A young great white shark is able to freely roam the seas once again after surviving an accidental encounter with fishermen in South Africa, and the predator’s dramatic rescue was captured on film by an unsuspecting beachgoer.
Lars Liedberg, 38, had just finished breakfast at the Lookout Deck restaurant when he noticed a commotion at the surfline, according to Yahoo News . A group of fishermen had accidentally landed a juvenile white shark, bringing it to the sand of South Africa’s Plettenberg Bay.
As Liedberg filmed, one of the fishermen struggled to remove his hook from the great white’s mouth, while a colleague of his held the shark by the tail. Buffeted by the crashing waves, the fishermen faced a limited window of opportunity to free the white shark, a protected species which will quickly suffocate out of water as Barcroft TV noted. Operating in ankle deep water with the great white on its side, the anglers were eventually able to remove the line before the shark was pulled further onto the sand, so the hook could be reclaimed.
“Arise” – A great white #shark rises from the depths below off Mexico’s Isla de Guadalupe. http://t.co/RDp2zkEOkn pic.twitter.com/C2BMknx9ja
— George T. Probst (@GeorgeProbst) January 20, 2015
After the 2-meter-long shark was freed from the tackle, the fishermen still faced the prospect of returning the heavy animal to the sea. As a crowd began to gather, two of them dragged the great white into the surf by its tail. Though the shark’s dorsal fin appeared above the surface, it remained in place, held by the breaking waves.
While the crowd looked on, the white shark’s tail began to move as the water rejuvenated the predator, which was quickly pushed back toward shore by the crashing surf. The fishermen waded into the ocean to further aid the shark, yet before they were able to reach it, the great white summoned the strength to turn toward deeper water, making its way back out to sea.
Great White Shark by willyam #UnderWater pic.twitter.com/7Ca2DRM6Xc
— AP (@qanuj) January 18, 2015
Earlier this month, another white shark was filmed off the South African coast by a pair of kayakers. As the Inquisitr previously reported, the duo spotted the shark investigating their boats and were able to film the animal as it swam just a few feet underneath them. Considered one of the world’s best habitats for the predators, South Africa rivals the Australian coast and Guadalupe Island as the premier area for divers to encounter great white sharks.
[Image: Lars Liedberg via Twitter/ Barcroft TV ]