When most people think of great white sharks, they imagine a scene from the film Jaws. A scene where a massive monster is lurking beneath the ocean depths, mouth wide open, ready to devour you. However, they don't often imagine seeing one lying on the sand at the beach. These beachgoers got to see that rare sight when a beached great white appeared right on the shoreline. Watch as two brave individuals help this beached great white.
Brave Souls Save Beached Great White
Nantucket Current went to Instagram to share some details about this incredible encounter. According to their post, one of the shark's saviros, Liza Phillips, was just enjoying a day at the beach with her family and friends. As she was walking down Low Beach in Sconset, she found the rarest of beach finds, a beached great white shark.
She told Current that she originally thought the shark was a whale. She stated, "I grabbed my phone and started sprinting down the beach, and as soon as I got close enough to see it, I said, 'Oh my God.'" Onlookers began to record the incredible scene.
In the YouTube video, you can hear the camerawoman claim, "Oh my god, I feel like such a little sh*t just taking a video, but like, what are we supposed to do?" Well, Liza Phillips knew exactly what to do.
A Wildlife Hero
Phillips told the Current that initially, she thought the shark would be able to right itself and get back in the water. However, after long moments of no success, she knew she would have to help. She and her friend Ted Rock decided to brave the odds and get close to the beached great white shark.
The pair began by grabbing the shark behind the dorsal fin and on the tail. They were careful to stay towards the back of the shark to avoid being bitten. At first, they just helped get the creature right side up. From there, they worked together to gently begin shoving it back into the water.
However, as it got deeper into the water, a wave flipped the shark onto its backside. Viewers can hear the person holding the camera ask, "Go go go! Why isn't he going?" What most likely occurred is that the shark was immobilized. IFL Science shares that "while upside-down, the shark's breathing slows, muscles become lax, and the dorsal fin straightens, rendering it almost helpless." So, while this shark was upside down, it could not move.
Luckily, Liza was the savior yet again. Noticing the shark's continued struggle, she braved the water. As the NY Post states, as Liza entered the water, she was "putting herself in a vulnerable position." She was now in the shark's territory. Gone was the beached great white shark; now, this shark had full mobility and, with that, an opportunity to attack Liza.
A Shark's Happy Ending
Screenshot from Youtube
Luckily for Liza, the shark was more interested in fleeing the traumatic scene than in taking a taste of her legs. As Liza enters the water up to her knees, she grabs the shark's tail one last time. She uses its tail to reposition him and get him facing upright.
As soon as the shark is removed from its immobilizing state, it swims off, happy to be rid of that horrid beach. Liza exits the water with a triumphant smile on her face. She recognizes what a once-in-a-lifetime experience this was for her.
She told Current, "Touching a great white? That's not even something you put on a bucket list because it's just so unbelievable." This scene was truly unbelievable, and Liza is a wildlife hero for helping save that beached great white shark. While she gets an incredible story to tell, that shark gets to keep its life, thanks to Liza.
