The story that tells how Arnold Pointer and Cindy circulate on social networks developed a “mutual affection” after the Australian fisherman saved the female from death by freeing her from a fishing net. The publications also add that, after being saved, the shark has followed the fisherman’s boat everywhere for more than two years. Some actions go further and add a statement from the fisherman: “When I stop the boat, she comes towards me, turns to the side and lets me pet her, growls, closes her eyes and flaps her fins happily.” The whole story is nothing but an April 1 lie.

The story was made up by Le Magazine des Voyages de Pêche, a French fishing publication. In the April 2006 issue, following April Fools’ Day, the magazine published the story of Pointer and Cindy. Two years later, in 2008, the story began to circulate in a presentation of PowerPoint through email and also on YouTube as if it were real. The video has more than 1.7 million views.

The photographs used both in the magazine and in most of the video are taken by a non-profit organization (NGO) in South Africa, the White Shark Trust, which is dedicated to studying and conducting visits on the high seas to see white sharks. Moments were captured during these visits.

conclusion

The story of Australian fisherman Arnold Pointer and Cindy, the great white shark he saved, is false. It was all just a joke that the French magazine Le Magazine des Voyages de Pêche played with its readers on the occasion of April Fools’ Day, in the April 2006 issue. The lie took on other dimensions in 2008, when the story began to circulate around email. and also on Youtube. Most of the photographs used are from a South African NGO, which studies white sharks and organizes visits to the species.