|
| It's Right Behind You |
 Trey Snow was planning to track a great white shark. The marine biologist, all alone in his plastic sea kayak, didn't realize until almost too late that he, in fact, was the one being hunted.
One of a team of scientists hoping to find out why a large group of great whites that travel off of the coast of southern Africa during the summer swim close to the beaches. Choosing what they thought was the most innocuous vessel they could - the sea kayak - the scientists rowed into the sharks who, at first, gave little notice to the intruders.
The scientists were able to observe the sharks in their natural habitat and see them interact socially with other great whites. The sharks followed each other and swam circles around each other, possibly in a mating ritual.
What is considered the holy rail of shark research is to see great whites mating and give birth. It is considered highly dangerous and extremely difficult and no researcher has yet accomplished it.
Then a great white shark took an interest in Snow's kayak. Iy dove to the seabed and gave the sea kayak a thorough investigation from below before rising to the surface, his dorsal fin breaking the water like an attack about to happen in a horror movie.
Wildlife photographer Thomas Peschak, tied to the high bridge of a nearby vessel and leaning precariously over the ocean, took the shot of the shark tracking Snow.
It turns out, luckily for Snow, that the shark was more interested in this new sight than he was in a meal.
To see previous Spotlights in our new, easier to read Spotlight archive, click here, or discuss this story on our new message boards.
|
|
|
|
 "Click for larger image")