NARRATOR: It is the largest
and most terrifying predator on Earth. This beast strikes without
warning, using deadly speed. You're talking
about an animal that can kill you with one shot. It was like this
semi coming by. NARRATOR: These monsters are
coming closer, growing larger, and stalking prey with an
unheard of level of cunning. There are more attacks now
than there were 20 years ago. NARRATOR: And now it appears
their attacks on humans may not be random. MonsterQuest is
investigating Monster Sharks. It's one of the biggest,
most popular weekends coming up here, and you've
got white sharks. And I'll tell you, it's a
Jaws scenario unraveling. [music playing] NARRATOR: People around the world
report seeing monsters. Are the real or imaginary? Science searches for
answers, on MonsterQuest. [music playing] America is surrounded
by thousands of miles of coastline. And every year, more families
move to these communities. What many don't know is that
lurking ever closer to shore are the world's most
efficient killers. He has a machine
that's built to destroy, built to take things out in
the quickest, most violent way possible. What I remember
most is that big eye. They have so much power. There can be 2,000 pounds
behind their exploratory bite. White sharks along
the Pacific Coast are bigger, heavier than white
sharks found in Australia and South Africa. NARRATOR: Eyewitnesses report
seeing great white sharks up to 25 feet in length and
weighing as much as 7,500 pounds. These beasts are gray in
color, with white underbellys. They have rows of
serrated teeth, allowing them to
tear through flesh. All of a sudden, I saw
something unimaginable. NARRATOR: Nine triathletes met
for a 1 mile training swim. None suspected a deadly
predator was lurking close by. We got there about
a quarter to 7:00. A couple of people were there. NARRATOR: The sun was rising
as the team entered the murky water. We got in the water. We swam past the break. We did a head count. And then we said, OK, and
started swimming north. NARRATOR: Just minutes later,
one of the swimmers, Dr. David Martin, was yanked
under the water. I have earplugs
in when I swim, but I heard something
that didn't sound right. And it was Dave screaming. I immediately swam to him. NARRATOR: Then the triathletes
realized they were not alone. And as I was swimming, I
knew that he was definitely saying shark. When I approached Dave and
was with him, I saw the fin. We swam back as
quickly as we could to the group to
see what happened and see if we could help. There was pretty
clearly severe injuries. NARRATOR: A 17 foot great white
head ripped into Martin's leg. The slash it left was
gushing with blood. The other swimmers rushed
the dying doctor to shore. We just swam as
hard as you possibly can swim for the beach. I ran and just started
screaming, call 9-1-1. NARRATOR: The response
was immediate. The lifeguards closed
the beaches for, I think, a 17 mile stretch. We saw the helicopter
come and land. NARRATOR: Dr. Martin
suffered at least six bites to his lower body, including
one that severed a main artery. This horrific
attack is an example of just how close these deep
sea predators are coming to US coastlines. After that, the lifeguard
came over and talked to us. And told us that Dave
Martin didn't make it. [music playing] NARRATOR: When sharks are
this close to beaches, humans are an easy target. I know we've had more shark
attacks along the Pacific Coast in the last 10 years, than
we had in the prior 10-year period. NARRATOR: The evidence
of this activity can be seen in attacks
on other species. Over this past year, we've
had a number of animals, pinnipeds-- seals
and sea lions-- washed ashore decapitated. NARRATOR: And the sharks
don't appear to be hunting out of a need for food. This is a typical predatory
behavior of the white shark. What's interesting and unique
is that the shark is only killing the seal. He's not eating the animal. Precisely what behavior this
is and why they're doing it is unknown to us. NARRATOR: Scientists
are not sure what is motivating these beasts. It's difficult to monitor
anything in the ocean because we can't
see into the ocean. We don't have any eyes there. When we're in the
