Great White Shark Breaks Record with Unbelievable 15-Foot Jump

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You’ve likely heard the term, “jumping the shark,” but a shark that can jump is hard to imagine. However, in the video above, a 10-foot male great white shark launches himself out of the water, snaps his massive jaws around a seal decoy, then hits the water with a spectacular splash. Scientists studying this behavior in False Bay, near Cape Town, South Africa, estimate this shark caught a record-breaking 15 feet of air.

This incredible hunting technique is called breaching. While breaching is relatively rare, False Bay is a well-known hot spot for high-jumping sharks. Find out where else these magnificent predators can be found, and learn more about their remarkable breaching behavior.

Where Are Great White Sharks Found?

Great white sharks are widely distributed across the globe and can be found in every major ocean. They prefer tropical to temperate coastal waters, only rarely venturing into the waters of the polar regions. Higher concentrations of great white sharks are found near South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S., specifically off the coasts of California and the Northeast.

The Sudden Disappearance of False Bay’s Great White Sharks

In 2020, great white sightings in False Bay went from several hundred to zero. It seemed as if the sharks disappeared from the area almost overnight. One theory was killer whales were decimating the population. Overfishing to supply the fish and chips market was also proposed. Scientists recently discovered predation by killer whales caused the sharks to move eastward. Yet, recent reports of great white sharks in the area suggest these apex predators may be ready to take back the bay.

Why and How Great White Sharks Breach

Great white sharks have adopted the strategy of breaching to catch fast-moving prey like sea lions and seals. The unexpected leap allows the shark to take its prey by surprise. Their long bodies help them swim up to 40mph near the surface. However, the great white’s muscle makeup is best suited for bursts of speed rather than endurance. So a rapid attack without a prolonged chase is the great white’s winning tactic.

Researchers have found breaching is successful in around half of attempts, but great whites don’t use the technique very often. An adult great white shark can grow to around 20 feet long and weigh over 4,000 pounds. It takes so much energy for a shark that size to propel itself into the air that the risk may not be worth the reward. Seal Island, a rocky outcropping in False Bay, proved to be a popular breaching spot because a colony of over 60,000 Cape fur seals offered the sharks an easy meal.

Shark Breach Records

There are no official records for shark breaching, but research suggests most breaches are ten feet or less. The awe-inspiring 15-foot leap in the video above was the highest breach ever recorded, becoming a new record for Discovery Channel’s popular Shark Week series. Since then, several other sharks have challenged the record. In 2021, Nandi tied the 15-foot record, then Zola, a female great white shark, set a new record with a 15-foot 6-inch breach.