Great white shocks at Stanmore Bay
A great white shark sighting in the Hauraki Gulf has made a splash on social media.
A video posted to the Hibiscus Coast Facebook page on Sunday by Staffan Ljunggren shows a juvenile great white approach the back of a boat and lift its mouth out of the water to ‘smile’ at the camera.
The shark then rolls to expose
‘‘It's not uncommon for them to swim up to boats’’
Clinton Duffy
its side as it swims past, just inches from the boat.
The video has racked up over 95 thousand views, with some commenters saying their swimming days are over for this summer. Marine scientist and shark expert Clinton Duffy says great white sightings are ‘‘quite a regular thing’’ in the Hauraki Gulf.
Duffy says the great whites spotted in the Hauraki Gulf are predominantly juveniles up to three metres long.
Not known to congregate anywhere in the gulf, Duffy says these great whites ‘‘spread over a large area following fish around’’ and are usually only found by chance.
‘‘It’s not uncommon for them to swim up to boats, and white sharks often check out berley,’’ Duffy says.
Great whites are commonly confused with makos.
Although they have ‘‘broadly similar features’’, Duffy says great whites tend to be more grey or brown in colour.
Great whites also have heavier builds.