air, the only time we see a shark is when
it's close to the surface. And most sharks spend very
little time at the surface. NARRATOR: But some biologists,
like shark behaviorist Craig O'Connell, think the
shark attacks are simply misinterpreted. I think what is going on is
that the human population is becoming more aware of where
these sharks are going. And we're becoming more
aware when these sharks are close to the shore, and when
they may be a potential threat to us going to the beach. So there may be
more beach closings, but that doesn't mean
there's more sharks. And it doesn't mean they're
coming closer to shore. NARRATOR: But recent sightings
show great whites coming nearer to coastlines and beaches
from California to New England. [music playing] One MonsterQuest team will
travel to the Pacific Ocean to an area where great
whites hunt along the coast. There they will attempt
to attach a camera to one of the beasts to learn where
these monsters are going, and how they behave when
they are out of visual range. The camera system will enable
MonsterQuest to examine the belief that great whites are
developing more complex hunting techniques. Shark! NARRATOR: A second
MonsterQuest team will be in the Atlantic Ocean. They will attempt to attach a
satellite tag to a great white to track its movements
and hunting patterns. Sightings of the beast off the
Atlantic Coast have increased and encounters with
man are more likely. [music playing] Biologist Dr. Greg Skomal
has been tagging, tracking, and researching sharks near
Massachusetts for 22 years. All it took was one shark to
bite one person and it's game over for that species, in
terms of how it is perceived. NARRATOR: In 2004,
Skomal was called in to deal with a 14 foot
great white that swam into a shallow coastal pond
on Naushon Island, just a mile from Cape Cod. GREG SKOMAL: The shark remained
in that area for 12 days. And we tried everything we could
to try to motivate that shark to leave. Certainly trying
to take advantage of her sensory systems to
get her attention, to try to spook her out of there. And we couldn't. We couldn't move her. So on the 12th day, we actually
had to physically force her out using very large nets. But it was kind
of a wake up call. It was an alarm clock that went
off saying, hey, don't forget. There's white sharks
in New England. And that's when we
started preparing. NARRATOR: Skomal
understands the fear that these ancient
monsters produce. GREG SKOMAL: It's
a deep primal fear. Who wants to be bitten by
something they can't see? And ravaged or consumed? It's a horrible fear. And it clearly persists today. NARRATOR: The MonsterQuest team
will search the Atlantic waters looking for evidence that killer
great whites are moving closer to populated beaches. Dr. Skomal has been trying to
tag these sharks for decades, but there has never been a
successful satellite tagging of a great white
off the East Coast. Not a single white shark
in all that time period. It's my white
whale, and I'm Ahab. NARRATOR: Sightings
are on the rise, and Skomal sees an opportunity. If we can indeed
attract a white shark, get it close to the
boat, we've got the gear to put a satellite tag on it. The way the tag works is
you put it on the shark, and it collects depth
information, temperature information, and
light level data. And then at a time programmed
by me, where I actually tell the tag when to do
this, it comes off the shark, floats to the surface, and
transmits all those data to a satellite. Then I can retrospectively
recreate what that shark did during that time period. I'm very excited about this. If we get a satellite tag in
a white shark, I'm going to-- I'm going to go nuts. NARRATOR: The tag
data will allow them to track where the sharks
go and may reveal their hunting patterns. GREG SKOMAL: The
largest white shark I've ever seen was about 19
feet long and 3,000 pounds, landed by a fisherman
in Montauk, New York. That was in the early '80s. And that was at a time when
you could go out and kill white sharks. It's a phenomenal animal to see. The length is one thing. The girth blows your mind. I'll jump on first, Johnny. Hey, guys how we doing? Good. How you guys doing today? - We are fine.
