Great white sharks in South Africa, video

This video from South Africa says about itself:

27 November 2014

Under cover of darkness, Kimi Stewart and her team set out to photograph a White shark breach in False Bay, South Africa. Most breaches have been recorded during daylight, with dawn and dusk being the most active hunting hours for the sharks, but no one had yet photographed a night time breach.

In the heart of False Bay lies a small island home to a population of Cape Fur seals. Every winter, when the young seal pups venture into the ocean, they become prime targets for White sharks. But catching a seal is not an easy task. In fact, it is estimated that half of the seals survive the attacks. To compete against the seal’s agility, White sharks use the breaching strategy, surprising the seal with a fatal blow. Once the seal is hit, the predator will return to finish its victim.

This breaching behaviour, which relies on the element of surprise is believed to use all of the shark’s senses, including its vision. Low light, especially, helps depict the seals shadow against the surface, whilst allowing the shark to remain camouflaged in the dark waters below.

Curiously night time breaches have been recorded in Mossel Bay, on the Eastern coast of South Africa, and it could be that the city lights, moonlight, or bioluminescence, provide enough light for them to hunt. Further down along the coastline, in False Bay, and equipped with fashion photography lights, Kimi, Hendre, Marius and Morne set out to capture a night-time breach of a White shark.

This film will be shown at the Wildlife Film Festival in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

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