This stunning footage shows a wounded shark swimming just feet away from an underwater cameraman.
The remarkable images were recorded by 37-year-old filmmaker and photographer Euan Rannachan.
Euan, who lives near Lake Tahoe, California, USA, told Newsflash in an interview: “I am mostly known for my work with great white sharks.
“I help run a company called Be a Shark, where we help facilitate encounters with all different kinds of animals.
“Through that company I have been able to watch just how powerful that first encounter can truly be for some.”
He said of his amazing footage: “The video was shot at Guadalupe Island in Mexico on 3rd October 2021.
“That was until recently the best place to see some of the largest white sharks in the world.
“Thanks to the scientists at the Marine Conservation Science Institute, Guadalupe has a large population of photo-identified sharks, many of whom we recognise on sight.
“This means we should be able to monitor this shark’s progress by reviewing photos submitted from cage divers during previous years, as well as any future photos that will show how the injury is healing.”
Euan continued: “Unfortunately, and for reasons we still don’t fully understand, the Mexican Government closed Guadalupe to tourism.
“This leaves the sharks vulnerable on many levels, and is also a blow to the livelihood of our friends who work in the Guadalupe industry.”
On how the shark seen in the footage became wounded, Euan said: “In the photos you can see the bottom jaw rake marks from another fish that’s taken a bite of this guy.
“What it looks like to me is the teeth on top got a little better purchase and managed to pry some flesh back.
“So now as it’s healing it looks like a lump of some sort. But looking at where the shark was bit I would love to know what size shark bit him.”
On how his passion for photography and marine exploration developed, Euan told Newsflash: “I have always had a fascination with apex animals.
“But there’s nothing like great white sharks. They are dinosaurs you can literally coexist with in the same space.
“You can’t do that with lions or tigers in the wild. Don’t get me wrong, I have a very healthy respect for what these fish can do.
“But I also have now come to realise they are not there to eat me. Starting our company Be a Shark has allowed me to share this realisation with people from all over the world.”
On how he captures his footage, Euan said: “I shoot from inside a very strong metal cage that’s about 10 feet deep.
“But to be honest the cage is more to keep me in than that sharks out. It sounds very counterintuitive but it’s very peaceful under the water with the world’s biggest great white sharks.
“Sure, that silence is occasionally shattered by an attack on the bait we use to bring them closer to us. But for a majority of the time they are very graceful and silent.
“The sharks come to Guadalupe to feed on the seal colonies that live there. So swimming in the water around that island is not a good idea for obvious mistaken identity reasons.”
Euan’s work can be found at www.euanart.com, www.instagram.com/euanart, www.youtube.com/user/EuanRannachan, and www.beashark.team.
