Swimmer hugs a shark while snorkelling

Written by:
Hans Kruit, 22 November 2013

A snorkeller has made world news after hugging a shark, with video footage showing just how close he was able to get.

Grant Murdoch, who was snorkelling in Bora Bora, decided to approach the shark after noticing that it appeared calm and docile. "The sharks were so gentle and accepting of our advances," he said of the experience. "They didn't seem to mind at all that we were riding for free.

It was as close to an out of body experience that I have ever felt."
Lemon sharks are known to spend their days in shallow waters, and sightings among snorkellers in the region aren't uncommon.

According to the Discovery Channel UK, lemon sharks are included in the list of 10 of the deadliest sharks in the world. "This is not an aggressive shark species toward humans; however, when threatened, this big yellow fish will not hesitate to inflict a potentially serious, and even deadly, bite," the Channel said.

Although the shark appeared calm, the decision to approach it has been labelled as `dumb` across social media channels.

"It`ll be all fun and games until one of the sharks ... bites someone and gets killed for its trouble," Sandra O`Donovan posted on Facebook after the Shark Attack News website reported on the growing trend of `ordinary folks spotting a shark and then deciding to have a go`.

View the facinated video in our NEWS VIDEOS

source: News.com.au

Would you like to read more blog posts? Go to the page Latest News.