Featured Image Credit: Youtube/OceanX
People are flooding to social media in horrified admiration after watching a team of scientists’ ‘unthinkable’ underwater discovery.
If there was anything to put you off from ever plunging into the sea again – unless you’re a shark fanatic that is – then this is it.
In July 2019, OceanX – in partnership with the Moore Charitable Foundation and the Bloomberg Philanthropies Vibrant Oceans Initiative – took a ship and a group of scientists to the Bahamas.
The team explain in a Reddit post – uploaded to thread r/IAmA – “[We] strapped a three-person submersible with a hundred pounds of bait, took it 500 meters below the surface, and waited in the dark for a giant deep sea shark.”
But why on earth would they put themselves through all of that and what sort of shark did they prepare to meet lurking in the shadows?
Well, the team were hoping to encounter a bluntnose sixgill shark – ‘a predator older than the dinosaurs and bigger on average than the great white’ as well as ‘a dominant predator of the deep sea ecosystem,’ according to OceanX’s YouTube post.
Why? So, to ‘apply a satellite tag’ to the great beast, measure it and release it all in a bit to help better understand the animals, manage resources and protect them too – although, this shark definitely doesn’t look like it needs the latter.
The team certainly achieved their goal to get up close and personal with the shark, capturing the whole mission on camera too and it certainly makes for a spine-tingling watch.
OceanX’s video shows the moment the shark slinks up to the submarine – and its so ginormous it’s actual ‘wider than the sub’.
The bluntnose is identified as a female, a voice noting ‘very large female’ – and that’s putting it lightly.
The shark is ginormous and frankly, makes Jaws look like child’s play, it later going on to ‘push’ and ‘bump’ the submarine. *Gulps*
Another video from a different angle shows the shark even more up close and personal while interacting with the submarine.
In case you wanted more, OceanX also released an extended version too:
People are flooding to the comments to weigh in on the clip.
One YouTube user said: “Scientists, “Whoa.” That’s when you know it’s serious.”
Another added: “I got chills when the shark opened its eyes, never seen anything like that!”
A third wrote: “If not the size, this shark’s eye alone would have given me a straight heart attack.”
And a fourth resolved: “I am scared of deep ocean, but this does not stop me to think that sharks are absolutely magnificent sea creatures!
“They should be respected at all times!”
Newborn great white shark spotted in first-ever sighting
Featured Image Credit: SWNS / Carlos Gauna/The Malibu Artist
The sighting of a new species or animal is an extremely exciting one, but perhaps no more so than this recent discovery.
In just the past month, scientists discovered the first-ever dolphin with ‘thumbs’ – something that well and truly got the internet talking.
Now, a newborn great white shark has been spotted in a first-time sighting off the coast of Santa Barbara, California.
Drone footage of the sighting has just been released, though the footage did come from 9 July, 2023.
The 1.5-meter-long (5-foot-long) white shark was spotted dangerously close to shore, as it was seen roaming just 400 meters (1,300 feet) off the coast of Carpinteria, California.
Wildlife filmmaker Carlos Gauna and Phillip Sternes, a doctoral student at University of California Riverside, were the two lucky ones to catch the amazing sighting.
The wildlife fanatics were just shooting aerial video and images on the fine summer day when they were shocked – but also delighted – to discover the newborn shark.
While the sighting was remarkable, the pair were initially puzzled by the unusual coloring and size of the great white.
Typically, adult great white sharks are grey on top and white underneath, however this flock of the animal was a little different with a completely white coloring.
After examining the videos and the pictures, Gauna and Sternes picked up a thin, white film covering the shark that was sloughing off as it manoeuvred throughout the ocean.
In a press release, Sternes said: “We enlarged the images, put them in slow motion, and realized the white layer was being shed from the body as it was swimming.
“I believe it was a newborn white shark shedding its embryonic layer.”
The pair have since published their findings from the drone footage in the Environmental Biology of Fishes.
Speaking to Guana told Gizmodo: “Capturing the actual birth is the holy grail of shark science. What I filmed is simply a clue that gets us closer to it.
“The piece of the puzzle this footage provides does have the potential to change the direction of where we should be looking and maybe even bigger implications for what areas should be protected.”
The sighting truly makes history, because if their assessment is correct, then it’s the first time that a newborn great white shark has ever been observed in the wild.
“Where white sharks give birth is one of the holy grails of shark science. No one has ever been able to pinpoint where they are born, nor has anyone seen a newborn baby shark alive,” Gauna added in the news release.
An alternative reason for the shark’s non-traditional color could be caused by an unknown skin condition, according to the study.
However, Gauna and Sternes believe the most plausible answer is that the shark is a newborn.
Footage of ‘extraordinary’ man’s extremely deep voice leaves people baffled
Featured Image Credit: YouTube/Ven
If you have gone around in life thinking you’ve heard all there is to hear in terms of voices, you’re wrong. There’s this guy whose pitch will intrigue and baffle you.
Meet Javier Castellanos Contreras, a man from Guatemala who is the owner of the deepest voice you’ll ever hear.
Contreras was born with numerous physical and genetic malformations alongside his twin, Rodrigo who sadly died in infancy.
These unknown disorders are believed to be the cause of not only his incredibly baritone voice, but also his startling 7-foot 8 inch stature.
The depth of his voice had once remained somewhat private within his family and area until one day, they were all filmed for a TV news report made for the Guatevisión programme Sin Reservas.
During filming, the narrator can be heard stating a little background information on his condition.
The voice over said: “The twins Rodrigo and Javier in Guatemala would be born with serious physical problems which led to an uncontrollable growth of their entire body.
