Pete Thomas Outdoors

Great white hoax: Viral image showing diver 'taming' large shark is not what it seems

Viral shark image since pulled from Facebook

By Pete Thomas

An image showing a diver taming a great white shark with a gloved hand placed on the snout of the predator whipped up a social media frenzy over the weekend, as viewers debated the validity of the photograph.

There were no details regarding the image, other than this description on the Perth & WA Fishing Reports Facebook page: “My bro sent me this photo taken of a local diver near Augusta [Australia] pushing away this great white with his glove on the nose. When done right it temporarily sedates the shark. My face would be not as apparently calm.”

Was the image photoshopped? The shark looks inert. The shark looks dead. There’s not enough water movement for this to be real. Is the diver brave, or stupid?

These were some of the assumptions and allegations appearing on various comment threads as the image was shared thousands of times.

But the truth was revealed Monday by the West Australian, which reported that the shark was in fact a dead mako, not a great white.

It appears to have been a joke gone bad. The man who sent the image to Perth and WA Fishing Reports, and was listed as the photographer (Ben Chase), asked that the post be pulled, which it was early Monday.

Shark on the left is similar to the mako shark on the right. Comparison photo is via the West Australian

“It is not his image and was a bit of a joke with him and his friends that unfortunately went viral,” Perth and WA Fishing Reports told me.

The West Australian reports: “After some investigation, it was found out that the great white, far from being on the hunt of fresh meat and ready to claim his next meal, was in fact a dead 2.5m Mako shark.”

The investigation was based largely on a similar photograph sent to the newspaper last month, showing an abalone diver untangling line from a dead mako shark. The shark in both images (posted above) appear to be the same shark. Similar snout markings. Similar size. Almost definitely the same mako shark that apparently died after becoming entangled in fishing lines.

So the mystery appears to have been solved, the hoax revealed.

Writes Drew Scerbo, a shark advocate and an expert who has debunked other hoaxes in the past, on Facebook:

“Looks like we only had to wait 24 hours for our answers and most of us were correct. Dead shark (said to be a 2.5m mako) was being played with by some divers in order to make the appearance of being rescued or defended against, even though it had been deceased for several days.

“There will always be people trying to pull a fast one over on the public, trying to gain notoriety for something they never actually did. It never ends and it often involves sharks.

“Incredibly sad - for many reasons. It seems no magnificent ocean dweller can be safe from exploitation - even after death.”

Tropical Storm Javier reaches Baja's tip; flooding evident in Cabo San Lucas

**Tuesday morning update: Javier has diminished to tropical depression status – earlier than expected – and is expected to become a remnant soon. Warnings and watches are no longer in effect.  

Tropical Storm Javier on Monday delivered heavy rain throughout Baja California Sur, flooding streets and creating a fair amount of chaos. But as of Monday afternoon, powerful storm winds were not yet evident.

That was expected to change, however. At 2 p.m., Javier’s center was positioned about 35 miles south-southeast of Cabo San Lucas at Baja California's tip, poised to make landfall with maximum sustained gusts of 65 mph. (Update: At 5 p.m. the National Hurricane listed Javier's position as 50 miles south-southeast of Baja California's tip, implying a reversal of movement.)

According to forecast models, Javier is expected to spin alongside the west coast of the peninsula as it travels slowly to the northwest. It’s not expected to attain hurricane status (winds of at least 74 mph).

 

There were no immediate reports of heavy damage, and commercial flights into and out of Los Cabos were continuing. The Cabo San Lucas port, however, closed to boat traffic late Sunday and remained closed Monday. Farther up the coast, as far as La Paz on the Sea of Cortez, some fleet operators had pulled their boats out of the water as a precaution.

Mike Tumberio, owner of RenegadeMike Sportfishing in Cabo San Lucas, posted a Facebook video showing some of the flooding in downtown Cabo San Lucas.

Tumberio also posted his observations as he drove his house cleaner to her house before the streets became too messy:

“I just gave my house cleaner a ride home and that was almost a mistake as the flood came and traffic [was] pretty bad.

“I just bought a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee trail rated special edition for this type of situation and she handled the flooding just as advertised. Had water up to the door panels at times with no problems.

“Went to marina to check on the boat and the flooding there is a mess, and will get al lot worse in a few hours. Lots of cars stuck in middle of road.”

Mark Rayor, owner of Jen Wren Sportfishing in the East Cape region, 80 miles north of Cabo San Lucas, said several inches of rain had fallen, but as of 4 p.m., there was very little wind.

“No wind but a lot of rain," Rayor said. “Our pool is at the brim and we have started a siphon so the salt water doesn’t get on our lawn.”

Hopefully, that's the last of the worries for residents throughout the region, as Javier runs its course.

–Image is via the Weather Channel

1,234-pound blue marlin is fourth 'grander' caught this year

A blue marlin weighing 1,234 pounds was caught Sunday at the Cape Verde Islands, off the northwest coast of Africa, becoming the fourth marlin this year to  tip a scale at 1,000 pounds or more.

The massive billfish was caught aboard the vessel Black Marlin, by Heiko Steinmetz, after a fight lasting nearly three hours.

Steinmetz, who now has three “granders” to his credit, is bound to be criticized for killing the marlin, if the story circulates beyond fishing circles.

But granders are somewhat rare. The first of the four caught this year also was landed off the Cape Verde Islands. The other two were caught off the Polynesian kingdom of Tonga, in Oceania, and the French Polynesian island of Raiatea.

In 2015, according to GranderWatch, 37 granders were weighed in ports around the world.

–Pete Thomas

–Image showing Heiko Steinmetz with his blue marlin is courtesy of GranderWatch

Tropical Storm Javier takes aim at Baja peninsula; warning issued for Cabo San Lucas and La Paz

By Pete Thomas

A tropical storm warning was issued Sunday for a portion of mainland Mexico and much of Baja California Sur, including Cabo San Lucas, as Tropical Storm Javier takes aim at the Baja California peninsula.

On Sunday afternoon, Javier was located 85 miles southwest of Puerto Vallarta, and traveling west-northwest at mph. Javier boasted winds of 45 mph and was expected to strengthen, but the storm is not expected to attain hurricane strength (74 mph).

However, Javier will deliver heavy rain over a vast area – including both sides of the Baja peninsula – and could generate dangerous flooding over the next several days.

According to the Florida-based National Hurricane Center, Javier’s center will pass to the west of Baja California's tip beginning Monday. (The Cabo San Lucas port was ordered closed at 5 p.m. Sunday.) Javier is expected to make landfall far to the north, on Wednesday or Thursday.

A tropical storm warning is in effect for Manzanillo to Cabo Corrientes (Puerto Vallarta) on the mainland, and from La Paz southward and westward to Santa Fe, including Cabo San Lucas, in Baja California Sur.

Javier is expected to remain a tropical storm at least through Wednesday.

–Graphic courtesy of WeatherUnderground.com