Tag: tiger shark

Shark attack footage from shore stirring, but don’t be misled

Florida travel company shares footage of tiger shark predation effort as warning to Keys visitors. But shark was never near Florida.

Florida Keys Travel, for the second time recently, has shared footage showing a tiger shark chasing a turtle practically onto the sand. The latest Instagram post cautioned:

“Think again before you go knee-deep in the Florida Keys — you never know what might be lurking beneath the surface!”

In the footage, posted below, the shark nearly strands on the beach before retreating safely back into deeper water.

“Welcome to the keys,” one follower remarked.

While Floridians expressed gratitude for the warning, the post is misleading.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFLFhQKuRrn/

The footage was actually captured last January in Western Australia. I interviewed the photographer, Ruth Gaw, after seeing her Facebook post.

Gaw told me that the turtle escaped and that a large stingray also “got chased in, but I had stopped recording when it happened.”

She was observing from the beach at Monkey Mia, which is famous for its white sand and abundant marine life. Gaw spotted the shark approaching as her husband Derek and son Arran were fishing for mackerel.

Click here for the full story.

Shark tour employee injured in Hawaii’s first attack of 2025

The 23-year-old man was apparently bitten while diving near a bait ball off Haleiwa on Oahu’s North Shore.

A tour-boat employee in Hawaii is recovering from an apparent shark attack that occurred Saturday afternoon outside of Haleiwa on Oahu’s North Shore.

Hawaii News Now reported that the 23-year-old unidentified man was hospitalized with serious injuries.

The Star Advertiser, citing the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, reported that the incident marked the first shark attack in Hawaiian waters in 2025.

The DNLR had not issued a news release about the incident as of late Sunday.

https://www.instagram.com/p/DEtR7AivcD2/

Daniel Casler of My Kailua stated via Instagram that he had spoken to a friend of the victim and added the following update:

“The victim is an employee of the shark tour company and was caught in a bait ball (where are large school of fish ball up) and the shark latched onto the forearm of the individual.

“His arm was saved and he’s retained feeling. There are more surgeries ahead for him but thankfully he will recover.”

It’s not clear what type of shark was involved, but tiger sharks are implicated in most unprovoked attacks in Hawaiian waters.

Fishermen catch and release tiger shark; actions prompt public scorn

An Australian politician might have taken more heat just for praising the catch and posting about it on Facebook.

Australian shore fishermen aiming to catch something for the freezer instead landed an 11.5-foot tiger shark, then cheerfully posed for photos before releasing it.

They probably weren’t expecting the fallout from the catch and release, but they got an earful as their actions prompted online outrage and a rebuke from a marine biologist. It also got a politician in hot water.

Zach Hanning, Luke Williamson and Natalie Schutte were fishing on the beach at Lakes Entrance in Gippsland, Victoria, on Friday when something big took a bait, as reported by Today on 9Now.

“Pretty much from the get-go, I knew it was a shark,” Hanning told Today.

Hanning put on a harness, grabbed the rod and began a tug-of-war that went on for 90 minutes before landing the tiger shark on the beach.

“Over the years we have heard of the odd tiger shark getting caught down here, but it’s definitely not something we were targeting,” Hanning said. “We were just down there to have a fish and enjoy the beach on a warm day, maybe catch a bronze whaler or something for the freezer.”

Photos of the shark with one of the fishermen sitting on it were posted on Facebook by MAD Outdoors Sale.

Darren Chester, who is a member of the Australian House of Representatives for Gippsland in Victoria, called the catch “a beauty” in his Facebook post.

https://www.facebook.com/darrenchestermp/posts/pfbid0pNZY8NPLr4HJi4wPCY4rJU3f3Gpqn4XFqcj7q5NVVMzGQTyjPxqwxEURLpP3ikwnl

Chester’s post did not go over well.

“Shame on the MP for promoting this infantile behavior,” Mark Sewell wrote. “No benefit to anyone to catch and release a tiger shark, but fair risk of damage to one party or the other. Would no longer get my vote.”

