The Florida freediving guide captured images of a bull shark so massive and “abnormally round” that it dwarfed the other sharks and brave divers who swam in its company.
Capt. John Moore, who has been diving the waters off of Jupiter for years, recently had a close encounter with an 8-foot great white shark during his expedition earlier this spring. He told us that he believes it was pregnant and may have even been about to give birth!
Capt. John Moore, who has had a close encounter with sharks earlier this spring off Jupiter, Fla., told For The Win Outdoors that the shark featured in many of the accompanying images was likely pregnant and perhaps close to giving birth.
Capturing an up-close encounter with a massive bull shark at the bottom of Florida’s ocean is no easy feat. But that didn’t stop one daring diver from capturing stunning images and video, as he swam alongside this enormous creature, who we’re guessing, was just looking for someone to play “hide & seek” with her in the murky depths.
A Florida diver captured stunning images of his close-up encounter with a massive female bull shark.
The large, monstrous body prowled and circled underwater as the rest of the sharks nearby watched on in awe.
“With sharks you can never really be sure, but it certainly seems that way,” he said. “This is the correct timing for pregnant females to be having their pups.”
Moore, 55, also a photographer and conservationist, has posted several of his images on Instagram.
In an interview, he acknowledged what some have claimed after seeing media reports: The shark in the image atop this post looks bigger than its actual size because of the angle at which it was photographed.
Bryan Moore, on-site photographer and diver for National Geographic’s Great White Shark Project clarified that despite looking disproportionate to a human’s height when seen from above; sharks are actually much taller vertically (though not wider) due to their streamlined bodies – meaning they appear smaller horizontally like in photographs taken from above or below water level. He assured viewers though that even if these predators might look small enough to omit any threat with humans, they can still be just as dangerous especially during periods where there is no visibility beneath them such as murky waters.
“The shark is big, but perspective shots make it look bigger,” he said. “But most of our bulls are about 250 pounds and she was closer to 600 pounds.”
The apex predators, which occur in tropical and subtropical waters, have been implicated in at least 100 attacks on humans. More than two dozen of these deadly encounters resulted in fatalities.
The bull shark is considered by many to be the most dangerous shark in the world. This partly because they are so widespread and typically found close to coastlines – even freshwater ones hundreds of miles from saltwater. Bull sharks (and attacks) have been documented in murky rivers, too!
Moore, however, said that in clear water bull sharks are often hesitant to approach divers.
“Bull sharks get a bad rap and they are, in my opinion, one of the easiest sharks to freedive with here in Florida,” Moore said. “They are big, but very cautious and much less trusting than most of our sharks. It’s safe to say that they are one of the most misunderstood sharks.”
The freediver continued: “The majority of stories you hear about are mistakes made by the shark in poor visibility where they mistake a flash of skin for a fish. In clear water they are honestly very gentle and respectful.”
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