Was it a Great White?

[rawls]

Was there a distinct line between where it was light gray above and where it was white underneath, or was it kind of a fade-to-white?

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I didn't study it that closely. Most of it's color was gray and the underbelly was white. As far as a distinct line...It was distinct enough to distinguish the gray and the white

Just curious, were you diving off the Capt's Lady and was the spearfisher you mentioned Justin off of the Seaquest II?

And to answer your question, yes, it was probably a Great White. There have been a couple of them reported at the Spar lately. BTW, I dove the Spar a few times two weeks ago. What a beautiful wreck! Lots of penetrations.

Jeepbrew...I know Justin...It wasn't the Seaquest out that day...It was both of the Olympus boats...But I was on the Capt's Lady with Leroy that day...And it is a beautiful wreck and there are LOTS of great penetrations...I absolutely love that wreck and am glad you had a chance to dive on her. And penetrate her

YUP, we got GW's here. Even videoed one swimming around a dive boat. Funny thing, though......everyone decided not to dive after the sighting......Hmmmmmm. I would have loved seeing it from down under.

Allison...Was the video from the Discovery Diving website? To be honest...I'm not so sure I would have dived if I saw it either. After seeing the DD video I have often wondered what I would do. I know I would want to. Whether I would have had the guts?

Hmmmm. Our LDS is planning a wreck trip near Beaufort in October. Guess most of the whites'll be gone by then.

likelite...You will have a great time either way. Glad you are coming to dive. What dive shop are you chartering from?

 

[Fish Wrangler]

are great whites more agressive when the have their young present? are they like bears in that way?

Hey Cody:

Short answer is no. Sharks are hardcoded to survive, eat, and breed, and except for some sharks that place their egg cases in out of the way places, they don't care for their young. Well, maybe as food, in which case it's "look out for Mama!"

Great whites bear live young, and in pregnant females that have been caught, there is evidence that the more developed pups eat less developed pups in utero. So if there were two GWs together, it may have been to breed, to feed, or just coincidence.

GWs have a global distribution; they may be rarer in NC, but not unheard of.

HTH

Susan

 

[gangrel441]

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I didn't study it that closely. Most of it's color was gray and the underbelly was white. As far as a distinct line...It was distinct enough to distinguish the gray and the white

If it was a GW, then what a great experience to be cherished!

My guess, however, is that it may well have been a porbeagle. Check this out...

http://www.postmodern.com/~fi/sharkpics/ellis/porbeagl.htm

 

[rawls]

If it was a GW, then what a great experience to be cherished!

My guess, however, is that it may well have been a porbeagle. Check this out...

http://www.postmodern.com/~fi/sharkpics/ellis/porbeagl.htm

gangrel...Nope...I can see this shark looks a great deal like the White but the shark I saw was much lighter in color. I'm thinking the porbeagle looks alot like a Mako to me. The porbeagle in the pic you linked also has alot broader a midsection than the shark I saw...I am pretty certain it wasn't the porbeagle. Actually it's the first time I have heard of this shark. Never heard of anyone mention seeing one where I dive...

 

[Fish Wrangler]

I am pretty certain it wasn't the porbeagle. Actually it's the first time I have heard of this shark. Never heard of anyone mention seeing one where I dive...

I can't find any mention of porbeagles being sighted in NC waters, either. Resources I've found say it is a cold water shark that ranges as far south as New Jersey. Not to say that it can't wander out of its reported range. But if the porbeagle prefers cold water, I would think its range would be moving north, not south.

If it was a GW, that's pretty neat. I'm envious.

 

[Lost_At_Sea]

8 feet?
maybe a maco?

Maco's have a smaller body, GW's look like a shark on roids even at a young age.

 

[isurus]

gangrel...Nope...I can see this shark looks a great deal like the White but the shark I saw was much lighter in color. I'm thinking the porbeagle looks alot like a Mako to me. The porbeagle in the pic you linked also has alot broader a midsection than the shark I saw...I am pretty certain it wasn't the porbeagle. Actually it's the first time I have heard of this shark. Never heard of anyone mention seeing one where I dive...

I wouldn't discount on the basis of that picture which is not brilliant. Before I suggested it I did a quick google (they're fairly common this side of the atlantic but I wasn't sure about america). Came up with records from as far south as raleigh apparently. Of course it may well have been a white too.

 

[gangrel441]

...The porbeagle in the pic you linked also has alot broader a midsection than the shark I saw...I am pretty certain it wasn't the porbeagle...

This is an interesting comment and my be relevant to identifying this shark. To the best of my knowledge, a GW has about as broad of a body of any shark you will ever see, so if the porbeagle looks to you like it has a broader midsection than the shark you saw, that may be a point against the one you saw having been a GW.

 

[rawls]

Just an update...I have been informed that the shark in question has now been seen by quite a few other divers on the same wreck. It was seen by these divers on different trips. The shark is a juvenile Great White from what I have been told...

 

[Thalassamania]

If you think you saw a white you likely did, they're hard to confuse ... conical snout and thick body.

As for sharks and bears, I've had close encounters of the hungry kind with both. The shark's jaws are on my wall ... but the bear ambled off when he finally got bored.