Trip Report: Great White bites through anchor cable

[glenora]

This really happened - at Isla Gaudalupe while a group was cage diving among Great Whites. THe shark that did it is nicknamed "Shredder". Report can be read at the link below.

http://www.wetdawg.com/pages/under/shredder/index.html

[orangeBloke]

Sharks do have powerful jaws and if it was thrusting itself out of the water the momentum would have added to the applied force so it is quite feasible. Some studies of sharks have shown that the bite power of a great white can be up to 3 metric tonnes (6,600 lbs) per square centimeter. The tooth would probably shatter before this pressure was reached but it gives you an idea of the kind of force that can be exerted by their jaws.

Sharks have been known to attack marine cables in the past too, evidenced by teeth being left in them, though these attacks were more likely driven by the electrical field attracting the shark than anything else......the sharks were probably left with a bit of a headache after attacking one of those :electro:

Wonder if this incident made the people in cages feel a little nervous?

[glenora]

Oh I am sure the folks in the cage were nervous. I would have been!

[CBulla]

I know where I'm taking my wife shark diving now!

[simbrooks]

I saw a great white biting a cable, power line, got a little fried. It was on Amity Island back in the 70's and early 80's, was but a baby back then!

[sealkie]

on my trip the shark destroyed the cage i was in ! .. the anchor line would have been nothing !

[archman]

That's how those nasty looking goblin sharks were first discovered, some were wrapped around submarine cables as they bit it. I've heard of the same thing happening to a sperm whale too.