It’s not everyday that you get to see a shark using a surfboard to catch a ride on a wave to shore.
Australia is home to some of the world’s most dangerous creatures, and now it might also be known for the planet’s only surfing shark. This video that is now making its way around social media originates from New South Wales, Australia, which is a popular spot in Australia for surfing.
There’s not much out there that would scare an Australian. If we were going solely based on their stereotypes, one could assume that sharing your surf board with a shark is a pretty normal experience in the “Land Down Under,” and that the surfer probably yelled “shrimp on the barbie” as it was all going down.
Sharks are pretty common in Australia, so those on the coast (especially surfers) know that its pretty common to spot one from time to time. However, they are usually seen swimming in the water, and not surfing on top of it like this one is.
In the video below, you’ll see a man paddling along on the back of his surf board with a pretty sizable shark resting on the front end. The man kicks his legs in the water to gain some momentum, then catches a breaking wave that pushed him and the shark a good ways to shore.
It’s kind of a bummer, but apparently the shark that appears to be surfing is deceased. I was disappointed when I found out too (I’m assuming you either just let out an audible “what?” or sighed), but it does make sense that it wouldn’t be a live shark “hanging 10.”
An alive shark that is surfing really only makes sense in a Sharknado movie, so I’m not sure why I assumed that this one would be alive and just agreeing to ride on the surfboard. Turns out the surfer was just bring the body of the shark back to shore after finding it out in the deeper water.
Its seems like he was either trying to rescue it, or prevent more sharks from feasting on its body where they were surfing.
The visual of the shark still riding a wave into shallow water is pretty funny, even if it is no longer living. I’m sure it would be happy to know that it could very well be the only shark in the history of the world that has rode on a surfboard, even if it was posthumously.
Take a look:
