iStockphoto / Martin Voeller
- People were spooked by footage of a gigantic shark feeding in the water just feet from a paddling surfer
- The clip appears to show a Great Hammerhead shark eating a stingray as a surfer tries to get out of the way as quickly as possible
- Read more articles on BroBible right here
A lot of people were spooked by this footage of a shark feeding on a stingray just feet away from a surfer. The reality of the situation though is the shark is just doing what sharks do and the surfer just happened to be there at a wild time.
This was filmed at Middles Beach in Puerto Rico and it appears to show a Great Hammerhead shark taking down a stingray in the middle of the surfing lineup. That surfer was likely paddling in the water and getting in position to catch his next wave when the water erupted.
It’s not clear that the surfer was ever in any real danger as we see the shark pretty intent on getting to the stingray but the surfer paddling out of there as fast as possible creates this sense of danger that may or may not have existed.
Here’s the clip with some reactions below:
CLOSE CALL: A shark was spotted Monday at Middles Beach in Puerto Rico, coming near a surfer paddling in the water. pic.twitter.com/BDcM43z2no
— CBS News (@CBSNews) December 1, 2021
A lot of people assumed the shark was going after the surfer when a close look reveals it was clearly interested in the leaping stingray that didn’t want to be caught:
It gets frustrating. In this case, the shark is clearly pursuing the ray, which is an amazing story on its own, but most of the media coverage has it as 'surfer being chased' or 'surfer escapes shark'.🤦♂️ pic.twitter.com/gB2iOK7UCe
— MA Sharks 🦈 (@MA_Sharks) December 1, 2021
The other reactions on social media were all over the place:
people learning that shark does, in fact, live in a water.
— Netchimen's Reverie (@NetchimenRevery) December 2, 2021
Shark was after that Scooby snack stingray, not the surfer…. get out of it's way bud
— Otto Rocket (@chrisCali4) December 2, 2021
bro where the hell else did u expect to find one
— Darn It, Garnet (@darnitgarnet1) December 2, 2021
I don't get all the mocking and dunking in QTs. These so-called shark experts should acknowledge a few points:
1. don't get between a shark and its next meal.
2. the surfer is clearly there unaware.
3. yes, 'CLOSE CALL' is apt.
4. greater awareness for beachgoers is a good thing.— point.less.ness (@spambot3049) December 2, 2021
It seems like a lot of couch conservationists hopped into the mentions on that original CBS tweet of the video to leave snarky comments about sharks being in the water everywhere, the surfer wasn’t in danger, sharks shouldn’t be demonized, and all that. When the reality is that CBS tweet said ‘Close Call’ and that a shark was near a surfer.
All of that info from the original tweet is 100% accurate. The shark got near the surfer. It’s interesting footage. People need to chill out with the ‘leave the sharks alone!!!!’ talk because more awareness for swimmers is a very good thing.