It's almost Shark Week, and, coincidentally, there's been a spate of human-shark interactions already this summer.
The first happened near Isla Mujeres, Mexico. During a feeding frenzy for more than 600 whale sharks, Maine-based photographer Mauricio Handler caught a heart-thumping moment on film, as another photographer came close to getting sucked into the jaws of a hungry whale shark.
With its 5-foot wide mouth gaping open, the shark was aiming to catch plankton, not people. Even if it had ended up with a human snack, it would have likely spit the swimmer out, according to the Daily Mail. Whale sharks are notoriously docile. They also have terrible eyesight.
Luckily, this snorkeler managed to get away just in time. The picture offers a great sense of how massive these animals are.
Photo: A 3-meter great white shark after landing in a research vessel. Credit: Oceans Research
Meanwhile, in South Africa, a 1,100-pound great white shark jumped into a research boat.
A blog post about the event describes Field Specialist Dorien Schroder’s reaction:
Using ropes, a crane and a hose to keep the shark hydrated, the team managed to get the shark safely back into the water. All sharks and people mentioned in this post emerged unscathed and, perhaps, with greater respect for each other.
