Great White Shark Pops Her Head Up To See Her Fans

Great White Shark spy hops above the surface to see what all the commotion is about!

As we have spoken about in previous posts Great White Sharks are extremely curious and spy hopping is an investigative behaviour that White Sharks use to try and understand their surroundings. They can also exercise caution when they are not fully sure about something. 

This video was taken at Seal Island in Mossel Bay a harbour town on the Garden Route in South Africa’s Western Cape Province. You can see other similar behaviour in some of the other clips on the channel.

Many people hold the myth that Great White Sharks bite now and ask questions later but more often than not this couldn't be further from the truth. Survival is dependant on exercising caution as to not cause debilitating injuries to themselves. Great White Sharks are amazingly adaptable and do heal extremely quickly, some of the most egregious wounds such as fins sliced off by boat props and bite marks from other sharks can often be seen to be largely healed after only a few weeks. All the same they do usually err on the side of caution. 

In the video you can see the White Shark cautiously approach the bait without even attempting to lunge for it. The shark allows the bait to go by her eye below and above the water as to get a better look at it before sinking back down. So really she didn't come up to see her fans but to check what the interesting smell attached to the bait line was. Sharks can often be seen to do this especially when they are younger, smaller sharks. If the bait is too big it often takes smaller sharks a lot longer to feel comfortable coming in closer.