There are types of people who can appreciate a real-life Jaws moment, and these oceanic volunteers fit the mold. A video captured them enjoying the company of a huge great white shark circling their boat. One of the volunteers, Madisen Coulter, got footage of the 15-foot female shark swimming around their boat for over an hour, trying to sneak a bite after they took pictures of her dorsal fin for a white shark identification project. Thankfully, no one actually gotten bitten and the boat wasn't damaged.
The massive apex predator is seen nudging the boat a little and then popping up to bare its teeth. The other volunteers are excitedly screaming as the camera shot follows the shark's fin swimming around. One volunteer is heard saying, "I love my life," while another one is nervously cackling at the rare experience. These volunteers were collecting data on the white shark population in Cape Town, Gansbaai, and Mossel Bay in South Africa for the White Shark Diving Company to help conservation efforts, and the moment with the majestic animal got their adrenaline going.
The White Shark Diving Company offer cage diving and shark tour experiences in South Africa, but also promote preservation of the dangerously magnificent sea creature. Great white shark tourism is heavily relied on for bringing in money and funding for conversation efforts, but the rising disappearances of the animal population has caused some concerns. Some experts believe that the great white sharks have been fleeing their only other predators: orcas. Orcas are known to remove great white shark livers with "surgical precision" because of the fatty nutrients it contains. Another theory states that great white sharks have moved elsewhere because of changing prey distribution caused by human impact of overfishing and pollution.
