A feeding frenzy unfolded frighteningly close to shore in Western Australia this week, as multiple sharks — including a five-meter great white — cruised through the shallows beside a whale carcass while hundreds of spectators watched from the sand.
The carcass washed ashore at City Beach in Perth early Monday morning, Sept. 28, after surf lifesavers discovered it around 7:30 a.m. Within roughly an hour, SharkSmart had recorded two white sharks measuring five meters (16 feet) and four meters just 10 meters offshore. A 3.5-meter shark of unknown species and another measuring 2.5 meters were also reported nearby.
Watch the insane footage, as spectators stand just a few feet away, below:
Wildlife photographer Tom Kavanagh captured dramatic drone footage showing the sharks moving through shallow water with spectators gathered nearby. Kavanagh said the animals were following the scent of the dead whale and “they were coming in very close.” He described seeing two sizeable white sharks “riding the shallows” as they moved up and down the beach.
Related: Watch: Great White Shark Turns Nantucket Shallows into a Bloodbath
Beachgoer Lydia Moss saw the sharks firsthand. “They’re bigger than I thought they were going to be,” she told PerthNow, describing them as “massive.” Authorities quickly closed City Beach and surrounding stretches of coastline. Town of Cambridge Mayor Gary Mack issued an unequivocal warning: “People should not swim in this area at all,” adding that dogs should also stay out of the water.
The carcass is essentially an all-you-can-eat buffet for the predators.
UWA Oceans Institute researcher Ben D’Antonio called a dead whale “basically a pot of gold for a shark,” explaining that the lipid-rich meal can attract animals from the surrounding ocean. Shark expert Culum Brown warned that scent from the decomposing whale could linger through several tides even after the carcass is removed.
The timing is especially unsettling. Just 10 days earlier, 63-year-old Greg O’Neill was killed by a great white while swimming close to shore at Sorrento Beach, roughly 15 kilometers north. Authorities issued a rare catch-and-kill order after that fatal attack.
Authorities have since deployed drum lines to tag sharks gathering around the carcass, while beaches remain closed.
Related: ‘Kill the Shark’: WA Issues Rare Order After Fatal Great White Attack
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