03/06/2023
Sailors and Their Stories From the Sea
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"Off the coast of South Africa, I worked aboard a cage-diving boat. I witnessed many amazing things, but one day a 5-plus metre female white shark approached the boat. She simply hung around and observed us, showing no interest in the cage, the chum, or the baitlines. Every time she returned to the surface, my brain would temporarily refuse to accept what I was witnessing due to how enormous she was. Like 'That is what? It's so big, Jesus.' She was very composed and observant. It was the first time I truly understood that, despite the fact that it is entirely foreign, there is some sort of intelligence operating in that brain."
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Here is an example 17-foot female shark spotted in 2020 moving lazily alongside the Aleutian Dream just off North Beach Island in Chatham.
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Photo Credit: Wayne Davis/Ocean Aerials