A few years ago, I was scrolling through my Facebook feed when some images came up of an oceanic whitetip shark that was slowly being strangled by one of those rubber regulator necklaces. The necklace was tightly constricting the shark’s gill area, making it difficult for the shark to process oxygen among other things. I thought the image was difficult to see, and felt sorry for the shark, but scrolled on by as there was really nothing I could do.
The following year, I was diving in the South Red Sea at the site called Brothers and to my surprise, the same oceanic whitetip shark approached. It was easy to tell it was the same shark, as the regulator holder was centered on the sharks throat and the image I had seen before had been taken just a few miles from where I was now.
The necklace was considerably tighter than it had been in the pictures I had seen the year before. It was obvious that this beautiful animal would be suffering a prolonged death as it grew and the necklace slowly became tighter around its gills.
Still, even as a scuba diver and photographer, there was nothing I could do for her except document her plight. Perhaps the images I published would help remind people to be more mindful of the wildlife they might affect by their carelessness. Perhaps future sharks would benefit from my images. It was a dim hope, but it gave my conscience some relief.
Two weeks after my encounter with this shark, the brave crew of the Dolce Vita, a liveaboard dive yacht in the Red Sea, decided to rescue this shark from her impending death. The amazing video can be seen here:
Oceanic Whitetip Rescue
It has now been a little over a year since her rescue and all reports are that she is doing well and has healed from her trauma. Sometimes I marvel at both the oblivious behavior of humans and the ingenuity we possess. This story serves as a reminder to be careful around wildlife. Take responsibility for your belongings and keep them out of the way of nature. Thanks to the skill of the Dolce Vita crew, one more shark has lived so that we can tell her tale.
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My photographs are taken with a Nikon D850 in Sea and Sea Housing using two YS-D2J Strobes.
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© Brook Peterson 2021
