This Is What It Looks Like When A Great White Shark Chases You


Photographer Charles Maxwell recently captured unusual underwater footage, which depicts a great white shark chasing after his boat before sinking its teeth into his camera.

Maxwell, an Emmy-award-winning underwater photographer, routinely tows a camera behind his boat in the waters around False Bay, South Africa, hoping to catch unique views of the world below the surface. According to Shark Attack News, he doesn’t bait the rig, but instead relies on the naturally inquisitive nature of the local wildlife to bring them within range of his lens.

On a recent trip, Maxwell filmed a curious white shark, which approached his camera from behind to investigate it. During previous expeditions, the camera had repeatedly been attacked by great whites, as the predators struck unseen from its side. Though he feared for the safety of his equipment, Maxwell decided to leave it in the water to see if he could capture interesting footage of the white shark.

The great white repeatedly sped up while chasing the rig, trailing it closely before suddenly veering off. The shark approached the back of his 7.5-meter-long boat several times, before eventually lunging at the camera. The great white’s teeth scratched the lens as the predator attempted to bite into it, as the Irish Mirror notes. Its curiosity fulfilled, the white shark then turned and swam away.

Recently, another photographer in False Bay captured a series of images revealing an unsuccessful predation attempt by a white shark. The great white approached a seal from below in an ambush attack, but missed by a small margin and struck the animal with its nose instead of its jaws. The lucky seal tumbled through the air as the great white’s attack sent them both hurtling from the water, as the Inquisitr previously noted.

This hunting technique, called a breach or lunge attack, can result in stunning displays, as the speed of the great white’s assault will often propel the shark’s entire body out of the ocean.

False Bay is considered one of the top spots in the world to observe great whites. It is home to Seal Island, a rocky outcropping that harbors nearly 65,000 seals, and the density of prey is a strong attractant for great white sharks.

[Image: Charles Maxwell via Shark Attack News]

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