I am most fascinated with Great Whites - the King of the ocean. They are the ultimate predator. My experience with filming and photographing this shark has been a highlight of my image-making career.
Great Whites can be found in almost every ocean. They are most often found near seal colonies, one of their main food sources.
The Great White is a fearless ruler of the ocean. Our boat was slapped on the fiberglass hull several times by Great Whites demonstrating their superiority. They normally use their tails to stun prey.
Every time that I was in the water with them I felt their steely black eyes pierce right through me. On one occasion a 4.5 metre shark took the bait - its lower jaw gapped open, their eyes rolled back - it chomped on the bait with three rapid guillotine-like bites. With each powerful gnash the shark's flesh rippled along its side from its mouth and gill slits to its pectoral fins. All the time he kept his eye on me. When the bait was swallowed he glided past me within inches, glaring at me all the while. I knew that he was the boss. He looked back just as he passed my protective cage, then with one tremendous show of authority, he slapped the cage violently - then glided effortlessly into a flurry of bubbles.
"Shark Meet II" and "Meet Block" are topside images that depict an interesting and unique shark behavior. The technique of blocking the shark's sensors around its nose was developed by Andre Hartman and instilled in his mate Michael. Andre told me that this shark behavior was discovered several years ago when he was pushing sharks away from the boat's outboard motors. The Great Whites are tactile creatures and like children enjoy putting everything in their mouths. The metallic content of the motor's propellers possibly give them a taste that they are drawn to.
By placing his hand lightly on the sharks nose and blocking the shark's sensors, Andre found that the shark mysteriously became docile. When Andre brought his hand up from the water he found that the shark followed. Imagine a 4.5 metre, 1500 kg. Great White Shark, virtually, in the palm of your hand!
The shark's nose sensors are called "Ampullae of Lorenzini". These sensors are used to detect minute electric charges given off by injured or frightened prey.
The gapping mouth is caused when the shark's lower jaw unhinges and falls open, a characteristic normally associated with engorging prey into its mouth.
While docile, the shark is still quite mobile using its powerful tail to thrust it up and out of the ocean. Quite an awesome sight!
Don McLeod