WVSN-TV reports that photographer Guillaume Bauch captured some relatively rare underwater shots of a great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) off the Florida Keys. The WVSN-TV report does seem to go a bit overboard with terms like “monster shark” and “cold-blood killer,” but Bauch’s account of the encounter manages to steer clear of such cliches.
Bauch was planning on photographing hammerhead sharks, but the hammerheads never showed. Bauch was beginning to think the trip would end in disappointment. Fortunately, a dorsal fin eventually appeared, but it was not that of hammerhead or silky shark, which are typical for the area. Instead, it was the dorsal fin of a white shark.
Bauch initially opted to photograph the white shark from a cage, but soon left the cage and photographed the shark in open water. Based on Bauch’s photos and reaction in his interview with WVSN-TV, it seems like he had a pretty good trip, after all.