WATCH: Boaters came face-to-face with shark as it chomped on whale carcass off Venice Beach
Editor’s note: The video above contains graphic footage of an injured, deceased animal and may not be suitable for all viewers.
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — New video shows a boater’s close encounter with a great white shark off the coast of Venice Beach.
The emaciated sperm whale washed up just feet from the beach on March 10. It died before wildlife officials could save it.
Sperm whales live in deep water; how did one get stuck in Sarasota County?
As researchers cut into the remains of the whale to collect samples for necropsy, its blood leaked into the Gulf of Mexico. It was essentially “ringing the dinner bell” for sharks in the area, prompting a no-swim advisory for Sarasota County beaches.
A video recorded by Brian Jung on March 17, days after the whale was towed out to sea, showed a shark coming face-to-face with boaters on its way to “dinner.”
“We located the carcass and there were three great white sharks eating off the blubber on the whale,” Jung said.
The apex predator headbutted the camera and checked out the nearby boats.
“It’s going to eat our engine,” a woman said.
From there, the shark started chowing down on the floating carcass. It may be difficult to watch, but it’s the circle of life.
The video shows a man sticking his hand into the water as the shark approached his boat. He walked away from the encounter with all limbs intact.
The whale measured 44-feet-long and around 70,000 pounds.
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