A diver who came face-to-face with a huge Great White shark in the Mediterranean has captured what is thought to be the first underwater footage of an adult of the species in the region.
Derk Remmers was one of three divers who spotted the predator while working on a mission to remove abandoned fishing nets from a shipwreck in the Strait of Sicily, between Italy and Tunisia.
The team, from the NGO Healthy Seas, were recovering so-called ghost nets from the wreck when the shark appeared nearby. Mr Remmers said: “We saw this huge shark. It was pretty clear it was a massive one. It looked and appeared to be a white shark.”
The sighting has been described as extremely rare, with Great Whites now believed to be critically endangered in the Mediterranean. While there have been occasional surface sightings of the species in the region, conservationists believe this could be the first known underwater footage of an adult Great White filmed by divers in its natural habitat in the Mediterranean.
View 3 ImagesThe diver said he hoped the footage would not spark fear or calls for the shark to be hunted, stressing the animal was spotted many miles offshore and not close to beaches(Image: Derk Remmers / SWNS)
Mr Remmers said: “The shark was there pretty close to the wreck, pretty close to us in fact. It swam away, turned around and came back.”
He admitted his hands were trembling as he tried to film the encounter.
He told the BBC: “I think my biggest fear was that I wouldn’t be able to get the camera running, that I couldn’t record this rare event.”
The diver said he hoped the footage would not spark fear or calls for the shark to be hunted, stressing the animal was spotted many miles offshore and not close to beaches.
He added: “It is important to me that no one gets scared because it was offshore, it was in the central Mediterranean, it was not close to a beach where people could feel endangered.
“This might very well be the first underwater footage of an adult white shark in its own habitat in the Mediterranean… it sank in a little bit that this was pretty special.”
Great White sharks were once more common in parts of the Mediterranean, but their numbers have fallen sharply amid overfishing and accidental capture in nets and fishing lines.
View 3 ImagesIt has warned the Mediterranean is under severe pressure from overfishing, warming waters and invasive species, with more than three quarters of fish stocks now fished beyond ecological limits(Image: Derk Remmers / SWNS)
The Shark Trust, a British-based conservation organisation, says Great White in the Mediterranean are critically endangered, with the population still poorly understood and sightings extremely rare.
Genetic evidence also suggests Mediterranean Great Whites are a distinct population from those found in the Atlantic.
Paul Cox, chief executive of The Shark Trust, told The Telegraph: “We’ve long known of the presence of Great White sharks in the Mediterranean. The video shared on World Oceans Day of them in the Straits of Sicily is exciting.
“It suggests that, perhaps, despite the challenges faced by the regional population, these extraordinary animals are managing to maintain a foothold in the region.”
The waters between Sicily and North Africa are considered one of the last remaining strongholds for endangered species including Great Whites.
View 3 ImagesOne of the fishing nets in the Mediterranean Sea is pictured(Image: Derk Remmers / SWNS)
Research by the Blue Marine Foundation has found threatened sharks, including Great Whites, are still being caught and sold in fish markets in North African countries including Tunisia and Algeria. The charity estimates at least 40 Great Whites were killed and sold for food last year alone.
It has warned the Mediterranean is under severe pressure from overfishing, warming waters and invasive species, with more than three quarters of fish stocks now fished beyond ecological limits.
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Veronika Mikos, director of Healthy Seas, said: “What makes this encounter so powerful is not only the shark itself, but the context in which it happened.
“We were there to remove ghost nets trapping marine life on a shipwreck ecosystem that is a hotspot for biodiversity. Moments like this remind us how much life can still exist in offshore Mediterranean waters.”