- Beautiful. You ready to rock? Fine and fired up. You're going to put us
on some fish today, Cap? We're going to try. We're going to try
like [inaudible].. NARRATOR: The boat will
launch from Chatham Harbor and drop anchor
near Monomoy Island. I like what you're
doing here, Captain. Because number one, you got
some depth, which is good. It comes right up
to shallow water so if a shark's
in the area, it's going to patrol along here. And if they're keying
in on these seals, we know this big seal colony
stretches all through here and, quite frankly, we've
found carcasses of dead seals in these areas. NARRATOR: They head out and pick
a spot to deploy their bait. The team chums the water
with a mix of ground bluefish and mackerel, in a
prime hunting area. And if you're a big fish,
you want to be in deep water. But you want to be able to pin
your prey against the shallows. [music playing] That's a nice slick. That's a nice slick. We got a nice calm day
with the tides moving it, which is great. Got to get it out there. NARRATOR: They also
add a 5 gallon bucket of blood and a pig carcass. GREG SKOMAL: We cover
some area with this slick. We get it out a couple of miles. And the whole
concept, of course, is you got a shark
cruising through here, if, indeed, there is one. And he crashes into the
slick, and it senses the slick immediately, then works up
the gradient of the slick. Which leads it, of
course, right to us. And this is a prime area for
the gray seals to haul out. And it's an area where we've
found gray seal carcasses that have been hit by white sharks. So you can see, there's people
in there walking on the beach. It's a very popular spot for
sunbathing, swimming, and also bird-watching. NARRATOR: The team has
their tagging gear prepared. This is the harpoon
that we use for tagging. The satellite tag will go on
the end there with the dart. And once it's loaded
and ready to go, Greg will tag whatever
shark is at the boat. So the way this works is
we use this as the dart. That goes on the end
of the tagging pole. Shark gets close to the boat. Jam it at the base
of the dorsal fin. So basically what this will
do is come down into the shark through the dorsal
fin and lock in. And then this will just trail. Once it hits the water,
it starts collecting data on depth, temperature,
and light levels, and archives that
every 10 seconds. It's basically, a laptop
strapped to the shark. Slip tip goes on like that. So this tag's ready to go. And if a white shark swam up
right now, we'd deploy it. NARRATOR: They scan
the water for movement. GREG SKOMAL: We look for the
telltale sign of a shark, which is, of course, the dorsal fin. Everybody pay attention. Keep your eyes out. I got this wonderful image of a
white shark just cruising along here. NARRATOR: MonsterQuest
is searching for a huge great white sharks
that may be coming closer to shore and targeting
humans as prey. Mankind has feared these
monsters of the deep since ancient times. Shark's interactions
with humans can be traced back to Herodotus,
an ancient historian of Greece in the year 492 BC. And he described
shipwrecked sailors being attacked and killed
and eaten alive by monsters. NARRATOR: The oldest known
shark fossils date back almost 5 million years. The latest research
suggests that ancestors of these frightening beasts
grew to over 30 feet in length. Those who made their
living on the water-- whalers and fishermen--
lived in fear of the beasts for centuries. But it wasn't until 1916
that the world saw them as unstoppable killers. From July 1 to July
12, 1916, five people were savagely attacked by a
shark off the New Jersey coast. There's speculation
that a white shark was responsible for all
five attacks, which caused the deaths of four
people and the amputation of the survivor's left leg. NARRATOR: The
attacks ended shortly after a great white was
killed, with human remains in its belly. The panic that ensued
during those two weeks would later inspire
the movie "Jaws." White sharks population was
decimated in the mid-70s after the release of "Jaws." NARRATOR: Another
fatal attack in 1936 would cement the monster's
fearsome reputation. Joseph Troy was a
boy from Dorchester. He went down to Mattapoisett. And he was visiting his uncle. And Troy was out swimming in the
afternoon with a Walter Styles. And they were off of Hollywood
Beach in Mattapoisett. And around 3 or 4
o'clock in the afternoon, a shark appeared
right next to Troy, and grabbed him by his left
leg, pulled them under. Styles kept diving down, trying
to get Troy, but he couldn't. But Troy popped to the surface
in a big pool of blood. When they got him ashore,
they shipped him off. And he went to St.
