Angler ‘spying’ on sharks with camera notices one staring back off the Australia coast
A professional angler and blogger says he was “spying” on great white sharks off the Australia coast when he realized one of the predators was intently staring back at him.
Trapman Bermagui caught the moment on his camera, and it shows the large shark was alongside his boat with its nose out and mouth open in anticipation.
“A big great white spying on me ... while I was spying on him,” Bermagui posted on Facebook. “A little too close with the camera. ... Check out them choppers.”
Bermagui — also known as Jason Moyce — told McClatchy News the shark paused to watch him while it was in the midst of “eating a small hammerhead shark beside the boat.”
The encounter took place off New South Wales in southeast Australia, where great white sharks gather in numbers to feast on squid, fish, sea birds “and other sharks,” according to the Australian Museum. The species can top 13 feet and live more than 40 years.
Bermagui has a history of fighting off sharks while reeling in fish, frequently sharing photos of catches that were bitten in half before he could get them in the boat.
Great whites are known to have about 50 serrated teeth in their mouth, some nearly 7 inches long, according to Oceana.
His closeup of the shark’s mouth has gotten 1,000 reactions and comments since being shared Feb. 20, including some who joked the shark was waiting for his deck to get slippery. Others called the image “nightmare material.”
“Mouth full of razor blades,” Peter Windle said.
“The last thing most fish see just before dinner time,” Mark Davies posted.
“This is awesome ... and makes me a little nervous at the same time,” Shane Price wrote on Facebook.
Man catches 3 half-eaten sharks off Australia, realizes something bigger lurks below
Video shows explosive moment dolphins attacked massive school of salmon off Australia
Grotesque fish caught off Australia ignites debate. ‘Put it back in its space ship’
