Great White Sharks Strike In Stunning Images
A photographer has captured stunning images of great white sharks off South Africa, by luring the predators into striking at just the right moment in the waters of False Bay.
According to the Express, filmmaker Mark van Coller captured the unique footage by towing a dummy seal behind his boat, a tactic often employed by shark researchers and videographers. He noted that successfully baiting great whites into striking at the dummy from below in a breach attack is only possible when conditions are right.
“We filmed just before and just after sunrise, as this is the most active time for the sharks to hunt,” van Coller revealed.
“During this time the seals and our seal decoy form a good silhouette for the sharks to target, but the water is still very dark, making it very difficult for the seals to spot the predators.
Pictures of the day: A leaping great white shark takes a chunk out of a decoy seal (Barcroft) http://t.co/eaEZGcvHVJ pic.twitter.com/Ep6yuj2vBs
— Telegraph Pictures (@TelegraphPics) December 10, 2014
“This gives the sharks a big advantage during these hours.
“On a good morning you can get anywhere from one to six breaches on the decoy – this is obviously dependent on many factors such as sea conditions, weather and seal activity in the water.”
This will give me nightmares… Incredible video shows great white shark leaping out of ocean: http://t.co/enasHNT67b pic.twitter.com/Bht8kV4szr — Chris Kitching (@chriskitching) December 10, 2014
As Barcroft TV observes, van Coller filmed the great whites during the summer of 2013 and 2014. The speed at which the sharks attack presents a particular challenge for him, meaning a lapse in concentration can result in a missed opportunity.
“It all happens in seconds. There have been occasions when the boat has pulled the decoy for close to an hour with no breaches,” he noted.
“But you dare not take your eye off your viewfinder and the decoy because that is always when it happens. You turn around to say something to someone and smash, you missed it.
“It is much too quick to be able to pick up the camera and record. By that time it is all over.”
Recently, another filmmaker in False Bay captured footage of a great white as it pursued his boat. As the Inquisitr previously reported, Charles Maxwell regularly tows a camera behind his boat to film unique images in the bay, and was able to document an inquisitive white shark as it followed him. When Maxwell stopped his boat, the curious great white shark struck at the camera, scratching it before moving on.
[Image: Atlantic Edge Films/ Barcroft via the Daily Mail]