To which Chester replied, “‘Shame on the MP’… thanks Mark, everyone enjoys a good dose of sanctimony to start the New Year. Pretty sure I would never have your vote!”

Others chimed in:

“If you respect the creatures you DON’T sit on them.”

“It’s not a carnival ride, you treat that animal with respect!!”

“Why sit on it?”

“Mounting a shark for a pic is not cool. You don’t have any clue what damage you could be doing.”

Also on FTW Outdoors: Girl’s record blue catfish sparks controversy; criticism appalls her mother

Lawrence Chlebeck, a marine biologist and a spokesman for Humane Society International, talked about the possible damage to the shark. His biggest concern is when fishermen sit on them for photos.

“When you pull an animal out of the water whose body has evolved to always be buoyant, it can lead to internal injuries – organ crushing,” Chlebeck told Yahoo News Australia. “These are the types of things that kill beached whales and dolphins and it’s a very traumatic experience…If you’re adding weight on top of that, you’re just making things worse.”

Meanwhile, many of the comments on MAD Outdoors Sale’s post were positive in nature, though not all. A sampling:

“What a beautiful looking shark! Well done on the catch and release.”

“Animal Cruelty. How would you like to be treated like it?”

“Great catch and great photos.”

“Terrible behavior.”

“Disgrace.”

“Only [expletives] would jump on the back.”

“Great job boys.”

There were several other defenders of the catch (if not the sitting on the shark).

“People have been hunting fish since the beginning of time,” one commenter wrote. “It’s part of many cultures as well. You going to stop that?

“Get off your high horses. Most of you probably eat fish and chips and don’t think twice about where your food came from.

“I’m sure this tiger swam away healthy. Many [fishermen] are also in tagging programs so fish can be tracked and protected for future generations.”

Most likely, there will never be total agreement on the issue, except perhaps for the disdain about sitting on the shark.

Photo courtesy of Natalie Schutte.

Angler hooks ‘taxman’ but then a much larger shark comes calling

An angler in Mozambique was fighting a trevally when a large shark ate the trevally, only to find itself about to become prey.

A fishing-themed Instagram page on Sunday posted a “viral alert” image showing an angler posing with the head of a large shark and asked followers: “What did this?”

A little research reveals that the image was captured off Mozambique, in southeast Africa, in 2022.

Back then the charter company Fish Bazaruto  described the chain of events, via Instagram, that explains the image: “On a recent session we hooked into a Yellowspotted Trevally that was taken by this shark, which was eventually taxed by an even bigger one.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cchga8OupQZ/?igsh=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA%3D%3D

A shark is often referred to as the taxman, or tax collector, if it devours all or part of a hooked game fish.

There was speculation in the comments, including by Fish Bazaruto, that the larger shark, which was not seen, was either a bull shark or tiger shark.

Watch: Tiger shark hunts inches from beach in ‘on-your-toes’ moment

Footage showing tiger shark’s dramatic turtle hunt is shared by Florida travel company as a warning, but it was not captured off Florida.

Florida Keys Travel this week shared dramatic footage showing a tiger shark chasing a turtle to the beach as something to ponder the “next time you think about visiting the Florida Keys.”

The company added: “The wild beauty of the ocean always keeps you on your toes in paradise.”

While tiger sharks can be encountered off Florida, the footage was captured last January off Western Australia. Photographer Ruth Gaw told FTW Outdoors that the shark measured 8 feet and that the hunt was unsuccessful.

“The turtle got away, and the shark didn’t stay much longer,” Gaw said. “A large stingray also got chased in, but I had stopped recording when it happened.”

Click here to read the back story and view Gaw’s Facebook Reel. The Florida Keys Travel video is posted below.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DD0UPP1Orze/?igsh=NjZiM2M3MzIxNA%3D%3D

Tiger sharks, which can measure to about 18 feet, are found in tropical and temperate waters around the world.

From the Florida Museum: “Tiger sharks are second only to the white shark in terms of the number of reported attacks on humans.

