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‘It was like something out of Jaws’: Netflix documentary crew attacked by 15-foot Tiger sharks on Pacific Ocean
The team was just about half a mile from land and managed to return to the shore safely
A Netflix documentary film crew was in for a shock when they were attacked by sharks on the waters of the Pacific Ocean north of Hawaii. The crew had the frightening encounter when 15-foot Tiger sharks attacked the blow-up boats they were floating in.
According to National Geographic, Tiger sharks have “duly earned reputation as man-eaters.” “They are second only to great whites in attacking people. But because they have a near completely undiscerning palate, they are not likely to swim away after biting a human, as great whites frequently do,” it says. Tiger sharks are named for the vertical stripes that can be found on them, mainly on juveniles.
During the six-day trip, the team had been aiming to collect footage underwater. They were collecting footage of a Laysan albatross’s maiden flight for David Attenborough’s ‘Our Planet II’. In an interview with RadioTimes.com, Producer/director Toby Nowlan described their horrifying experience.
“This ’v’ of water came streaming towards us and this tiger shark leaped at the boat and bit huge holes in it. The whole boat exploded,” Nowlan said. “We were trying to get it away and it wasn’t having any of it. It was horrific. That was the second shark that day to attack us.”
Nowlan said the behaviour of the sharks was “extremely unusual.” “They were incredibly hungry, so there might not have been enough natural food and they were just trying anything they came across in the water,” he said.
Nowlan said that the team was just about half a mile from land and managed to return to the shore safely. They later sent out a small rubber dinghy, which was also attacked, but by giant trevallies this time. The fish, which can weigh up to 132-pounds, knocked out its motor.
Describing the incident, series producer Huw Cordey told The Sun that “it was like something out of Jaws.” “The original idea was to do an underwater shoot with the tiger sharks waiting in the shallows at Laysan. But the first day the tiger sharks were around, the crew got into these inflatable boats – and two sharks attacked them,” Cordey said. “Suffice to say, they didn’t get any underwater shots.”
