Great White Shark Lunges at Woman Petting it Off Georgia Coast

A great white shark lunged at a woman who was dangling her arm over the side of a boat off the coast of Georgia, a moment captured on video. The incident occurred as Jen, a veteran crew member with the Knot Lucky Fishing team, was petting the shark they had reeled in for their tagging program. This program aims to collect data on shark travel patterns.

The shark, despite being hooked by its jaw, swung its head toward Jen's arm, and the force of the movement was audible as its head struck the boat. The crew later shared on Facebook that while the close call was felt intensely by everyone on board, Jen was never in danger. They stated the shark was under control and never came close enough to cause harm.

"But that reaction right there is a reminder of exactly what these animals are. Beautiful. Powerful. Wild. They deserve every ounce of respect we can give them," the crew wrote in their post. The organization ultimately decided against tagging this particular shark because they could not safely complete the process without endangering themselves or the animal.

Knot Lucky Fishing's shark program also has a mission to honor fallen American service members by naming tagged sharks after them and involving veterans in conservation efforts. The organization utilizes offshore fishing trips to assist veterans dealing with PTSD. Co-founder Jimmy Armel shared an anecdote about the first shark they tagged, named Christopher Shane Wright after a friend lost in combat, whose tagged shark traveled over 750 nautical miles.

Last year, the United States recorded 25 shark bites, making it the country with the highest number of incidents globally, accounting for 38% of the total. While the number of attacks was slightly below the 10-year average, fatalities were higher, with nine deaths compared to an average of six. Australia also experienced a significant number of shark bites, with 21 recorded instances.