Beachgoer Wrestles Shark, Returns It To The Sea In Dramatic Rescue
A small shark stranded on the English coast owes its life to a passer-by, who wrestled the animal back into the sea after it had become trapped by a retreating tide.
The incident played out at St. Ives, Cornwall, according to the Mirror, when a retreating tide left a three-foot-long shark stranded on the beach. Though beachgoers pleaded with officials at the scene, the tourists were told that nothing could be done to rescue the shark. One bystander then stepped forward, taking matters into his own hands.
Grace Brown, a 19-year-old student from Sheffield, managed to film the dramatic rescue. On vacation with her family, she recalled that she had noticed the shark earlier in the day, as it circled the area.
“Some guys in kayaks had tried to grab [the shark], but then we lost sight of it and didn’t think any more of it. Then later we saw lots of people gathering around, and my dad went down to the lifeboats to see if there was anyone who could help it. He spoke to the people at the lifeboats, and they called the harbormaster, but they said that there was nothing they could do, and that the shark would sort itself out.”
#DidYouKnow: Sharks can learn, remember, and even teach each other >> http://t.co/eccTmNKGYp pic.twitter.com/SFkkLLbqWa
— Discovery (@Discovery) July 19, 2015
While beachgoers were attempting to devise a way to help the shark, one man stepped onto the beach, grabbing the shark and wrestling it under control. The animal’s small size made it easy for him to carry it back to the water, as the Metro reports.
“The shark was thrashing about, but because the shark was quite small the guy was able to pick him up and carry him back out to the sea.”
Though the man who rescued the shark has not been identified, Brown said that he “looked like just a normal guy.” His actions, however, had a dramatic impact on both the shark and onlookers.
“It restores your faith in humanity when you see someone acting, instead of just filming it on their mobile phones.”
Raw: Beached great white shark gets heroic rescue http://t.co/n5QRBZmM2m via @nzherald pic.twitter.com/RPxLJMnRPk
— nzherald.co.nz video (@nzheraldvideo) July 14, 2015
Last week, beachgoers affected a similar rescue of a great white shark in Cape Cod. As the Inquisitr previously reported, that shark was out of the water for nearly an hour before it was towed back into the sea and revived. Following the rescue, experts credited beachgoers, who kept the shark’s gills wet, with saving its life.
[Image via the Mirror]