“The twins faced many strange diseases, but Rodrigo was born with a large rib cage and died when he was 1 and a half years old. Meanwhile, Javier continues to fight for his life.”
His mother explained that they were both born with an ‘unknown syndrome’ which meant that they faced many difficulties soon after birth.
It was only months after his brother’s death that Contreras started presenting symptoms that made his body grow out of proportion and twisted his bones.
His father explained that: “There are no similar cases around the world. There were ten that looked like similar cases but still not the same. This makes the situation very dire.”
However, even though it was thought that Contreras would die in early childhood, he instead defied the odds and was able to live a normal life with his parents.
Contreras was then filmed explaining his duties around his home, stating: “Well, here at home I set the table, I clean the table, do all the clothes, I fold and iron them and eventually I organise them.
“I love my mum. I take care of my grandmother.”
But because of his size, Contreras is required to sleep in a special bed along with a medical carer to help him with moving.
Despite all of this, his grandmother maintains that he is ‘very comprehensive and intelligent and we take care of each other.’
The video of this interview has been circulating online, where people were immediately swept up by Javier’s deep voice.
One person wrote: “Hope this guy continues to do OK.
“Can you imagine trying out for a choir though?
‘So, what part do you sing? Baritone, Bass?..
“Subwoofer.’”
Another joked about what he would sound like as a baby, writing: “I bet when he cried as a baby, it sounded like the Inception horns.”
Were you surprised?
Shark circles paddle boarders in the middle of the ocean in terrifying footage
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@crossingforcf
This footage shows the terrifying encounter that two paddle boarders had with a shark as it started circling their boards.
The video, filmed on Friday (30 June) between the Bahamas and Lake Worth, Florida, shows a woman on a paddle board on the water.
And behind her, a shark can be seen in pursuit as a fin rises above the water.
Somehow, the woman, Malea Tribble manages to remain as cool as a cucumber as her husband, Ricky, encourages her.
Malea quickly makes it back onto the boat whilst another paddle boarder, Gabe, is out in the water.
The people on the boat begin shouting for him to stay where he is as the shark passes by.
As they wait, they begin speculating that it’s a hammerhead shark.
Fortunately for Gabe, the shark soon loses interest and disappears beneath the surface of the water.
Malea told Fox 35 that she ‘initially felt a few taps’ on her board but dismissed it as ‘seaweed on my fin’.
“I was about 30 ft behind the boat when my husband spotted the shark fin.” she continued.
The clip was filmed by Travis Suit, who was on board the boat.
Travis, who is the founder and Executive Director of The Crossing For CF event, said: “We are grateful Malea was not harmed and so proud of the calm and disciplined response the Tribbles had during the situation as paddle mentors in this event, providing a great example of how to handle close encounters like this.
“We are visitors when we are in the ocean, it’s really their home, so it’s to be expected.”
Malea said: “Based on his reaction, I knew immediately that it was a shark. I didn’t know how big or where exactly it was.”
“I was surprised that it was bigger and much closer than I initially thought.
“At one point in the video, he’s completely under my board. I also noticed how quick and sleek the movements were. The shark was seemingly just curious what I was in his house.”
According to the International Shark Attack File, there have been 16 recorded incidents between humans and hammerhead sharks since 1900.
However, zero of these encounters have resulted in death.
In recent news, a warning was recently issued after a shark pulled a man into the Florida Everglades.
The fisherman, identified as Nick, was attacked by the shark, which grabbed his hand, and pulled him into the water off his boat.
According to a post on Instagram, Michael Russo, who was on the boat at the time, has said that following the incident they rushed Nick back to land, where park rangers helped him get airlifted to the hospital.
Hammerhead shark creeps up on beachgoers in terrifying drone footage
Featured Image Credit: Instagram / @Evan_parness
For most people, the thought of seeing a shark’s fin lurking in the water is something out of a nightmare.
But for Evan Parness, it was a reality when he was stalked by a huge hammerhead recently. Check it out for yourself:
Evan was out off the coast of Florida when he spotted the large fin making its way through the water by him and his group of pals.
In footage shared to his Instagram account, the massive creature can be seen lurking beneath the waves, creeping towards the swimmers.
A drone captured the entire encounter from above. At first, the hammerhead, which Evan claimed measured 14ft and weighed around 1,000lbs, appears to make a beeline for him and his friends, going straight towards them,
However, at the last second, it suddenly changes direction, instead turning left and arching away from them.
Reacting to the tense moment, Evan said it was something he’d never forget.
“This was easily the most intense clip I’ve ever filmed,” he explained.
“Thankfully, I had the drone up in the air. This video is obviously slowed down, but while this was going down in real time, it felt like it was in slow motion while I was watching it live on my screen.
“Especially since these are my friends lol @gar ret_ruonavaara @bladewarren_ & crew handled this cool as ice! Especially since they were able to see the shark’s massive dorsal fin the entire time, coming straight at them.”
Evan went on: “When you come down to FL on vacation, don’t rule out a massive hammerhead checking you out!
“As this was unfolding, I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen.
“I was expecting the shark to turn earlier than it did, but clearly, it wanted to fully investigate the Michigan bros.
“Since this was a Great hammerhead, I knew the odds of something bad happening were slim. But at the end of the day, nature is unpredictable and anything can happen.
“Thankfully, this beast just wanted to see what was going on and once he realized it wasn’t what he was looking for.. (blacktip sharks) he got on his way.
“While sharks have a bad reputation and people demonize them, this video is just more proof that we’re not on their menu and they really don’t want anything to do with us.
“This shark could’ve easily killed someone if it wanted to.
He added: “A moment I’ll never forget!”