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BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
The antidote to the Jaws effect: These photos show a softer side of great white sharks
Fifty years since the release of Jaws, these photographers are showing a different, less frightening view of great white sharks. Mike Coots, a keen surfer in the waters of his native Hawaii, was 18 when he was bitten by a tiger shark. "It came from right underneath me and latched on", the photographer, now 44, recalls. "I felt this huge pressure but no pain. It was like an out of body experience." The shark shook him back and forth "like a rag-doll", Coots says, until he managed to punch it three times on the nose, cutting his hand against its teeth as he did so. "It wasn't until I was paddling back into shore that I realised my leg had been completely severed and that there were big spurts of blood [coming from the stump] with each heartbeat." Remarkably, Coots was back in the water with a new prosthetic leg just a month later. More remarkably perhaps, he has now become an advocate for shark conservation, using his pictures to help show a more naturalistic image of sharks than is often found in media and films. "I'd taken this one shot off New Zealand in 2009 [of a shark exhibiting a behaviour called spy hopping, where it pokes its head up out of the water] and it became something of a meme," says Coots. "I started to see it all over, and the comments weren't, 'That's the scariest thing I've ever seen', but about how amusing it was, how it expressed curiosity, even personality. It was an 'a-ha!' moment for me – that the right images could shift us away from the usual demonisation of sharks." Coots is among a wave of campaigning underwater photographers, including Kimberly Jeffries, George Probst, Caterina Gennaro and Renee Capozzola, who are attempting to overhaul our poor and often fearful view of sharks to help advocate for their conservation. Their images are typically up close and aim to capture natural shark behaviours – schooling, mouthing, bumping – rather than the aggression often expressed in photos, which is sometimes induced by using bait pulled behind a boat. The fact is that we're less willing to save what we fear – Kimberly Jeffries It's an ongoing battle, with the legacy of films like Stephen Spielberg's pioneering blockbuster Jaws, which marks its 50th anniversary this week, continuing to be seen in portrayals of sharks today. "Sharks still need better PR. They're not monsters," says Jeffries, a conservationist and underwater photographer who shoots for National Geographic and is currently working with Disney on a live-action remake of Finding Nemo. Her images aim for the true-to-life over the artificially dramatic: great whites seemingly smiling to camera, mindfully cruising with dolphins, just peaceably hanging out with divers. "I find that when people without direct exposure to sharks, which is most people, are exposed to what I consider to be the right imagery, they really like it," she says. "They're fascinated and find this more honest representation of sharks can help them reconnect with ideas of co-existing with nature." One of her shots, featured below, is a 2019 image of a shark nicknamed Deep Blue, believed to be one of the largest great whites ever encountered. Jeffries was "absolutely honoured" to have dived with such a large shark, she says. "She was incredibly elegant and had a stately presence." Coots, meanwhile, now explores taking pictures of sharks using specially-adapted portraiture lenses, better able to their catch physical details, true scale and the light in a shark's eyes including the iris – unlike the typical depiction of them being blacked-out and doll-like. "And if I get a media request for the usual sensationalist shark picture – mouth open, teeth bared – I decline," he says. James Ketchum, director of Pelagios Kakunja Marine Conservation, which focuses on the study of sharks and mantas in Mexico, says Coots' photos are unusual in "capturing the real animal, its real behaviour and beauty rather than the much more commonplace 'shark porn' we've long seen". Of course, he adds, a shark is a natural predator. "But it's films like Jaws, and the commercial shark photography that's followed it, that has focused both on just one idea of what a shark is, and on just a few of the many shark species too. It's images like Coot's that are helping us break away from [that]." One study found that setting a 60-second video clip of sharks swimming to ominous background music (as opposed to uplifting music or silence) was enough for participants to rate sharks more negatively Images are as important in giving an accurate representation of the animals as the data that scientists work with, Ketchum argues, and tend to reach the general public much faster. "Images are more approachable." Still, it's an uphill climb, he says. Sharks continue to contend with their villainous image as our go-to, real-life bogeyman. It's an image that affects few other animals so strongly, he says, except perhaps piranha or wolves. The huge success of Jaws played a big role in developing this view of sharks. A key scene in the film sees a character recount the true story of massed shark attacks on the crew that survived the sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War Two, 80 years ago this July. Indeed, the impact of Jaws on the vilification of sharks is, Coots believes, hard to understate. David Shiffman, marine conservation scientist and author of Why Sharks Matter, agrees. "I don't think people really thought about sharks much at all much before Jaws, but its effect has been very real," he says. "It proved a genuine turning point [in the way we perceived sharks]." Jaws spawned a genre that has maintained that frightening image, from Deep Blue Sea and Dark Tide to The Shallows, and The Meg and Meg 2 (about a killer megalodon, a species of giant shark extinct for more than three million years – learn more about this prehistoric creature in this article). Most recently, in 2024 Under Paris, about a killer shark in the Seine, became a box office success (and look out for Dangerous Animals, just out, followed by Fear Below and Deep Water later this year). The great white shark is nearly always the focus of these films. Among the 500-plus shark species, great whites are only the sixth largest, but, some data suggest, are responsible for the most unprovoked attacks on people. " Now we have the likes of the Sharknado movies, which I love, because they don't take themselves too seriously," says Shiffman. "Unfortunately, there are many other shark films that do. And [their reach is such that] it's going to take a lot to counter the effects of those." An IPSOS poll in 2015, more than four decades after the Jaws release, found that 51% Americans are terrified of sharks, with 38% scared to swim in the ocean because of them. Being terrified of sharks ran highest in the Northeast followed by those, perplexingly, in the Midwest, a long way from the sea. One 2016 study found that setting a 60-second video clip of sharks swimming to ominous background music (as opposed to uplifting music or silence) was enough for participants to rate sharks more negatively. Shark-human interactions in the real world are actually vanishingly rare In March, the Ocean Lovers Festival in Sydney, Australia launched its inaugural Jawsie Awards, a "sharky parody, criticism and satire on sensational representations of sharks, such as those included in the movie Jaws". Winner of 2025's most sensationalist reporting award went to Shark Week, an annual week of shark documentaries by the Discovery Channel, for its episode Megalodon: The Monster Shark Lives. This all despite the fact that shark-human interactions in the real world are actually vanishingly rare. The Florida Museum of Natural History's International Shark Attack File reported just 47 unprovoked shark attacks on people globally in 2024 (and 24 "provoked" ones, where human had initiated interaction with a shark in some way). Seven of these incidents were fatal, down from 14 in 2023. Elephants and even bees kill more people each year. (Read more about the real reason why sharks attack humans.) But it's not just in the movies that sharks get scary PR. The hugely popular 2020 video game Maneater, for example, has now sold over 14 million units. And a 2012 study of the Australian media suggested shark attacks were reported five times more frequently than conservation or other shark-related topics. This kind of hype isn't new. A series of fatal great white shark incidents along the New Jersey shore in 1916, said to have inspired Peter Benchley to write the 1974 novel Jaws, sparked a shark panic and calls for the eradication of the local shark population. "This [biased perception] is easy to understand," says Lisa Whitenack, professor of biology and geology at Allegheny College in Pennsylvania and lead author of a study on the representation of sharks in TV media. "The ocean is a scary place, you can't see what's in it and sharks do look scary. They're predators, move fast, have those eyes, so watching them on TV from the safety of our living rooms is akin to the thrill of horror films." While Whitenack says Jaws is "an excellent horror film", she wishes it "hadn't done the damage it did". "On the one hand it's allowed some people to make a good living out of demonising sharks, and on the other it's led to a [relative] lack of interest in shark conservation," she says. Entertainment is potent, she stresses. "Now I get people asking me if the megalodon is really out there." Spielberg himself has spoken of his own regret of how the Jaws book and film fuelled the decimation of sharks. Speaking to BBC Radio Four's Desert Island Discs in 2022, he said he still fears "that sharks are somehow mad at me for the feeding frenzy of crazy sword fisherman that happened after 1975, which I truly and to this day regret". Even media purporting to celebrate sharks, however, has been accused of falling for sharkphobia. Whitenack led a 2022 study on 32 years-worth of Shark Week, which was launched by in 1988. It concluded that what Whitenack calls "fear-mongering, bias and inaccurate representations of science" was prevalent in the series, and found that 74% of the episodes included in the study contained "some sort of fear-mongering language or negative portrayal of sharks". Some 15% of episodes were about shark attacks. The Discovery Channel did not respond to a request for comment about this criticism ahead of publication. Results like these are concerning, says