We're going to need a bigger butt.
Once upon a time, “man-eating” Great White sharks were nearly unheard of off New Zealand’s Middle Earth-esque coast. Certainly there were Bronze Whalers, Giant Basking sharks, the tiny Pygmy sharks and Frodo Gogganses but no Great Whites. The country bled black. Only black. All black.
Well the only constant is change, as climate scientists love to say, and the apex predator is now everywhere in New Zealand, turning the waters a sickly shade of grey.
How could you forget the “Smack Bang in the Eye” heard around the world?
The “Big Fat Guy” who tried to take a blushing Great White to his goggans hole?
The fact that a probably mass extinction event is likely underway right now, near Aukland City, and I’m not talking Coronavirus?
All grey indeed.
And the very latest, a 10-foot Great White came up from the depths startling two young fishermen. Shall we gather their account first hand from another source? It’s the shark-cum-surf journalist way.
The early morning glassy water on the outskirts of Anzac Bay, north of Tauranga, was the perfect time and place to head out and go fishing.
But the kingfish on the minds of Katikati’s 19-year-old Ryan Crapp and his friend Scott quickly turned to a 3.5m great white shark.
The pair had bait fish trailing the boat and Crapp thought the fish “darting everywhere” was a sign they were in for a catch.
“At first I thought, sweet, there’s some kingfish hanging around and then I saw the fin pop up and thought it was a pesky old bronze whaler (shark).”
“Oh s***, that’s a great white,” he said when he saw the shark’s distinct white underbelly and facial features.
The boys weren’t scared, clearly, but the surfers paddling across this very stretch to a nearby break certainly would have been had they seen the same distinct white underbelly and facial features. They would have been scared then likely playing one-arm’d basketball. One-leg’d rugby.
The region’s various scientists were interested/thrilled by the sighting as it was so rare and the species is listed as “vulnerable” but they clearly don’t read BeachGrit and clearly aren’t aware of the coming end.
Very scary.
The crunch of bones etc.
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I very much do think these sharks have learned to prey on us. Yes I do. Cause they act like it and we get bit so much. Kids get bit. I’d be praying on us if that were the fact. Yah. Foods food. I’d be biting.
It is wildly irresponsible and ignorant to suggest white sharks prey on surfers. If that were true, the surfers would be the ones in danger of extinction. The tone of these shark sighting articles is disappointing to both educated public and surfers alike. Please fix this.
I actually happen to agree with them completely on this. They hunt anything and everything. Yes they do. It was doing exactly what he said it was doing. They learn too. Yr in the water where they live. There gonna bite. It’s going to happen. U cant pee in the water. They smell that. And come running. I do think they prey on us once they know were there. Oh they come. U really cant stay in the water with a shark. U can be in there, but u gotta be on yr guard the whole time. Or they bite. I think it wld be wise to think their way yes. It’s up to u if u want to get bit.
If sharks “preyed” upon humans, there wouldn’t be shark bites, there would be shark deaths from humans being consumed by sharks. They attack would lead to a human death. As it is, almost all shark attacks are a single bite because they figure out were not prey. All of those tropical beach pictures with sharks meters away from swimmers would be taken moments away before sharks devoured every human in sight. But sharks don’t eat all those humans do they?
Make New Zealand Great again!!
Dont u meen Great White Again.
Wow, what a great story, damn that climate change is something else.
So that story my cousin told me a very long time ago must’ve been in his mind. A cousin of mine vacationed in NZ and went swimming at a secluded beach with just himself, his wife and a good friend. After the swim they visited a Maori village and were greeted warmly and showed around. When my cousin told the Maori people he was with where he was, the person with him looked startled. He told my cousin “You’re lucky, that’s a Great White breeding ground”
If only climate change would have informed the sharks they don’t belong.
Reality is with the constant stream of alarmism people should have woken up to this fraud, unfortunately end of days scenarios work like magic for getting people to part ways with their money and freedoms.
Nice story by the author though
In happier news, I had a VAL sitting deeper than me call me into a wave this arvo. Not sure if he realised I was going anyway.
Do some research of the spate of fatal GW attacks in Dunedin (NZ) in the ’60’s and ’70’s.
Many eye witness accounts are easily found…
Funny you should say that. An old clubbie dude I met once was on the beach at St Clair during the belt race when one guy was taken. He swam over a wave and was never seen again. They reeled in the line and all that was left was a frayed end. That was in 1968.
Sharks have gills, humans have lungs, do the math.
Greta Thunberg is the antichrist. Who cares!
Yes it circled boat because they were fishing. Fish in distress attract sharks. DER. Keeps hungry eye on nearby surfers. Ppphhhttt. Gives me a break. Have u ever seen a Great Whites eyes Mr Hooper, they are lifeless eyes, like dolls eyes.
Scott, not sure if you just have bad judgment, but your choice in friends is Crapp.
The mosquitoes are bad enough around here right now that I’d almost welcome a sweet relief within the tender mandibles of a GWS.
Sounds wonderous.