By Hollie Harris
LOCAL water sport enthusiast, Jonah Cooper, had a very big surprise jet skiing yesterday off Granite Bay when a large tiger shark surfaced in front of his jet ski.
A small Australian fur seal resting in waters of Granite Bay first caught Mr Cooper’s interest when he then noticed a large shark coming closer into the area.
“I spotted the seal first and was going to try and film it with my Go-Pro and then the shark came up,” Mr Cooper said.
“My jet ski is 3.5 metres, and so I would say the shark was at least 4.5 metres.
“It was just amazing. What a magnificent animal to watch,” he said.
Within minutes of him filming, the shark had hooked itself on the nearby DPI Shark Control Programs drum line just next to Mr Cooper’s jet ski.
He was able to capture incredible footage of the shark surfacing and thrashing in attempts to free itself from the drum line.
“Growing up with the name Jonah and being a serious ocean lover, I came to peace early in life that I would be the first one eaten by something in the ocean, but after working for many years with sea mammals I am not worried about seeing these magnificent creatures out in the ocean. It’s their home and I respect that,
“I was in awe at seeing the animal. After it became hooked on line it became very agitated and so I moved away. It was heart breaking to see another big beautiful creature being taken out of its natural environment. It’s not the first large one I’ve seen out here and it is a real shame they end up this way.
“If the shark would’ve taken the seal, it would’ve been a part of nature. I do hope they were able to relocate it before it died,” Mr Cooper said.
Jonah notified the DPI immediately in the hope that they could get out to release the shark into a new location.
“It’s always great to be out there and these creatures really add to the experience of living in this beautiful place. I hope to continue to see them out there from the safety of my jetski.
It was out there for food. We are not in its food chain and it was very peaceful and beautiful to watch until it hooked itself.
“It was particularly unusual for the Fur Seal to be in these waters and was quite a sight to see. The shark was a mix of amazement and sadness. It was quite a day,“ Mr Cooper said.
The Shark Control Program (SCP) relies on nets or drum lines, or a combination of both, to minimise the threat of shark attack on humans in particular locations.
A DPI spokesperson was contacted and said that the drum lines are checked every second day but was unable to comment as to whether the shark was attended to yesterday or not.
