“Tourists did their usual thing – rushed to take a selfie with a shark,” – this was the statement published by the Egyptian mass media from Hurghada. After the recent tragedies, the statement seems illogical – but fortunately, it refers to safe representatives of the shark species, a “subspecies” of whale sharks, which is not often seen on the beaches of Hurghada. And it is considered a kind of “sea attraction”, which – along with the manta ray and the sea turtle – is considered one of the desired meetings of lovers of marine tourism.
As stated in the Egyptian media, the appearance of “peaceful sharks” led to the fact that “marine tourism enthusiasts were eager to swim, snorkel and dive to take a selfie with a shark.” We are talking about sharks of the Will Shark species, as explained by local ecologists – a subspecies of a whale shark that feeds on small fish and is safe for humans. Although it is significant, the length exceeds 12 meters.
As Egyptian experts add, many lovers of marine tourism and diving come precisely to meet such unique inhabitants of the Red Sea, and photos on social networks are a great advertisement for Hurghada. In addition, ecologists say that the appearance of these sharks on the beaches of Hurghada is a good sign, which means a good ecological condition and cleanliness of the marine environment. However, for ordinary tourists, especially children, the appearance of a shark swimmer in the water near the beach causes an attack of terror.