In a horrifying sight, a great white shark approached a woman who was swimming in the shallow waters of a South African beach, snapped its teeth into her body and dragged her under the water, in front of the swimmers and beachcombers
A 39-year-old woman was swimming near a group of people early on a holiday when she was suddenly heard screaming after being dragged by a great white shark before disappearing underwater.
Although the woman was not swimming in deep water, the predatory fish approached the shallow area to reach the swimmers and then returned to the deep area.
The National Marine Rescue Service was called in, while there was panic and screaming among swimmers and surfers.
Water on the central coast, Plettenberg Bay in South Africa, drained before eight in the morning.
A lifeboat was launched to search for the woman, whose bloodied body was quickly found about 50 feet offshore.
The municipality of Bitou, which overlooks the beach, closed the bay area, erected signs and assigned volunteers to warn people and ask them to stay away from the water, the Daily Mail reported.
The woman, believed to be on holiday, was the third woman to be brutally attacked by a great white shark in Plettenberg Bay in 11 years.
Great white sharks are reported to be up to 20 feet long, weigh up to 2 tons, and have up to 300 sharp, jagged teeth in their gigantic jaws.
The predatory fish can swim up to 35 miles per hour when attacking, guided by a very strong sense of smell, but it usually hunts seals, sea lions, dolphins and turtles.
Experts say the fish often mistake humans for seals, especially when people are wearing wetsuits, noting that attacks on humans are “not intentional but experimental”. It is its natural prey, but the damage from a strong bite is often fatal.
In the past 25 years, 37 people have been killed in shark attacks in South Africa.
In 1950, this number reached 66 people.
Source: Lebanon Debate
