VIDEO: Divers swim with sharks feasting on dead whale
Local and international divers swam freely with great white sharks in Scottburgh, KwaZulu-Natal, this past weekend while observing them feeding on a dead humpback whale.
Owner of Aliwal Shoal Adventures, Emil Pirzenthal, received a call from a Blue Oceans Dive Resort boat crew, who first spotted the whale carcass at about 7am on Saturday, August 22, South Coast Sun reported.
“It was heading towards public beaches and into the Scottburgh sharks nets, so I grabbed an old trawler anchor and thick rope, phoned two photographers and headed out to it,” he said.
“It was slightly north of Greenpoint. I wrapped the rope around its tail to tow it because I didn’t want us to lose any sharks in the nets, like the 14 tigers that died last year in a similar incident.”
He said he was at first a bit worried about getting in the water with about 20 tiger sharks, two great whites of about 4.5m and 3.5m.
Click here to watch the video.
He had to convince them to stop eating while he roped the carcass, which was daunting with about 45 sharks around him at once, added Pirzenthal.
“No one had ever dived with great whites while feeding on a carcass. But it was amazing. The sharks were only interested in feeding on the whale.”
Pirzenthal anchored the carcass off Greenpoint, and about 15 divers took advantage of the spectacle and the free diving around the sharks with no hint of risk, according to owner of Meridian Dive, Barry Coleman.
“It was an incredible scene with no aggression from the sharks. They were not interested in us, only curious. Their primary objective was to feed off the dead whale. It was quite amazing.”
The spectacle was filmed by a BBC film crew from Cape Town, while divers drove down from Johannesburg overnight.
“This will hopefully revitalise the local dive industry. There is a lot of excitement now in the industry, and this has proven sharks are not dangerous. They have a specific food group.”
“Hopefully this will get the local dive industry together to promote diving in the area,” Coleman said.
On Sunday, Pirzenthal was informed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife he had to cut the carcass free.
“I towed it out about 2km further out to sea so that the current would catch it, and it would miss Scottburgh. I have no idea where it is now, but some did say they spotted a whale carcass off Margate. Hopefully I saved a few sharks from landing in the nets,” he said.
– Caxton News Service
Read original story on southcoastsun.co.za
