We have some interesting information to share today following our blog regarding the footage of one white shark biting another at the Neptune Islands in Australia that has been shared widely on the Internet in recent weeks.

 

The videographer of that footage, Agnes Yip-Fa, has come forward since seeing it shared on the Internet without her knowledge or prior permission by a guest she gave her footage to as a gift. Agnes has kindly taken the time to explain what actually occurred during that dive and share her original footage with us, as she is concerned about the way it has been interpreted by the media.

 

Agnes’s footage can be seen at this link:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AIbGZ7ei9-Q&list=UUys72leXKeKI2MxrF1H5zfg

 

 

The dive took place in February 2013 at the Neptune Islands and, unlike the media coverage has implied, the dive was in fact baited and the smaller of the two male sharks filmed had been bothering the larger sharks all day and was being ‘pesky’. During the dive Agnes witnessed two sharks going straight towards each other at one point and that same smaller shark did not give way to the larger shark, which is unusual in itself. It that instance it was the larger shark that gave way. At the time the footage was filmed, two sharks were going for the bait and the smaller one received a warning bite. The shark was bitten once, not twice as has been reported, and it is not surprising the shark received a bite having been attempting dominance over the larger sharks that day around a potential food source.

 

The footage that was previously shared showed the shark being bitten twice, yet it is actually the same footage of a single bite which was taken from both sides of the cage. The footage on the left side of the cage was taken by Agnes and the right side footage was taken by another guest (who has refrained from sharing his footage online). This footage has however been shared by Russell Gordon at this link, presumably with his permission. It is worth noting that Russell Gordon was indeed on the trip but he was not in the water at the time of the bite incident.

 

It is no doubt very frustrating to see footage being shared without permission and misreported. We hope this goes some way to clearing up any confusion and helps people see that this is a fantastic example of a white shark dominance display.