Warning: Terrifying as all hell. Also, cursing.
Listen, we’re pro animals around here. We’re on the side of conservation and protection and sensible management. We’re all for animal encounters too, if they’re sustainable and not exploitive and OH MY GOD THAT SHARK JUST SMASHED RIGHT THROUGH A CAGE MADE TO KEEP SHARKS OUT.
See that ^^^? That’s a shark inside a cage. Literally inside, worming its way out, because it smashed right through the bars as if they were made of saltines and glued together with peanut putter. That’s very scary for fans of hanging around Great White Sharks — who, presumably, like to feel protected while getting up close and personal with the planet’s greatest predator.
Although the cage looks empty, it wasn’t. There was a diver inside who, according to the YouTube explanation:
…Ended up outside the bottom of the cage, looking down on two great white sharks. The diver is a very experienced dive instructor, remained calm, and when the shark thrashed back outside the cage, the diver calmly swam back up and climbed out completely uninjured.
Yeah, cool story bro. The diver was uninjured. Meanwhile the shark left the cage with gaping wounds. So let’s consider this: It was being baited towards a cage for the pleasure of humans, it followed the bait to the cage, it smashed through the cage, and it came out the top of the cage bloodied. Question: Is that responsible tourism?
Fine, it was a freak thing. But just like other freak accidents that lead to animal injury or death, it probably hints at bigger questions on the horizon.
