Great White Shark Spotted in Spanish Waters for the First Time in More than Thirty Years

Scientists encountered a 16-foot great white shark Thursday in the Mediterranean Sea in the first confirmed sighting of a white shark in Spanish waters in more than 30 years.

“In recent years there were possible unconfirmed sightings and various rumors, but this is the first scientific observation of the presence of Carcharodon in Spanish waters for at least 30 years,” the conservation group Alnitak announced on Facebook. “On this occasion, this historic sighting has been photographed, filmed and contemplated by a crew of 10 people from five countries.”

The sighting occurred off the Cabrera Archipelago National Park, part of the Balearic Islands off southern Mallorca (also referred to as Majorca). The expedition was led by Dr. Ricardo Sagaraminaga Van Buitem a Spanish-Dutch marine biologist. The voyage involved students and other biologists from Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Austria, and Germany.

The team is collecting data on sea turtles, sperm whales, dolphins, manta rays, and tuna. The expedition is focusing on the effects of micro-plastics on sea life.

Great white shark sightings are extremely rare throughout the Mediterranean. The group stayed with the adult white shark for more than an hour.

We witnessed a historical sighting of a Great White Shark in the Balearic Sea! This morning at 10 am, the crew of Alnitak’s scientific expedition, led by marine biologist Ricardo Sagarminaga von Buiten and documented by ORCA-Films director Fernando Lopez-Mirones, spotted a 5 metre long Great White shark 8 miles from Isla de Cabrera. It remained in sight for 70 minutes in the waters of the Parque Nacional del Archipélago de Cabrera of Spain’s Balearic Islands. Over the years there have been unconfirmed sightings and rumours, but this is the first scientific confirmation of the presence of Carcharodon in Spanish waters for at least 30 years. On this occasion, this historic sighting was photographed, filmed and witnessed by a crew of 10 people from five countries, this morning on board the Töftevaag research ketch! What a beautiful sight! Sharks are essential parts of a healthy ocean ecosystem. #shark #greatwhite #sharks #beauty #greatwhiteshark #deepwater #sharkspotting #charcharodon Our deep-water campaign around the Cabrera Archipelago National Park is part of the LIBERA Program – Todos por La Mar, and is supported by SEO Birdlife – ECOEMBES, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Ecological Transition, USFWS, NOAA, SOCIB. #proyectolibera of @seobirdlife with @ecoembes, @usfws @fbiodiversidad @oceancare_icare @noaa #SOCIB @ashokaspain @asociacion_ondine @seamusketeers Asociación Vertidos 0, KAI Marine, @5Gyres and Conselleria Medi Ambient, Agricultura i Pesca – GOIB Special thanks to @beat.vni for your photo skills!

A post shared by Alnitak (@alnitakmission) on Jun 28, 2018 at 8:24am PDT