A VERY Close Encounter with a Great White Shark

Brett Louw has been diving off South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) coastline for almost 30 years, but on Sunday he had his closest encounter with a great white shark ever…and has the photo to prove it!

“It is very seldom I am lost for words,” said Brett, owner of Agulhas House and Dive Centre in Umkomaas. “But on Sunday, after 28 years of diving, I finally got to dive with a Great White while free swimming.

“This photo (above) was taken with a 17 mm lens!!!! That’s how close it was!”

The shark – along with another Great White and 20 Tiger Sharks – was feeding off the carcass of a humpback whale.

The whale had beached in the Umkomaas area. Its carcass was successfully moved back into the ocean, where it attracted an underwater feeding frenzy.

Later in the day the carcass moved towards Scottburgh where beaches were closed to swimmers. As a precautionary measure, KZN Sharks Board removed the shark nets to “prevent unnecessary captures of any sharks that may have been attracted” by the carcass.

Earlier this month the KZN Sharks Board also closed Zinkwazi Beach and removed all “shark safety gear” (such as nets) after a similar incident, on 7 August, where a dead whale washed up on shore.

At the time the Sharks Board said “a dead whale is known to attract very large sharks that scavenge them, and the sharks may pose threat to bathers. The carcass was cut up by locals in the area and the remains washed back out to sea…”

WATCH VIDEO: Sharks feeding off a whale carcass on Sunday 23 August 2015, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

MORE INFO

If you’re interested in diving with sharks – contact Agulhas House and Dive Centre, Umkomaas, or phone Brett Louw on 0741475249.