Some people do dumb stuff when they have been drinking. These guys did something more stupid than what most people ever do though.
The video showcases some drunken idiots on a boat initially filming a basking shark near the surface of the water reportedly off the coast of Cohassett, Massachusetts. One of the men decides it’s a good time to go for a swim and jumps into the water, right on top of the shark.
A second man decides to jump in right afterwards as the clearly agitated shark darts away from both of them.
Basking sharks are the second largest living shark on earth. Similar to whale sharks, they eat micro-organisms and are not considered to be dangerous towards humans, so the men were not putting themselves in a bad spot as much as they were putting the shark in an unnatural and precarious situation. Basking sharks are considered an endangered species and disturbing them in their natural habitat is certainly extremely frowned upon.
This kind of blatant disrespect for a wild animal is appalling, and many folks who viewed the viral footage online called out the stupidity of the men in the video, with several voicing their critiques of the situation.
“I’ve never rooted for a shark to attack someone till I saw this video.”
“It would be funny if some unknown monster dragged him to the depths shortly after. The hooting and hollering would turn to shrieking rather quickly. It would be quite a scene.”
“One person wrote: ‘Such a cool moment ruined by people trying to be cool…poor shark.”
“Try it with a bear or a great white next time. Darwinism at its finest…”
