Since the release of Steven Spielberg’s Jaws, many people have come to regard sharks, along with bears, gorillas, and rhinos, as one of the few creatures that are just badass. Just look at them—total units that instill dread and exude greatness just by existing.
Sharks have now become even more fantastic (yes, even more ridiculously awesome than the concept of a tornado full of sharks). A great shark was recently filmed rising from the ocean and taking in some fresh air—15 feet, to be exact. As a result, a great white shark, one of the world’s largest sharks, was observed rising from the water and leaping into the air. This was no average leap, as it managed to rise 15 feet (4.57 meters) over the sea.
A common shark will jump up to 8-10 feet (2.4-3 meters) above water, according to Sharks World. As a result, watching a shark soar another 5 feet beyond this line is considered a record-breaking breach.
As part of Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, great white shark expert Chris Fallows traveled to Seal Island, a small island in False Bay, South Africa. The clip was shot specifically for the show Air Jaws: Ultimate Breach, in which several professionals compete to take the greatest mid-air photos of sharks breaking the surface of the ocean. And Fallows got lucky when he came upon a great white shark, which quickly became a record-breaking breacher and is now going viral.
He and his squad went out on patrol with some meaty bait tethered to their boat, hoping to entice a shark to bite. Fallows eventually spotted the shark he was seeking after numerous attempts. The video shows the shark leaping from the sea, chewing on its new-found treat attached to a rope, and flying (about) 15 feet into the air.
This particular jump was reported to be the highest ever achieved by a shark in the history of Air Jaws. “Whoa! That was incredible, do you see that shark!?” shouted Fallows as the shark took off. The act of a great white shark jumping out of the water is known as breaching. They use this during hunting to stagger and grab quick-moving prey, like a seal. Sharks are claimed to be able to swim at speeds of up to 40 miles per hour (64 kilometers per hour) near the surface.
What makes this even more amazing is that breaching is an uncommon event among sharks since it requires a lot of energy. And here we thought they did it all the time, which is why Sharknado, the catastrophe horror comedy science-fiction film series, exists. Fallows was voted the winner of 2020 Air Jaws for nailing this famous jump. The official Shark Week Twitter account released an incredible shot of a great white shark upside down in mid-air, preparing to plummet back into the water.
Air Jaws is a Discovery Channel documentary series on great white sharks. The first incarnations of the show were released in 2001-2002, but it was suspended until 2010 when it was reintroduced and has been released practically every year since. “This Air Jaws has a really compelling conservation message: We have to do something to conserve these great white sharks because they are on the verge of extinction,” said Air Jaws director Jeff Kurr. “Does Air Jaws have a chance of returning?”
“The thing with Air Jaws is that we have recorded these white sharks as no one else has before, from so many various perspectives, in super slow motion.” Number one is just demonstrating how they hunt, the techniques they employ, how they approach their prey, and what time of day they like to at.ta.ck.”
