The Dorsal Fin

WARNING: Video features language that some may find offensive.

YouTube user kairokk posted a video featuring footage shot off Hawaii’s Kaena Point on January 12, 2012. The video shows a large shark circling a fishing boat and features some colorful commentary by the videographer. The shark in question is identified in the video title and throughout the video by the men on the boat as a great white shark, but a quick glance at the YouTube comments shows that there are others who are identifying it as a mako.

From the 2:08 mark until about the 2:15 mark gives about the best close-up view of the shark. So, to all the shark experts out there, is this a mako or a white shark? (My non-expert self is voting mako.)

The video above is the second in a series of footage of the shark, if you didn’t get enough from the clip above, check out the other clip.

Australia’s The Telegraph is reporting that onlookers claim a juvenile great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) was “bludgeoned to death in front of crying children.” The incident reportedly took place at Sussex Inlet in New South Wales. The 2m shark had been hooked by a fisherman and then landed on the boat dock where eyewitnesses claim the shark was beaten to death with a metal pole.

The killing of a white shark in Australia is punishable by a fine of up to $11,000 and a two-year jail sentence, according to The Telegraph.

It was reported that some of the people on the scene claimed that the shark (seen in this photo) was a mako (Isurus oxyrinchus), which is not protected in Australia. A spokesperson for the Department of Primary Industries, who are investigating the incident, said that thinking the shark was a mako was “not an excuse.”

To read the full article head over The Telegraph.

Ocean Encounters has posted a video featuring divers Fred Buyle and William Winram freediving with great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) to their YouTube channel.

It’s not entirely clear from the video description where this was filmed other than somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. From the looks of it, there was also a healthy tuna population at the dive site.

The Sydney Morning Herald is reporting that an airline pilot had an encounter with a flying great white shark at “several thousand feet.” Don’t worry, SyFy’s “Mega Shark” has not become a reality, rather the shark in question was a wayward helium filled Air Swimmers toy, a popular item this Christmas, according to the report. The encounter occurred on December 26, during the pilot’s descent into New Zealand’s Christchurch International Airport. The incident was reported to ground control (no word on whether Major Tom was involved) to alert other air traffic to the presence of the toy.

William Mark Corporation, the designer of the toy, notes that it is strictly for indoor use. So, if you were the lucky recipient of an Air Swimmers great white over the holidays, please make sure to keep your shark inside at all times.

Underwater filmmaker Joe Romeiro has released yet another awesome white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) video. “Battle Scars” focuses on my favorite shark on the planet, “Cal Ripfin” (aka “Shredder”). Cal is a regular around Isla de Guadalupe in the fall months and is easily recognizable by his distinctive dorsal fin damage (as well as his many other “battle scars”).

Kudos to Joe for putting together another great video!