A team of divers off the coast of Hawaii has had a close encounter with one of the largest great white sharks ever recorded. The female shark, estimated at nearly 20 feet (6 metres) long and weighing around 2.5 tonnes, is believed to be a specimen known as Deep Blue, first tagged by researchers about 20 years ago.
The encounter occurred near Oahu's south shore, where the shark was attracted by the carcass of a dead sperm whale. Divers were initially filming tiger sharks feeding on the whale when the great white arrived, causing the other sharks to disperse.
Ocean Ramsey, one of the divers, described the experience to the Honolulu Star Advertiser. 'We saw a few tigers and then she came up and all the other sharks split, and she started brushing up against the boat,' she said. 'She was just this big beautiful gentle giant wanting to use our boat as a scratching post.'
Ms Ramsey noted that the shark was 'shockingly wide' and may have been pregnant. Deep Blue, believed to be about 50 years old, has its own Twitter account. Great whites are rarely seen around Hawaii as they prefer cooler waters.
Ms Ramsey advised that older, pregnant great white sharks are the safest to swim near but cautioned against swimming where sharks are feeding. She stated that sharks only attack humans out of curiosity or mistaken identity, as reported by the Honolulu Star Advertiser.