Shiffman, at a time when shark conservation is increasingly critical. While fear-mongering about sharks isn't the main driver of declining shark populations – that is due to them being netted as by-catch alongside demand in Asia for shark fin soup and the shark meat trade – it leads the public to not care enough to do anything about these problems, he says. Fishing accounts for the death of some 80 million sharks every year, 25 million of them threatened species. Save Our Seas, a Geneva-based non-profit, estimates that 18% of shark species are now endangered or critically endangered. Meanwhile, we're only just coming to appreciate the crucial role that sharks, as apex predators regulating the populations of other species, play in maintaining the health of the marine eco-system. "The problem is that the negative perception of sharks in various media still shapes politician's readiness to protect them, even though that lack of protection [has a knock-on] impact on other marine life that we do say we care about," says Alexander Godknecht, chair of conservation organisation the Shark Foundation. "A simple example: sea stars eat coral. It's the sharks that eat the sea stars." More naturalistic shark photography, says Godknecht, is "really helping" to make a more positive story about sharks, as is more realistic content of documentaries. More like this: • The real reasons why sharks attack humans • The polar bears living in an abandoned Arctic weather station • The dramatic photo of huskies walking on water The shift seen in shark representation so far through photography is a start, says Christopher Pepin-Neff, co-founder of the Jawsie Awards, author of Flaws: Shark Bites and Emotional Policy Making and a professor in public policy at the University of Sydney. But further sources giving balanced depictions of sharks are still needed, says Pepin-Neff, who has studied public behaviour around shark attacks. "This is not just a matter of better education but, at the moment, of tackling miseducation – the idea that all beaches are safe but that all sharks are dangerous is obviously false." This is the "old fish story" that, one of Pepin-Neff's studies concludes, politicians like to push to their own ends, even contrary to the public's more sophisticated attitude towards sharks. "That sharks are bad, that it's the shark's fault – these are easy and wrong narratives to push," Pepin-Neff says. Jeffries finds there is "less and less demand for the gory, thrashing, shock and awe kind of shark imagery now and more demand for truthful, ethical storytelling". "That's important," she says, "because the fact is that we're less willing to save what we fear." -- For essential climate news and hopeful developments to your inbox, sign up to the Future Earth newsletter, while The Essential List delivers a handpicked selection of features and insights twice a week. For more science, technology, environment and health stories from the BBC, follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
Tracker shows 13-foot shark swimming north along Atlantic coast
In this Sept. 7, 2012 file photo, the research vessel Ocearch has set her anchor as the crew begins their search for great white sharks on the Atlantic Ocean, spending two to three weeks tagging sharks and collecting blood and tissue samples off the coast of Chatham, Mass. (AP Photo/Stephan Savoia, File) Weighing in at three quarters of a metric tonne, measuring over four metres from nose to tail and swimming more than 3,000 kilometres since the beginning of this year alone, he is the largest shark of his kind ever captured and recorded. Meet Contender, the northwest Atlantic Ocean's biggest, baddest great white shark on record, who may be headed for Canadian waters some day soon. First sighted off the Florida-Georgia coast in January, Contender was caught by scientists from global non-profit OCEARCH and fitted with a satellite tracker to monitor his movements. In the 142 days since, the shark has traced a path south past Daytona Beach, Fla., before disappearing from researchers' radar for weeks at a time in March and then resurfacing in April off the coast of North Carolina. At last ping on June 7, Contender's GPS shows he was stalking the waters east of Pamlico Sound, on the far side of the Outer Banks islands. Long-term research by OCEARCH has found great whites like Contender maintain a surprisingly wide range of migration, stretching from the eastern Gulf of Mexico in the south, all the way to the southern coast of Newfoundland, where seals and other 'high-calorie prey' can be found. Sharks often spend the warmer months off the coasts of Atlantic Canada and New England, before returning to the balmier waters in the south, OCEARCH says. GPS data from 48 different sharks show a high 'site fidelity' as well, meaning they often return to the same areas year after year. While this is Contender's first year of contributing data to the project, his path so far has him tracking north, and if he follows the traditional routes, the beast that OCEARCH calls the 'ultimate ocean warrior' may find himself in Canadian territory later this summer. 'Stay tuned as we continue following Contender on his journey to help protect sharks and the ocean ecosystem!' his profile on the organization's shark tracker reads.
