A video of a beachgoer's unexpected close encounter with a shark on a sandy beach coast in Western Australia has gone viral on Instagram.
The video was shared by Giulia & Dean (@travelswithg.d), whose main Instagram account is listed as GiuliaCassidy (@giuliacassidy). The clip has garnered more than 69.6 million views since it was posted on January 26. A caption shared with the post reads: "Justtt wowww this Tiger Shark at Monkey Mia, WA [Western Australia]. This will live rent free in my head."
Monkey Mia is a popular tourist destination located around 15 miles from the town of Denham in the UNESCO-designated Shark Bay area. Tiger sharks are among the only three sharks of the 160 or so known species of Australian sharks that pose a significant risk to human safety; the other two are the bull shark and the white shark (also known as the white pointer/great white shark).
The footage shows a dark shadow moving within shallow turquoise-green waters, which is later shown to be a shark swimming up to the shore. The creature thrashes about along the shoreline before heading back into the water before the clip ends. A message overlaid on the video reads: "And I thought I was safe at hip height."
Mike Heithaus is a marine predator ecologist from Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, who has worked in Shark Bay for over two decades. He told Newsweek: "It is not unusual to see tiger sharks in shallow waters. While coming right up to shore is uncommon, they patrol the shallow seagrass beds of Shark Bay looking for prey, like turtles.
"If somebody sees a shark in shallow waters like this, they should keep an eye on the shark while they get out of the water," added Heithaus, who is the dean of the College of Arts, Sciences & Education at FIU.
The majority of fatalities in Western Australia are attributed to white sharks. The Wobbegong, hammerhead and whaler sharks have also bitten humans, but their bites are rarely fatal.
The Western Australia fisheries department says: "As is the case with other wild animals, sharks may bite when they feel threatened and, no matter how big or small, should be left alone."
Beachgoers in Western Australia are advised to keep up-to-date with shark activity information by downloading the SharkSmart WA app. This provides near real-time information of shark activity, including current alerts and warnings.
Known for its wild dolphins, Monkey Mia is surrounded by waters teeming with marine wildlife. Visitors may come across not only sharks and dolphins, but also stingrays, turtles and a variety of fish.
Sitting on the coast of the Indian Ocean at Australia's most westerly point, Shark Bay's waters, islands and peninsulas span an area of around 2.2 million hectares. The site is famed for its rich marine life "including a large population of dugongs [a manatee-like a marine mammal], and provides a refuge for a number of other globally threatened species," according to UNESCO.
Newsweek has contacted the original poster via Instagram and email. This video has not been independently verified.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in travel and health.
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