Halifax shark encounter sparks viral reactions

A marine biology student from Dalhousie University shared a breathtaking photo of a great white shark during a recent expedition off the coast of Halifax.

Geraldine Fernandez captured the picture from the top of a boat, which was operated by Atlantic Shark Expeditions near Sambro, Canada. It is a rural fishing community in the Halifax Regional Municipality.

The video footage shows the shark rising out of the water with its mouth agape and teeth showing. Fernandez, who is a student studying to become a shark biologist, shared her view that the shark came quite close to taking a bite.

In an interview with CBC's Mainstreet Halifax, she said, “The whole interaction was [one of] the most elegant, graceful and natural interactions that I have personally ever had with a shark."

"It was able to show its size and its power without even doing anything," she further added.

In this connection, the founder and president of Atlantic Shark Expeditions said, “This encounter was extremely unique.”

"The other great whites we've seen this season, and there've been a handful of them, they've all been really cautious," he further added.

Furthermore, summer research student has been quite obsessed with sharks since childhood. Now, she uses a shark bar to collect data for a new shark monitoring method at Dalhousie's Future of Marine Ecosystems Lab.

The close encounter with a great white shark is further validation of her work.

She stated, "It definitely felt like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. All it's done is just put more drive in me to continue my research and continue with shark exploration."