The discovery of a great white swimming in a quiet Australian lake has been described as “pretty bloody incredible” by a leading expert. Footage taken on the water's edge shows the apex predator's fin momentarily break the surface. Its profile is then clearly seen as it swims towards enamoured fishermen standing near a short pier.
, a shark scientist at told Yahoo News the species is “incredibly important” to marine ecosystems. Comparing it to a nearby boat he believes the great white is just two metres in length, making it a juvenile — they are around 1.5 metres at birth.
“Here we see a white shark in the early stages of its life in a coastal area. And to be able to see that by standing on the ground and looking down is an experience very few people will have,” he said. “People pay thousands of dollars to go see these animals from inside cages, and the chances of seeing them isn't guaranteed.
Yet here in coastal NSW looking in the water, and there's this beautiful juvenile white shark just peacefully cruising by.” Although , sightings on Australia's east coast are relatively rare, and the species is listed as vulnerable to extinction. Recreational and commercial fishing, along with are listed as The shark was filmed at Lake Conjola on the NSW South Coast, and footage was uploaded to social media on Tuesday.
The coastal region is just 300km from Port Stephens, one of only two known nursery sites for the species on the east coast of Australia — the other is in Corner Inlet in eastern Victoria. While that might seem like a long way to swim, it’s a mere stroll when you consider the longest distance recorded by one was 20,000km. That shark, who scientists named Nicole, was tagged in waters off South Africa and she swam all the way to Australia in just 99 days.
While there has been some debate online about whether the shark at Lake Conjola was a mako or a great white, Guida thinks the answer is clear. “White shark. No doubt about it.
Pretty bloody incredible,” he said. He believes the shark likely followed the salmon run to the south coast, as they make up the majority of its prey over the winter period. Rare sightings have also recently occurred at Byron Bay “It’s just the ocean working as it should.
And we’re very fortunate in this instance to be able to see something like that,” he said. Leon Hallam who filmed the shark has been contacted for comment..