“Tiger sharks are often curious and unaggressive when encountered yet are one of the three species most commonly implicated in shark attacks and fatalities and should be treated with extreme caution and a great deal of respect.”

Huge tiger shark (with tiny escorts) closes popular Hawaii beach

Footage shows the apex predator’s close proximity to Magic Sands Beach Park swimming areas, prompting a temporary closure.

A popular beach on the Big Island of Hawaii was ordered off-limits to swimmers Wednesday after a drone operator spotted a large tiger shark cruising just offshore.

“BEACH CLOSED,” Sharks of Hawaii exclaimed via Instagram. “Big tiger shark closes down Magic Sands Beach Park this afternoon 7/31/24.”

The camera pans from the shark to shore, showing the shark’s proximity to swimming areas. But what some viewers noticed were the two small escorts directly in front of the shark’s snout.

“Something in its mouth,” one viewer observed.

Sharks of Hawaii: “Those are two fish swimming in front of it.”

Another comment: “Those two fish in front of him are having a bad day.”

Viewer’s reply: “Pilot fish. Pay attention in science class.”

Pilot fish remove parasites from sharks and are thus tolerated as escorts in what’s described as a mutualist relationship.

Two days earlier, Sharks of Hawaii shared a different clip showing a large Galapagos shark swimming near oblivious snorkelers. (Footage posted above.)

“Bruno closing the water this afternoon off Magic Sands beach park. 7/29/24,” Sharks of Hawaii stated.

It would seem that Magic Sands might not be a smart choice for swimmers this week.

Large tiger shark washes ashore on Nantucket, but only briefly

The massive tiger shark washed up dead this week, but beachgoers were unsuccessful in keeping it on the beach.

A large tiger shark carcass washed shore on Nantucket off Cape Cod, Mass., Tuesday, in a rare event that piqued the interest of scientists.

Unfortunately, the shark washed back to sea despite the efforts of beachgoers to secure the apex predator.

“This is really early to see this species in the area,” shark researcher John Chisholm explained Friday via X. “If you find it please let me know so we can perform a necropsy.”

Chisholm was responding to multiple social-media reports by the Nantucket Current, including the accompanying video post that shows a man trying to pull the massive shark ashore by its tail fin.

“An unusual & sad sight on the south shore this week,” the Nantucket Current stated. “It is relatively rare to see a tiger shark in the waters around Nantucket, and especially in spring when water temperatures are still low.”

Tiger sharks, named for the vertical stripes on their bodies, are found in tropical to warm-temperate waters around the world. They’re among the world’s largest sharks and can measure to about 18 feet.

Tiger sharks are opportunistic predators and expert ambush hunters. According to the Florida Museum, they are second only to great white sharks “in terms of the number of reported attacks on humans.”

As to why the shark might have been off Nantucket in the spring, the Nantucket Current cited a recent study by NOAA and the University of Miami that “found that warming ocean waters had expanded tiger sharks’ seasonal distribution in the northwest Atlantic.”

Tiger sharks are much more likely to be spotted off Florida at this time of year.

–Image via the Nantucket Current

Watch: Tiger shark attacks kayak, angler thinks he knows why

Scott Haraguchi documented the assault on his vessel and offers a theory as to why the shark became aggressive.

An angler who survived a harrowing tiger shark attack on his kayak last May has shared footage of the encounter along with a possible explanation for the attack.

Scott Haraguchi had reeled in a grouper while fishing with a buddy off Kualoa, Oahu. He did not bleed the grouper and does not believe scent was a factor in the shark ramming his kayak.

Minutes later, as shown in the footage, the tiger shark surfaces off Haraguchi’s bow and slams into his kayak.

“There was a lot of speculation as to why a tiger shark would run full speed into a kayak,” Haraguchi stated via Instagram. “Hopefully this answers all those questions.”

Haraguchi captured the scene with a mounted GoPro that was documenting his fishing exploits. He told FTW Outdoors days afterward that the shark might have mistaken his kayak for a seal.