Luke's Hospital, and they ended up amputating
his leg, and he passed away. Troy was 16 years old. NARRATOR: Today, the shark
population is rebounding. And these beasts
may be returning to coastlines and
public beaches. What I remember the
most is that big eye. [music playing] NARRATOR: Joe Fitzback, a
Massachusetts boat captain, was on a fishing excursion two
miles out of Chatham Port, when something almost attacked him. We had two fish
on-- two nice fish on. And as I was watching the
one in the back being fought, somebody yelled out-- the girl yelled out in
the front, what was that? And I looked and all I could
see it was like a dorsal fin into the water. NARRATOR: Something grabbed
the line and ran with it. Then, all of a sudden,
the line went limp. And when she reeled it in,
all I had left was the head. NARRATOR: Then they realized
something was under the boat. As it went
underneath the boat, it made a big circle
around and came up. And it started bumping the boat. NARRATOR: The shark keep
the boat repeatedly. Then after a few hard
impacts, the water went quiet. As I was picking it up
on the side of the boat, the shark came right
up from underneath. That's when I noticed
that it was a great white. I could see the big black eye. His lips were kind
of pulled back so you could see the
shape of the teeth. From the head where he was
and to the back of the boat was 14 feet. The shark came right
up from underneath, grabbed the whole of
the fish, and just stripped the whole innards
and stuff right out of it. And all I had left in my hand
was the head of that fish. He was probably, 18
inches away from my hand. NARRATOR: The close encounter
still haunts Fitzback today. I'll never forget how close
I was to really, the working end of a great white shark. [music playing] It's a needle in
a haystack here. NARRATOR: The search off
the coast of Cape Cod is proving difficult. GREG SKOMAL: We got birds. We got calm weather. We got a great slick. And we got nothing, as far
as sharks are concerned. I don't think there are
a lot of white sharks. If there were, I would've
tagged a lot of them by now. I've got 22 years
in the business, trying to tag a white
shark, and I haven't, yet. NARRATOR: The light is fading. GREG SKOMAL: My opinion is
we move the operation north. Tomorrow's a new day. We're going to head up to
Stellwagon Bank National Marine Sanctuary. It's a protected,
beautiful, productive bank that rises up from
several hundred feet to within 90 feet
of the surface. We got some reports in the
last few days of a large fish hanging out in the area. Large sharks, in particular. It's just, the
player didn't show. NARRATOR: MonsterQuest is
searching the United States coastal waters for killer
great white sharks. New research suggests that
these monsters stalk their prey, strategizing before striking,
with the premeditation and precision of a
human serial killer. Sharks are actually learning
where the best hunting spots are. NARRATOR: Shark researcher
Dr. Neil Hammerschlag has spent the last eight years
studying the attack strategies of great whites in the waters
around Seal Island, South Africa. The sharks are picking their
hunting spots, camouflaged against the bottom through
deep, dark, murky water. Peering up to spot the
silhouette of a seal against the water's surface. This anchor point was not where
the sharks had the highest chance of intercepting
their seal prey. But instead, was some sort of
an optimal balance, where sharks could detect prey, remain
undetected by the seals, and even avoid competition
with other sharks. NARRATOR: Hammerschlag
calls these optimal stalking territories the underwater
equivalent of dark alleys. NEIL HAMMERSCHLAG: They're
using some underwater alleys and using the underwater
bottom topography to hide from or sneak up. NARRATOR: Using criminal
profiling methods, Hammerschlag has
tracked these beasts and identified the stalking
areas around the island. Like humans serial
killers, the great white thrives in the shadow. We use a technique called
geographic profiling, which used the linked sites of where
attacks take place, usually criminal attacks on people. And plug it into this
mathematical program called geographic profiling,
that uses the linked locations in this very fancy mathematical
model, which determines where the highest probability of
that criminal who perpetrates the attack is actually
stationing themselves. Sharks and serial killers are
obviously, very different. They have a different motive. But basically, they're using
complex, similar underlying hunting strategies, which is the
need to encounter their prey, avoid competitors,
avoid being detected, and the need to use
the underwater highways and other things. And that there's some linkages
between their attacks. NARRATOR: Attacks
that demonstrate the deadly efficiency of
these killing machines. NEIL HAMMERSCHLAG: The
sharks are hunting primarily under low light conditions,
like during dawn and dusk. And during times where
it was overcast that day, they increased their
hunting activity. NARRATOR: It is these
shadowy conditions that give the great white
its greatest success rate. In comparison to a lion,
the king of the jungle has a success rate
normally of about 12%, which that's pretty good. But on average, the great
white sharks at Seal Island have a success
rate of almost 48%. And during low light
conditions, they have success rates
as high as 55%. That's over more than half of
their attempts are successful. What we found has never
been shown before, is that when their success
rate drops to about 40% at high light levels,
