Take a look at these pearly Great Whites! Magnificent moment a cage diver and mammoth shark appear to SMILE together for the camera
- Woman diver appears very laid-back as the pair exchanged a smile 60ft deep on the ocean floor
- Ultra-close encounter was captured in crystal-clear waters off Neptune Islands of South Australia
- Underwater photographer Andrew Fox says such scenes are needed to show softer side of sharks
This magnificent photograph captures the moment a cage diver and a mammoth great white shark appeared to share a private joke – grinning together for the camera.
While it’s easier to relax around a 16ft predator with a metal barrier protecting you, the woman diver appears very laid-back as the pair exchanged a smile 60ft deep on the ocean floor.
The ultra-close encounter was captured in crystal-clear waters off the Neptune Islands of South Australia in 2017, but uploaded to social media for the first time this week.
The ultra-close encounter between a cage diver and a mammoth great white shark was captured in crystal-clear waters off the Neptune Islands of South Australia in 2017, but uploaded to social media for the first time this week
Underwater photographer Andrew Fox, 53, said such scenes are needed to show the softer side of sharks and breaking down the stereotype they are fearsome man-eaters.
Mr Fox, who runs Rodney Fox Expeditions, said: ‘What else can you do when a shark smiles at you? It was perfect timing that when the shark came up I could lean the camera outside and angle the two of them together.
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‘Seeing sharks is much more intimate at those depths, they are warier on the surface. She was moving very slowly and intimately. It’s important for people to see this side of sharks to properly admire their beauty.’
Mr Fox’s father, Rodney, was infamously attacked by a Great White during a spear fishing competition in 1963.
He was left with 462 stitches in his chest and 92 in his right hand and arm, in what is regarded as one of the worst survived attacks by a Great White in history.
But in fascinating twist, he became a leading shark conservationist and now Mr Fox is carrying on his father’s life work in the expeditions and non-profit Fox Shark Research Foundation.
Mr Fox said: ‘After my father was attacked, he was back in the water at the earliest opportunity. This is the only place in the world we lower cages to the ocean floor, which allows you to appreciate them safely.
‘These expeditions are invaluable as they fund our research operations. The more you understand something you more you appreciate and want to protect it.’
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