A great white shark is usually a very unwelcome sight for a surfer, but one stranded shark instead drew sympathy from a group of surfers in South Africa who came together to save the life of the toothy predator.
As USA Today noted, the rescue took place after the surfers noticed that the small shark had become stranded on some rocks near the beach. The shark was thrashing in an attempt to free itself, but in doing so was cutting its body against the rocks and bleeding into the water. It looked to the group like the shark didn’t have much time left.
Though great white sharks can be extremely dangerous, one member of the group of surfers said they had to figure out something that would save its life. They came together to pick up the juvenile shark and try to move it past the rocks. After several failed attempts, with the shark unable to swim beyond the waves and into water deep enough to escape, the group decided to use the tools at hand to finish the job.
The surfers lifted the shark onto one of their surfboards and ran down to a portion of the beach with deeper water. This time was a success, and the shark was able to swim away.
The group offered a round of congratulations, and video of their rescue has now gained worldwide attention. Many shared the video on social media and praised the young surfers for working so hard to free the animal.
This is not the first time that bystanders have come together to save a great white shark in danger. Back in 2015, a shark was discovered stranded on a beach in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and happened to be found by a prominent shark researcher.
The man, Dr. Greg Skomal, sprung into action and joined a group of people who were trying to keep the shark wet and breathing. As The Inquisitr reported, the situation was dire.
“The shark was at the wrong place at the wrong time and ended up high and dry,” he noted.
Skomal knew that there wouldn’t be much time before the shark died of a lack of oxygen, so he dragged it back into the water and waited to see if it would swim off. The shark remained motionless for several minutes, giving the rescuers little hope and prompting Skomal to start making plans for an autopsy, but then it suddenly sprung to life and swum away.