Not as bad as Galveston, but pretty impressive. Check out the link some of the pictures in the gallery are totally crazy. Photographing Africa's "Flying Sharks" Ryan Mitchell and David Braun National Geographic News November 24, 2003 Husband-and-wife team Monique and Chris Fallows make a living by photographing a remarkable spectacle of nature: giant sharks hurtling through the air as they rocket with great velocity from murky depths to catch seals near the surface. The phenomenon is best seen near Seal Island, a crowded seal colony near Cape Town, South Africa, where great whites and other sharks congregate to feed on the pinnipeds. It is here, when seals cross deep water to approach or leave their island sanctuary that the waiting sharks, swimming at depth, will hurtle themselves with great strength towards the animals at the surface. The ferocity and momentum of the powerful ascent often results in both predator and prey exploding out of the ocean like a cork from a champagne bottle—a dramatic moment that the Fallows have caught on film for magazines, exhibits, and television documentaries seen all over the world. The Fallows also lead small tourist groups to Seal Island to witness and photograph the breaching behavior, sometimes induced by dragging a decoy behind a boat. They have gathered much data about the sharks and their behavior—and they say they have dedicated their business and photography to the conservation of these misunderstood and under-appreciated predators. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/11/1124_031124_flyingsharks.html
LMAO Until I looked at that picture again - that is worse than Jaws! Can you imagine being in a boat that close to a monster airborne shark...
There was a documentary on the National Geographic channel about them trying to get these shots. It tool quite a while to actually capture the act on film and even longer for the photographer to snap a shot of the shark in the air. What was really scary was the view from the dummy seal they were pulling behind the boat. It was pointing straight down and you couldn't even see the shark until it was about 20 feet below the dummy. Nature is truly amazing.
Great White vs. Killer Whale battle was one of the coolest I heard about. A 10-foot great white got the crap beat out of it by a killer whale that ripped it open and left the liver floating. There was another killer whale nearby that apparently was its kid or something and played with the great white's liver on the surface of the water. One report had the orca cruising with the great white in its mouth and entrails of the shark trailing behind. Now that would've made a hell of a video... Here are some related links : http://www.cnn.com/EARTH/9710/08/whale.vs.shark/ (has a video of the killer whale attack on a great white, but not that great) http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/InNews/deangrubbs.htm http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/Sharks/InNews/peterpyle.htm
On an episode of MTV Wild Boyz, they were filming the shark jumps and one of the guys said, "There's sharks attacking the dolphins, birds diving into the water stabbing the dolphins, and a couple of whales trying to eat everything. It's a jungle out there. And we're Tarzan."
There is actually a video of a Great White and Killer Whale fighting; I saw a snippet on a news show a while back. It was a whale watching tour boat and one of the tourists happened to catch some of the fight on a camcorder. It might be the same one you are talking about - No contest whale destroyed shark.
WE consider whales to be friendlier animals, right? Can one of you nerds out there explain the physical and mental differences between a great white and a killer whale? Is the whale simply smarter (mammal)? I would imagine the shark is more agressive. I find this stuff fascinating.
You know what, I think I posted that video on the bbs several months ago... I'll see if I can find it again.
My understanding is that Killer Whales have never had the reputation for attacking humans (even Eskimos dressed up in sealskin). Considering their size, strength and the fact that humans could make fairly easy prey for them when in the water, that's a huge surprise. However, they are well known for ferociously attacking just about anything else in the water (seals, dolphins, larger whales, sharks). Maybe we just taste bad.
I'd tell ya, but I don't want to be considered a "nerd". I've already been called a furry, a dork, and probably worse this week and my ego can't handle anymore...
