![]() In total, the crew spent three days observing Deep Blue and other mature female great whites who dropped by to feed on the whale carcass. "We had shots and video and it was more than enough to present to at least the scientific community for identification," Jeffries explained, adding that authorities agreed that the massive shark pictured was likely Deep Blue. It's thought that she could be more than 50 years old.īased on the appearance of the shark's stomach, the crew also posited she could be pregnant - though the sumptuous sperm whale feast could also be responsible for her enlarged stomach. "I was thinking, 'What in the world is this?' Because it was way bigger than any shark I'd expect," Gray said of the encounter.ĭeep Blue is estimated to measure a staggering 20 feet long and is likely still growing by several millimeters each year. The underwater footage shot by photographer Mark Mohler showed marine biologist Andrew Gray and fellow photographer Kimberly Jeffries swimming just feet from Deep Blue, cameras in hand as they captured rare footage of the creature. Footage from that January encounter is featured in the National Geographic SharkFest special "World's Biggest Great White?" on Sunday, July 21, at 8 p.m. The rotting whale carcass off the coast of Oahu has drawn packs of divers keen to see the sea life it attracts, but state wildlife officials have warned on Facebook for them to stay away lest sharks mistake them for food.ĪBSOLUTELY UNBELIEVABLE!!! My legendary shark conservationist friends & the entire team at are in GREAT WHITE SHARK HEAVEN with DEEP BLUE in HAWAII!!! footage has emerged showing what appears to be Deep Blue, one of the largest great white sharks ever caught on camera, feasting on a whale carcass off the coast of Hawaii earlier this year.Ī group of Hawaii-based scientists and biologists filmed a shark matching Deep Blue's description several miles off the coast of Waikiki. The great white is uncommon in Hawaii’s warm waters, but hunger could have driven Deep Blue out of her comfort zone, Ms Ramsey said. “We need sharks and yet, perhaps because of the negative and inaccurate way they are portrayed in mass media many people do not care that they are being killed at a rate of 70,000,000-100,000,000 every year!” she said, criticising the mass slaughter of the creatures to make shark-fin soup. Ms Ramsey, a shark conservationist, posted the selfies and video of the encounter to show great whites are not “mindless monsters”. Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam January 16, 2019 The latest rare sighting caused a stir among the whale-watching community, scientists and TV producers and even the Joint Base Pearl Harbour-Hickam, with many issuing greetings including “Aloha Deep Blue, welcome to Hawaii”, “Deep love, Deep Blue”, “hello grandma” and “we’re gonna need a bigger boat”.Ĭan you blame Deep Blue the shark for visiting Hawaii? Our temps, our beaches, our dead whale snacks… “I know some people criticise touch but what some don’t realise is that sometimes sharks seek touch, she swam away escorted by two rough-toothed dolphins who danced around her over to one of my shark research vessels and proceeded to use it as a scratching post, passing up feeding for another need,” she said.ĭeep Blue may has made such a name for herself over the years she has her own Twitter account with 17,000 followers and a message: “Next time you dive, don’t try and give me a high five”. ![]() ![]() “I waited quietly, patiently, observing as she swam up to the dead sperm whale carcass and then slowly to me passing close enough I gently put my hand out to maintain a small space so her girth could pass. A great white #shark off #Hawaii – Moreover, this was the famed white shark from Guadalupe Island, #Mexico, known as “Deep Blue” – only ever been previously photographed 2x, the last time 5 years ago. We spent the entire day with her till the sun went down,” Ms Ramsey wrote, with one follower describing her as “beautifully nuts” in her quest for the perfect close encounter. ![]() “Deep Blue came up and brushed up against the boat. ![]() With a school of tiger sharks feasting on a dead sperm whale, local swimmers in Oahu on Wednesday were warned to stay away just in case she mistakes them as a solid food source. ![]()
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