Cage Divers Witness Pack Of Orcas Kill Great White Shark

Shark cage divers were left stunned after witnessing a pod of killer whales as they surrounded a great white shark, slammed it into submission, and killed it off the coast of South Australia.

The group of tourists were near Port Lincoln last week when the family of orcas herded the shark and began launching themselves out of the water, slamming down on it.

Adventure Bay Charters operator Matt Waller said the pack of six whales – including two calves – lured the shark to the surface before trapping and killing it.

He said he had never seen anything like it in his seven years of running the business, calling it “the title fight of all title fights”.

“For it to happen 20 metres from the boat in such a confronting, full-on manner was certainly something that will never be seen again in our lifetime,” said Mr Waller.

He said the boat’s underwater viewing area echoed with the whale’s whistles and the situation became more frenzied as time went on.The whales worked together in a pack, with some herding the shark from below while another launched itself on top of it.

“The water was almost vibrating with the intensity of what was going on until the final blow and the whale came down with an incredible body slam on the great white shark.”

Onlookers were stunned at the very impressive sight before them.

“Some were using expletives while others were just standing there in silence and in awe of the raw power of what they were seeing.

“Everyone was saying things like ‘what did I just see?’ It was truly thrilling.

“It’s a really raw thing to be exposed to.”

Marine biologist Gina Dickinson also witnessed the attack and said that the orcas were teaching the calves in the group how to round up their prey.

Mr Waller said the shark’s grisly fate was to become lunch for the whales.

“After the final kill everything went quiet and the whales dropped down and an oil slick appeared and started to spread out,” he said.

“Next thing you saw was birds coming in to pick up the spoils. Killer whales don’t eat the whole shark, just the liver which is high in oil.”

Source: thenewdaily.com.au