{"id":42181,"date":"2024-10-03T13:56:22","date_gmt":"2024-10-03T11:56:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/f0d653b4-85d4-4f52-81b4-e53c50138c97"},"modified":"2024-10-03T14:27:32","modified_gmt":"2024-10-03T12:27:32","slug":"she-appeared-suddenly-out-of-the-blue-murkiness-a-massive-white-shark-close-encounter-stuns-divers-in-california","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbcwildlife\/rss_feed\/she-appeared-suddenly-out-of-the-blue-murkiness-a-massive-white-shark-close-encounter-stuns-divers-in-california\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cShe appeared suddenly out of the blue murkiness \u2013 a massive white shark!\u201d Close encounter stuns divers in California"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amazingly, most of the scuba divers were totally unaware the predator was just a few metres away. <\/p>

By Melissa Hobson\n <\/p>

Published: Thursday, 03 October 2024 at 11:56 AM<\/p>

\n\n

Most people would be horrified to be surprised by the ocean\u2019s top apex predator<\/a>, but scuba divers in Catalina, USA, were ecstatic to be joined by a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias<\/em>). <\/strong><\/p>

Even more incredibly, “most of [the group] completely missed this magnificent beast,\u201d says\u00a0Seamus Callaghan, who captured the footage.<\/p>

The shark was spotted in waters around Catalina, one of California\u2019s Channel Islands\/Seamus Callaghan<\/figcaption><\/figure>

The divers were on a three-day trip out of Long Beach California testing underwater photography equipment for Huish Outdoors onboard the Sundiver Charter<\/em>, but they had no idea that they were about to capture footage of Jaws herself.\u00a0<\/p>

On their final dive, the group descended onto a small shipwreck about 30 metres (90 feet) deep. As he was adjusting his camera,\u00a0Callaghan realised they weren\u2019t alone. <\/p>

\u201cAt\u00a0that moment, the 15-foot-plus [4.5 metre]\u00a0great white shark<\/a> swam slowly from behind me and over my right shoulder, almost within arm\u2019s reach,\u201d he says. \u201cIt took me a couple of seconds to compose myself and lift up the camera to shoot the shark as it circled around me \u2013 a complete 360.\u201d<\/p>

Here it comes…wait for it…\/Seamus Callaghan<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Incredibly, several people didn\u2019t spot the gigantic shark just metres from them in the water. <\/p>

\u201cIt swam within 10 feet [three metres] of each of us, despite going completely unnoticed by five of the eight divers,” says\u00a0Callaghan.\u00a0<\/p>

Kacy Madigan, instructor and dive professional, was lucky enough to get a front-row seat as the shark swam calmly below her, just six metres away. \u201cShe appeared suddenly out of the blue murkiness \u2013 a massive white shark,\u201d she says. \u201cAt first, I couldn’t even register what I was seeing because of how large and close she was. It took a moment for reality to sink in.\u201d<\/p>

Madigan exhaled deeply so she could drop down for a closer look \u201cand nearly got a little too close in my excitement,\u201d she says. The shark circled the group, still unnoticed by several divers, then took off. \u201cMy encounter with a white shark in the wild, especially without a cage, was one of the most surreal experiences of my life,\u201d she says.<\/p>

Video captures the shark as it circles around the group of divers\/Seamus Callaghan<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Although movies often position great whites as man-eating monsters, humans pose a much greater threat to sharks than they do to us. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species categorises white sharks as\u00a0vulnerable to extinction<\/a>\u00a0and over\u00a0100 million<\/a>\u00a0sharks, of all species, are killed by humans each year.\u00a0<\/p>

Callaghan describes the shark as \u201cslow and very calm. It did not pose as aggressive but definitely curious,\u201d he says. \u201cOverall, I had mixed emotions, none really of fear and certainly not panic. Powerlessness comes to mind.\u201d<\/p>

\u201cWe do love sharks out here,\u201d says Captain Kyaa from\u00a0Sundiver International<\/a>, which hosted the trip. \u201cThe danger on our trips if someone yells ‘shark’ is from divers trampling one another to get IN the water.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>

Instructor and dive professional Kacy Madigan can’t hide her excitement as she sees the white shark from above\/Seamus Callaghan<\/figcaption><\/figure>

Although they shared the water with the white shark for just a moment, this once-in-a-lifetime experience will stay with them forever, says Madigan: \u201cI\u2019ll be thinking about that shark for the rest of my life.\u201d<\/p>

Video and images: Seamus Callaghan, Huish Outdoors testing Oceanic iPhone Housings and Oceanic Plus software.<\/em><\/p>

More wild stories from around the world<\/strong><\/p>