Nature is such a wild, awe-inspiring, and sometimes… even a frightening place.
Stand at the top of a mountain, at the edge of the Grand Canyon, or in front of a roaring ocean, and it just makes you feel slightly uncomfortable… in a good way. It humbles you, makes you feel small, like you’re just a speck in the universe. But at the same time, I marvel at God’s creation. And then I think about how the Creator of the universe, who made all this I’m looking at, knows, loves, and delights in me… the aforementioned speck… and out flows worship and gratitude.
It’s why nature is so awesome… get outside, people.
I’m getting way too deep here, but the ocean is just an insane place. Deep and expansive, unfathomably powerful, and while we know a ton about it, there’s still so much of it that remains completely untouched. It’s hard to wrap your head around. But that’s why it’s so awe-inspiring and somewhat nerve-racking… you just don’t always know what’s in there with you. And even when you do, you’re still at the mercy of the ocean and the creatures of the deep.
And few creatures elicit the utter fear and panic that great white sharks do.
Arguably the ocean’s most formidable apex predator, great white sharks are perfectly built for hunting. With a torpedo-shaped body and up to 300 serrated, triangular teeth arranged in multiple rows, great whites are highly intelligent and calculated ambush hunters that rely on explosive bursts of speed. Reaching up to 25 mph, they launch devastating surprise attacks on seals, sea lions, and small whales from below.
Basking sharks might be much larger, but these gentle giants are relatively harmless.
More About Basking Sharks
Basking sharks are the second-largest living shark and fish in the world, trailing only the whale shark. But despite their massive, intimidating size and wide-open mouths, they pose virtually no threat to humans.
As one of only three plankton-eating shark species, they feed by swimming forward with their massive mouths held wide open, passively filtering zooplankton, small fish, and invertebrates through specialized bristle-like structures called gill rakers. They can filter up to 2,000 tons of water per hour.
Adults typically reach lengths of 22 to 29 feet (with some historical reports of them exceeding 35 feet) and can weigh upwards of 10,000 pounds. For comparison, great whites tend to clock in at about 10 to 15 feet long and 4,000 to 5,000 pounds.
Because they share similar habitats and both possess a large, prominent dorsal fin, basking sharks are frequently mistaken for great white sharks by boaters and beachgoers. However, they are vastly different animals.
But if you’re not an expert and you’re just out having a time with the boys, it might not be smart to make assumptions. This dude found that out as he jumped off the back of the boat thinking he was gonna have a chance to swim with a basking shark. But as he hits the water and looks down at the massive shark, he immediately regrets it:
“That was a bad idea… dude, I touched it.”
When one of his friends on the boat chimes in:
“Boys, that’s not a…. hooo!”
As you hear the cries of fear, they all realize what just happened.
“That’s not a basking shark, dude.”
They thought he may have jumped in with a great white, and the panic you can hear in his voice is well-deserved given what could happen if you’re swimming with a great white. But luckily, after he was back in the boat and everything calmed down, they inspected further and confirmed that it was actually a basking shark.
California resident Maxwell Fleming told Storyful the video was taken in the spring of 2019, while the pair were spearfishing at the Channel Islands.
“We spotted a fin in the water, approached it slowly, and determined that it was a basking shark. Ryder and I were actually talking about wanting to swim with a basking shark a few days prior after we heard rumors about them being in the area this time of year.”
Close call, bro…
Spearfisherman Fights Off Two Sharks
Man, spearfishing ain’t for the faint of heart, eh?
I mean, it’s almost a fishermen’s tale that’s to good to be true and will only of be believed because of video proof. It’s a great one to tell the kids too, “Yeah, I used to have to fight two sharks off just to get my tuna in.”
Spearfishing is a bad*ss fishing method. A mix between hunting and fishing, but completely in a new element going underneath the water to get a good shot. With sharks around, I don’t know if I would be causing a scene that would draw them in closer. A fish with a spear through it, flailing around the water is definitely what a shark is looking for.
You ever hear the expression “blood in the water?” You’re literally spearing a fish and pouring blood into the water. This man had his eyes on the prize though as he sunk his spear through the tuna he was chasing. As soon as he grabs ahold of the rope a shark charges in towards the fisherman. He punches the shark in the nose pushing it away. Keep in mind, he’s trying to hang on to the tuna while he’s fighting off a shark… in the shark’s kitchen.
Another shark appears and they both begin circling and coming in close as the fisherman pulls the tuna in close and pays attention to the sharks too all while surfacing for air. Talk about a rush, you can feel the adrenaline pumping just watching the video.
The fight gets more intense as the man gets the fish in closer. Getting tangled in the line, one of the sharks comes right at him and roughs him up until he goes back under. The man pulls out a knife and stabs one that comes close, as it swims off the other comes in and catches a stab as well.
The man goes up and waves down his boat that comes to get him to safety. He throws the fish in first then climbs up in. Dude… I love tuna as much as the next guy, but not way in hell I’m getting into a knife fight with two sharks over it.
Stabbing sharks and still getting the fish, that’s as intense as fishing gets.
