Divers Swim Insanely Close to Largest Great White Shark Ever Recorded

LOOK AT THAT THING.

Steve Huff

Jan 21, 2019

The largest great white shark ever recorded doesn’t sound like an inviting diving companion, but some incredibly brave scuba divers decided hanging out with the toothy monster was just their kind of thing, and it went… well, it went fine.

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#Jaws was a fictitious film whose poster kind of looks like this, so this is my effort at an Anti-Jaws type media piece @savingjawsmovie . I’ve been swimming with sharks my whole life and working professionally with them for over 15 years. There’s a challenge I have in my efforts, to find a balance between helping people to overcome their fear of sharks that often stems for fictitious demonizing media and instilling a healthy level of respect for sharks as very capable apex predators #ApexPredatorNotMonster not puppy (cause if you pet puppies often even puppies bite, actually a lot ;)). Having worked with sharks for so long I can fully appreciate what they are capable of because I have been rushed by sharks and had to deter them and I have had to leave the water and I have watched them actively predate and compete for space and have confrontations. However, I’ve also had the most incredible moments of my life in the water with them where 99.9% of the time they cruise gracefully around and so long as I keep looking around and pay attention constantly and quietly and give respect and attention to the more dominant individuals and challenging juveniles on a CONSTANT bases I am treated as more or less an equal predator. Never complacent, always respectful and adapting at every second to every movement. I reached the point long ago where I dedicated my life to conservation and I love it, I love educating people about sharks and introducing them to them in a professional guided situation through the program I co-founded @oneoceandiving where we also collect data @oneoceanresearch @oneoceansharks and help support conservation through @Oneoceanconservation and @OneoceanEducation and @Oneoceanglobal @Waterinspired @oneoceanhawaii and other with funds from @oneoceandesigns and diving I love studying shark behavior and body language and its an absolute pleasure to share that with people and help them to better appreciate sharks and I hope inspire them to help save them. Check out http://HelpSaveSharks.Org for more ways to get involved. #Aloha #hawaii #greatWhiteHawaii #SaveTheOcean #ocean #discoversharks #oneoceanconservation #OneOceanDiving PHOTO CREDIT @juansharks ❤️

A post shared by Ocean Ramsey #OceanRamsey (@oceanramsey) on Jan 18, 2019 at 2:14am PST

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It wasn’t entirely a coincidence, of course, and the divers weren’t tourists. They were there to observe shark behavior around the carcass of a dead sperm whale. There were plenty of regular customers, according to researcher Ocean Ramsey, before this creature created a disturbance in the force.

Ramsey spoke to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser about the experience:

“We saw a few tigers and then she came up and all the other sharks split, and she started brushing up against the boat,” Ramsey said in a phone interview that evening, her voice trembling with exhilaration and exhaustion after swimming with the shark all day. “She was just this big beautiful gentle giant wanting to use our boat as a scratching post. We went out at sunrise, and she stayed with us pretty much throughout the day.”

That’s right, this great white straight out of a Jason Statham movie is apparently the apex predator equivalent of a teddy bear. No, seriously, Ocean Ramsey tells the Star-Advertiser this giant is “probably the most gentle great white I’ve ever seen. Big pregnant females are actually the safest ones to be with, the biggest oldest ones, because they’ve seen it all — including us.”

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A post shared by Ocean Ramsey #OceanRamsey (@oceanramsey) on Nov 21, 2018 at 10:11pm PST

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Ramsey says she has encountered this giant before and calls her “Deep Blue.” That charming nickname goes along with the researcher’s contention the shark is “like, a grandma shark.”

To be clear, Ocean Ramsey is a serious shark expert, and she and her dive team had a permit from the NOAA to be there. She says non-professionals need to be wary, as some recreational boaters near “Deep Blue” found out the hard way.

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#BeautifulDesinations #RemoteIslands One of my most favorite places in the world. These remote little islands in the pacific where I can go weeks without seeing another human and the dives are filled with sharks. I had this dress made by someone in the nearest villiage ten years ago to help support local crafts and took it back last year with @Juansharks while filming. I am always so happy to go back and see that not much had changed, except last year was the first time in 15 years I saw some fishing line and plastic while diving…Reminded me of the plastic cookie tray I saw during a submersible dive off the remote islands of Coco’s a few years ago…Even some of the most #gorgeous and remote destinations are starting to feel the impact of the plastic age. Help reduce plastic pollution by reusing plastics so they are not single use, or reduce the amount of plastic wrapped items you buy, look for alternatives and travel with reusable bags, containers, utensils, and straws. At first its awkward trying to remember but its a fun challenge. Try the #NoSingleUsePlasticChallenge #NoExcuseForSingleUse & Check out the documentary #APlasticOcean #Reuse #reduce #Recycle #Sporks #Tupperware #Hydroflask #thermoflask #Reusable #Pristine #beautiful #wild #EcoTravel #Paradise #Escape #Adventure #Explore #getaway #Dive #Travel #happyPlace Photo by my #JuanAndOnly @juansharks ❤️🦈❤️

A post shared by Ocean Ramsey #OceanRamsey (@oceanramsey) on Jun 26, 2018 at 12:53am PDT

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According to Ramsey, Blue “sort of gently mouthed” one of the inflatable boats “and those people left shortly after that.”

Not to contradict an expert like Ramsey, but how does a 20-foot great white “gently mouth” anything? We’re not talking about a 20-foot golden retriever.