The Split Second Before a Great White Breaches, Caught From Below

Quick Take

• Famous marine guide holds on for dear life in raging waters just to capture this moment, and what he gets on camera makes every bit of it worth it. Meet the photographer →
• A decoy on the water's surface triggers one of the most dramatic shark breaches. Here's how it unfolded. Watch the breach unfold →
• When three-quarters of the great white shark's body is out of the water, it isn't just its length that leaves viewers speechless. See the shark's size →

“Dickie must hold on for dear life,” begins this YouTube short from the Continental Shift YouTube page.

Marine guide Dickie Chivell has probably had to hold on for dear life more than once in his illustrious career documenting sharks. Today’s video finds Dickie submerged beneath a raft that is being pulled by a boat. Following his raft is a decoy, placed to lure a great white shark from the deep. His job? To record it from below.

Plenty of videos show great white sharks breaching the water’s surface. This video presents the second or two before. With his underwater camera pointed out into the deep blue sea, Dickie captures the shark just a moment before it breaches the surface, its mouth already opening in anticipation of a meal as it reaches the surface. Unfortunately for the shark, there was no prey to be had.

About three-quarters of the great white’s body exits the water. From below, it doesn’t appear particularly impressive in size. However, footage from different angles, captured after it breaches the surface, reveals the shark’s remarkable length and girth.

One YouTube viewer commented, “I’ll just stick to the pool.”

Great white sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) are so named for their white underbelly and large size. Adult females tend to be larger than males, and their size and weight range significantly. Typically, great whites—males and females—grow to be 11-20 feet in length and weigh 1,500-4,200 pounds.