News.com.au
13-06-2025
- Science
- News.com.au
‘Beast': World's biggest great white swims towards hotspot
The biggest great white shark ever recorded by researchers in the Atlantic is on the move – towards a popular US vacation hotspot. Contender, the 4.3-metre beast, was tagged in the North Atlantic by OCEARCH in January – a non-profit organization that conducts research on large marine animals – 72km off the Florida-Georgia coast, off Jacksonville. And after going off the radar for nearly a month – the tracker only transmits locating signal when the shark's dorsal fin is briefly exposed above the water's surface – last week it surfaced north, off Pamlico Sound in North Carolina. The beast appears to have made a dart for the north over the last few weeks. Measuring around 750kg, Contender is estimated to be around 30 years old. This stopover is believed to be a critical feeding period, allowing him to build energy reserves, for what may be a journey of 1,609km or more. Dr Harley Newton, OCEARCH's chief scientist and veterinarian, from Ponte Vedra, Florida, explained the behaviour of the mammoth creatures. She said: 'This time of year white sharks are starting their late spring/early summer migration (May 16 to June 30) moving from their southern overwintering area to their summer/fall foraging areas in the northeastern US and Atlantic Canada.' The tagging involved carefully capturing Contender alongside the research vessel, collecting biological samples, and attaching a SPOT satellite tag to his dorsal fin. This tag transmits real-time GPS data whenever he surfaces, enabling researchers and the public to track his movements live via OCEARCH's global shark tracker. Dr Newton said: 'We often see the sharks on our global shark tracker spend a period of time off the Outer Banks right before they move north, which is what white shark Contender appears to be doing.' 'This may be due to rich food resources in the region and would serve as a time to feed and prepare before what may be a journey of 1,000 miles or more.' Contender's migration is closely monitored to advance scientific research and promote shark conservation. Great white sharks play a vital role in marine ecosystems by regulating prey populations but face threats from overfishing, habitat loss, and climate change. Data from Contender and other tagged sharks inform conservation efforts and help protect critical habitats.
National Post
13-06-2025
- Science
- National Post
More great whites are visiting N.S. beaches. Is it time for a shark warning system like Cape Cod's?
