Canada’s Oasis Channel HD has added the above promo clip to their YouTube channel. The video features South Africa’s Mike Rutzen “spending the night” in the water with great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). Rutzen is well-known for his cage-less white shark diving experience. However, in this particular event, Rutzen has the extra variable of the darkness of night to deal with.

“Shark Night” airs on Sunday, July 24 at 8:30pm (ET) on OasisHD.

An article in The Daily Mail suggests that a diver was nearly swallowed by a whale shark.

The UK’s Daily Mail posted an article today with the title “Open wide: The diver who nearly got swallowed by a whale shark.” While the headline itself seems a bit ridiculous in nature, the article does feature some nice shots of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) off of Isla Mujeres, which were taken by Mauricio Handler.

In the photo that is captioned with “Jaws: This diver almost got sucked into the mouth of a massive whale shark as it fed on plankton” uses perspective that might give the impression that the diver is about to be sucked up by the whale shark at first glance. However, as one of the Daily Mail readers already pointed out in the article’s comments section, the whale shark in the photo is actually closer to the camera than the diver, which exaggerates its size in relation to the diver. The diver appears to be behind (in relation to the camera) the whale shark and not in any harm’s way. The article also notes that if a whale shark were to swallow a human, it would have just spat him out.

Update: ABC News is reporting that the girl involved in the shark attack off of Ocracoke Island is in “good condition.” ABC News also reports that he parents said she is in good spirits and commented that she liked dolphins “way better” than sharks.

WVEC.com (ABC 13) is reporting that a 6-year-old girl was bitten by a shark off of Ocracoke Island in North Carolina’s Outer Banks around 5pm, yesterday. The victim was bitten in the lower leg around the knee and foot area, according to an interview with Kenny Balance of the National Park Service. The victim was listed in critical condition as of this morning, according to Balance.

The girl was in shallow water with her father when the attack occurred, according to the report. Balance also noted that the victim had just turned 6 (initial reports listed her as being 5).

The National Georgraphic YouTube channel recently added this video featuring photographer Tom Campbell discussing capturing a shot of whale shark (Rhincodon typus) at Western Australia’s Ningaloo Reef. Campbell talks about how all the elements came into play just right to capture a “killer shot.”

While this video has been around for a few years on National Geographic’s site, as well as YouTube. This recently uploaded version appears to have significantly higher video quality than some of the past offerings.

The following report and accompanying photos were provided by Cassie Heil and Oceans Research. Thanks to Ms. Heil and Oceans Research for sharing this story, and kudos to all those who helped with the rescue effort.

Great white shark in the back of this Oceans Research vessel after breaching into the boat.
(photo courtesy of Oceans Research)

3m Great White Shark breaches into Research Boat Oceans Research Team gets a little too close for comfort

Mossel Bay, 18 July, 2011: The Oceans Research team, a marine research organisation working in Mossel Bay, got the surprise of a lifetime today when a 3 meter great white shark breached into their research vessel, shocking a field specialist and her crew.

Field Specialist Dorien Schroder of Mossel Bay, and six crew members had been chumming since 7:30 this morning with sardines off of Seal Island, conducting research for a population dynamics study that has been ongoing for the past three years. They had been chumming for over an hour and had a fair amount of activity around the boat, taking data on at least 4 sharks, including a shark named Pasella, which has been frequently seen in the bay since 2008.

Activity around the boat had ceased for about five minutes and all was pretty quiet at the stern. Schroder describes the incident; Next thing I know I hear a splash, and see a white shark breach out of the water from side of the boat hovering, literally, over the crewmember who was chumming on the boats portside. Schroder automatically sprang into action and pulled the crewmember quickly away towards the stern of the boat’s platform into safety. The crewmembers all jumped towards the stern of the boat as the 3m, 500kg, shark landed on the top of the fuel and bait storage containers. The shark had landed with only half of its body onto the boat and Schroder and her team hoped that as it thrashed it would make its way back into the water. But instead the panicked shark worked itself into the boat getting stuck in between the 1.5x2m area behind the container and boats stern. The shark began thrashing around, destroying equipment and cutting the fuel lines as it twisted and turned on the boats deck. Continue reading →

According to Alabama’s Press-Register three out of the seven sharks that were brought into the scales at the Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo were disqualified, because they were a federally protected species. The three disqualified shark were sandbar sharks (Carcharhinus plumbeus), which are federally protected due to having been over-fished, according to University of South Alabama fisheries scientist Dr. Marcus Dryman.

Sandbar sharks are known for their relatively tall dorsal fins. Dryman also noted that the species is easily distinguished by a distinct dorsal ridge that runs between the first and second dorsal fins.

Here’s another Shark Week 2011 promo from DiscoveryNetworks YouTube Channel. The clip is taken from the program “Great White Invasion” and features Chris Fallows free diving off Mexico’s Isla de Guadalupe with multiple white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias). Guadalupe is know as one of the premiere locations for viewing great white sharks during the fall months.

Shark Week 2011 programming premieres July 29 at 9pm on the Discovery Channel.

It’s that time of year again in New England. MyFoxBoston.com is reporting that a 10′ great white shark was sighted off of Chatham, Massachusetts. This marks the 4th sighting in the area since the beginning of last week.

The Chatham Harbormaster confirmed the sighting and said the shark is where he “expected” a white shark would be. The shark was spotted off Monomoy Point, about 200-300 yards from the southernmost tip of Chatham.

Large seal populations have been drawing white sharks to the area during the summer months for a number of years.

DiscoveryNetworks YouTube channel offers up a preview clip of the upcoming show “Jaws Comes Home” which features footage shot around the carcass of whale which several blue sharks (Prionace glauca), as well as an an 18′ female white shark (Carcharodon carcharias), have come to feed on.

Researcher Greg Skomal and cameraman Nick Caloyianis take the opportunity to film/photograph the encounter from a cage, which is being supported by buoys. After taking an interest in the orange buoys supporting the cage (which the narrator dramatically describes as “attacking”), the white shark becomes trapped between the surface and the top of the cage.

While situations involving wild animals will always have a level of unpredictability, hopefully the engineers behind this particular cage design/setup will take this event into consideration with future designs.

Australia’s Nine News Today morning show was running a story about a reported “lake shark” sighting in Evendale Lake, on Australia’s Gold Coast, when a live interview took an unexpected turn. Reports of the sighting of a “fin, possibly belonging to shark” resulted in the lake being closed to swimmers, and area “fishing expert” Paul Burt was participating in a live interview when things took a turn for the worse. According to the video information, the duck was unharmed.