the Strait of Sicily between Sicily and Tunisia. Diver Derk Remmers managed to capture photographs and video as the curious shark circled the group before disappearing back into the blue.
While occasional surface sightings have been reported in the Mediterranean, filmed underwater encounters with divers had not previously been documented. The moment is especially significant because great white sharks in the region are considered critically endangered.
The reason the team was underwater remains just as important as the shark itself. Ghost nets are abandoned or lost pieces of fishing equipment that continue trapping turtles, fish and other marine life long after they are left behind.
Dig out thee natural-habitat wonder right below!
Watch the rare great white shark encounter.
The vertical footage captures the unexpected moment the shark emerged while the conservation divers were working near the wreck.
See more from the historic underwater sighting.
The Associated Press report shows the adult great white moving calmly through the Mediterranean waters near the conservation team.
Sources: The Healthy Seas Foundation provided the mission details, conservation context, photographs and footage credits; Associated Press provided additional video reporting.
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