Amid signs that the North Atlantic's great white shark population is growing, popular Cape Cod beaches are using technology to warn swimmers and surfers when it's time to get out of the water. Article content And while Nova Scotia is only 265 nautical miles away from Boston, as the shark swims, beachgoers in Canada's ocean playground have no such protections. Article content Article content 'We are able to detect tagged sharks — sharks that are carrying acoustic transmitters — and those transmitters are emitting a very high frequency sound that's detected by an array of acoustic receivers that we have set up around some of the more popular swimming beaches,' said Greg Skomal, a senior fisheries biologist with the Massachusetts division of marine fisheries and director of the state's shark research program. Article content Article content 'Any time one of those tagged sharks is detected by one of those receivers, it issues a notification through cell phone to the respective public safety officials for that beach.' Article content Article content Lifeguards get immediate warnings about the shark's nearby presence, he said. They could then put up flags, close the beach for an hour, or use other methods to pull people out of the water, Skomal said, noting anyone using Cape Cod's beaches can get the same white shark warnings sent straight to their phone through the free app called sharktivity. Article content 'We think it's a great warning system, but more so, really, an educational system for the public safety officials because we have to fully acknowledge that not all the sharks are tagged,' Skomal said in an interview from Tortola, in the British Virgin Islands, where he has been tagging sharks in recent weeks. Article content 'We don't want people to have this false sense of security if they're not getting a notification.' Article content Cape Cod — where scientists see a high density of white sharks — has seen three incidents of sharks biting humans since 2012, one of which was fatal in September 2018. Article content Article content 'We've (also) had a couple of incidents where a paddle board or a kayak was bitten, but the individual was not,' Skomal said. Article content Article content Nova Scotia saw a white shark bite a young woman who jumped off a boat near Cape Breton's Margaree Island in August of 2021. A duck hunter also lost his dog to a shark bite off Port Medway in 2023. Article content 'Nova Scotia is interesting; it has lots of white sharks visiting,' said Skomal, who has tagged sharks in waters around the province. Article content 'We just published a paper that shows the increase in the number of white sharks visiting Nova Scotia and Canada over the last ten years,' he said. 'It's at least a two-fold increase.' Article content Scientists believe the white shark population is rebounding due to conservation measures that reduced the number of them killed as bycatch in other fisheries, and an abundance of grey seals — their favourite prey — now that people no longer hunt them.
Daily Mail
12-06-2025
- Science
- Daily Mail
Largest ever great white shark swims towards popular US beach resort
The largest great white shark ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean has ominously surfaced miles from a popular tourist spot near North Carolina. After a brief disappearance, the shark known as Contender was tracked near the Pamlico Sound, a well-visited spot for summer beach goers. Contender, an almost 14-foot shark, was first tagged in January around 45 miles from the Florida-Georgia coast before he disappeared in May for several weeks. OCEARCH, that tagged and tracked Contender, is a nonprofit organization that collects data on large marine animals across the US and Canada. Contender's signal remained dormant until June 7, at which point he resurfaced near the Pamlico Sound - one of the biggest attractions on the Outer Banks. The Pamlico is the largest sound, or saltwater lagoon, on the East Coast and attracts thousands of tourists with its renowned reputation for water sports and quiet sandy beaches. Contender's SPOT tag, or satellite transmitting tags designed to track marine life, will track his movements for around five years to help researchers further understand migration patterns. A shark's tag pings a transmission once their dorsal fin breaks the waters surface. Researchers believe his time missing in action was during a critical feeding period in which he stocked up on energy supplies for his journey north, The Sacramento Bee reported. 'This time of year, white sharks are starting their late spring/early summer migration [May 16 to June 30], moving from their southern overwintering area to their summer/fall foraging areas in the northeastern US and Atlantic Canada,' OCEARCH's chief scientist and veterinarian Harley Newton told the outlet. 'We often see the sharks on our global shark tracker spend a period of time off the Outer Banks right before they move north, which is what white shark Contender appears to be doing,' Newton added. 'This may be due to rich food resources in the region and would serve as a time to feed and prepare before what nay be a journey of 1,000 miles or more.' The shark, believed to be almost 30 years old and weighing in at over 1650 pounds, was tracked to have come closest to the shoreline near Mosquito Lagoon in Florida. OCEARCH said that they chose the record-breaking shark's name after Contender Boats, a boat manufacturing company that builds semi-custom sportfishing boats. The company has partnered with OCEARCH by providing the vessel for their extensive missions. Upon Contenders original tagging in January, shocking photos showed the massive shark lined up alongside the boats. The average size for a male great white shark is around 12 to 13 feet and a female averages at 15 to 16 feet long. Shark enthusiasts were floored to see Contender's massive size, with many expressing their shock in the comments of a video shared by the research team on Instagram. 'So cool!! I need to look him up and see where he goes,' one comment read. 'Contender is the Man, I mean, Great White! What a beaut. Hope he avoids props, orcas and any other danger that can put this unique specimen down. Looking forward to following his travels. Ocearch, you people rock!!!' another comment added. 'He is so handsome! What a beautiful fishy!!! Thanks for studying them and protect them!! Sharks are awesome,' a third shared. Over 142 days, the huge great white traveled a total of 1,870 miles.