But in the footage he offers a different theory.

“The shark approaches the front of there kayak as if to ram it or scare it, instead of eat it,” Haraguchi begins. “And as it slides up the side of the kayak he realizes that it’s not tasting a seal or a whale, or something alive.”

Slow-motion footage, however, shows the large shark chomping on the kayak with much of its body out of the water.

Haraguchi and his companion remained in the area “with our limbs out of the water” for several minutes and eventually spotted a wounded seal, which Haraguchi points to in the footage.

He concluded: “I believe that the shark rammed me thinking that I was competition for its seal kill. What do you guys think?”

It’s impossible to know but tiger sharks, which can measure 20 feet, commonly prey on seals, turtles, fish, mollusks, and other critters.

They’re also implicated in the vast majority of shark attacks on humans in Hawaiian waters.

Tiger shark chases turtle to beach in wild scene caught on video

A beachgoer in Western Australia this week captured extraordinary footage showing an 8-foot tiger shark nearly beaching itself while trying to catch a turtle.

A beachgoer in Western Australia this week captured extraordinary footage showing an 8-foot tiger shark nearly beaching itself while trying to catch a turtle.

The footage posted below, courtesy of Ruth Gaw, shows the shark swimming rapidly toward shore and the turtle scooting onto the sand in the nick of time.

“The turtle got away, and the shark didn’t stay much longer,” Gaw told FTW Outdoors. “A large stingray [also] got chased in, but I had stopped recording when it happened.”

The shark nearly stranded before thrashing back into the water.

The pursuit occurred at Monkey Mia, a tourist destination famous for white-sand beaches and abundant marine life.

Gaw spotted the shark approaching as her husband Derek and son Arran were fishing for mackerel.

Tiger shark trying to get off the beach. Photo: Ruth Gaw

Her footage shows the shark swimming beneath fishing line, and line draped over the shark’s back as it reached the shore.

Not long before the shark encounter, the family had been swimming in waist-deep water.

Tiger sharks can measure nearly 15 feet and often prey on turtles. The apex predators are considered dangerous and have been implicated in several attacks on humans.

Massive tiger shark landed during ‘team-building’ fishing trip

A group of South Carolina business partners on Sunday teamed to land a massive tiger shark that weighed an estimated 1,500 pounds.

A group of South Carolina business partners on Sunday teamed to land a tiger shark that weighed an estimated 1,500 pounds.

“If that wasn’t a great team-building exercise, I don’t know what is,” Capt. Chip Michalove told FTW Outdoors.

Michalove, owner of Outcast Sport Fishing in Hilton Head, did not provide the anglers’ names but said they fought the shark for 90 minutes before it was alongside the boat. (The shark was released after a brief photo session.)

“Largest one we’ve caught in years, a 13-footer,” Michalove boasted Monday via Facebook.

Any tiger shark topping 1,000 pounds is considered to be enormous.

For comparison, the International Game Fish Assn. lists the world record as a tie between a catches of 1,785 pounds, 11 ounces (Australia, 2004) and 1,780 pounds (South Carolina, 1964).

(The 1964 catch was made from a Myrtle Beach pier!)

13-foot tiger shark moments before it was released. Photo: Chip Michalove

Michalove, who in July 2022 caught and released a record-size hammerhead shark, explained that giant tiger sharks tend to be active off South Carolina in the fall.

“It seems like every year the largest tiger is always the last two weeks of October,” he said. “Last year we lost an enormous one on Halloween.”

Michalove, who is authorized to tags sharks for research, said he has caught several of the same large tiger sharks over the years.

Tiger shark was landed after a 90-minute fight. Photo: Chip Michalove

But the shark his group caught Sunday did not have a tag and did not show markings that would imply it had previously been tagged.

Asked about how the anglers handled the fight, Michalove explained:

“The fight was an hour and a half. It took all four customers multiple rod swaps to get her close. One of the guys was a pastor, and that always seems beneficial.”