An urgent warning has been issued to tourists holidaying on the beaches of the exotic Bahamas. A giant white shark in the company of a “comrade” is heading straight for them.
A bloodthirsty giant known as a man-eating shark was spotted on the radar off the coast of the Bahamas on Tuesday. Its size is impressive: the tank-like animal is over 3.66 meters long and weighs about 539 kg. The OCEARCH research team has been tracking the movements of the nicknamed Ironbound (“Iron Shark”) since 2019 and has not previously caused alarm among experts. However, now she has headed for the resort islands. Radar spotted her around midnight on Tuesday near Andros Island, the largest in the archipelago. Back in January, she was spotted off the coast of Florida in the United States.
A few years ago, the animal was “tagged” with an electric tracker that shows the movement of a predator. Photos of the shark taken in 2019 showed the world the terrifying-looking animal as it was dragged onto the deck of a research vessel to be chipped.
The Iron Shark’s ferocious jaws closed on a metal rod as scientists measured its impressive body. The formidable predator had battle scars and blood dripping from its body – an ominous warning to any tourist who tries to enter the water.
Bahamian authorities have issued advisories urging tourists and locals to exercise extreme caution in and around New Providence waters, adjacent islands, and bays. The statement is quite appropriate since in June 2019 a diver was attacked by a shark. In an unequal battle, the tourist died. This year, there have already been several cases of attacks on vacationers in the waters of the Bahamas, but, fortunately, without a fatal outcome.
According to OCEARCH, the frightening-looking predator was not alone, but in the company of another tagged great white shark, which has a calm nickname Maple (“Maple”). She was also tracked near the Bahamas. The second representative is also huge: its length is 3.35, and its weight is 573 kg. The Iron Shark and the Maple sail the east coast of the United States and Canada. Great white sharks prefer temperate waters but can be found worldwide. They tend to make an annual migration, spending summers in northern waters and winters in the south.
Reference: The Bahamas is located north of the Caribbean Sea and Cuba, southeast of the Florida peninsula. The Bahamas archipelago includes about 700 islands, but only 30 are inhabited. About half of the employed population is directly or indirectly connected with the tourism business. And this is not surprising, the country is famous for its warm clear waters and beautiful beaches.