they just stop hunting. So they actually
know to stop hunting when the chances of them making
a successful kill is low. Other animals would just
keep hunting and failing, but the sharks
actually stop when their chances of actually making
a successful kill is dropped. NARRATOR: The great white
targets vulnerable victims, the weakest of which can
be maneuvered and isolated for slaughter. They'll let different seal
groups pass by-- older seals. And in a big group of
seals of different ages, sometimes the younger
ones can't swim as well, and they start trailing off
the back end of the group. The sharks notice it right away. They isolate that seal, and
they launch their attack on that animal. NARRATOR: The great white
favors the Blitz technique used by humans serial
killers like Jack the Ripper. Attack so quick and brutal
that the victim has no time to react. The sharks start tracking
the seal's movement. Monitoring the seal's breathing. And trying to anticipate
when the seals lift their head out of the water
to breathe, not looking down. At that point,
the shark launches a brief vertical attack. And in just a few tail
beats, rushes to the surface, totally knocking the
seal in its jaws. They build up enough speed,
over 35 miles an hour, that they come hit the seal
with such force at the surface, that it incapacitates the seal
fatal in the first strike. It's over in seconds. NARRATOR: The science team
is studying shark attack data to understand how and why
these beasts are attacking man more often. The analysis seems to indicate
four distinct types of attack. Predatory attacks
by white sharks are very violent,
very high energy. Usually, the victims
of predatory attacks do not survive. They are meant to
immobilize and/or kill the prey on initial contact. This minimizes
injury to the shark. NARRATOR: The predatory
attack is the most likely to result in death to its victim. Generally, it's a single bite. Then the shark will back away,
and then come in at its leisure to finish off the prey. NARRATOR: These types of
attacks are for feeding. An example of a predatory
attack occurred in 1981 near Pebble Beach, California. And it was a massive animal. A young man when surfing
alone in Monterey Bay. The next day, two young
men walking along the beach found a surfboard with a
large bite removed from it. Two days later, Lewis
Boren's body washed ashore. He had been struck one time. The configuration of
the wound, its location immediately told us
that it was predatory. Because the shark,
in a single bite, had removed all of
the tissue and organs, from under his armpit,
into the center of his chest, the
sternum, and down and out over the top of the hip. So the shark had removed that
entire section of Lewis Boren's body in a single bite. NARRATOR: Measuring
the size of the bite revealed just how monstrous
this great white was. And it was over 20 feet. [music playing] NARRATOR: The second type
of great white behavior is far more
frightening and grisly. They are called
practice attacks. And appear to be done simply
to perfect the act of killing. Whether or not these are
attacks where the shark has decided after killing the
animal it didn't want to feed, whether these attacks are the
result of a reflexive response where the shark sees the
seal and simply strikes it as a natural reaction,
we don't know. What we do know is
that decapitated seals in a substantial number
washed ashore this year along the California coast. And that tells us that we had
more activity from white sharks with these animals. NARRATOR: The third
type of attack, known as an investigative
bite and release, is by far the most common. White sharks are a very
curious apex predator. Anything at the surface is
subject to their investigation. In the case of investigatory
attacks by white sharks, those have been perpetrated
against all types of ocean user groups-- swimmers, divers, kayakers. That's when the shark isn't
sure what the object is. And its circles
and it will come in and eventually, it takes a very
light nibble of the object. The shark isn't biting
the kayak and the surfer because it thinks
it's a marine mammal. It's biting that because
it isn't sure what it is. This is their way of testing. Generally, when a
human is involved, it will be one quick bite. The shark releases the
victim and swims away. NARRATOR: The fourth
type of shark attack is a defensive or
territorial attack. In the case of
David Martin, it would appear that that
attack was not predatory. That it was probably
some form of threat-- territorial, a displacement
behavior by the shark. In the case of a
territorial attack, the individual invades
the shark's space. The space could be
a specific location that the shark is
using, possibly for feeding or pupping. And if you invade
that area, the shark is going to try
to drive you off. David was bitten multiple
times, at least four, possibly as many as
six times by the shark. The shark returned and continued
to bite him a number of times, until the witnesses, the
rescuers in the water were able to get to him
and take him to the beach. You generally do not have
that type of interaction between the subject and the
shark when it's predatory. NARRATOR: Territorial attacks
are just as devastating as predatory attacks. And any animal can be a victim. Off an Australian
swimming beach in 2009, officials found a dead
10 foot great white, killed by this
territorial-type bite. Its attacker was estimated
to be a great white over 20 feet in length. The cannibalistic
attack was visual proof that these monsters will defend
their territory against anyone or anything that gets too close. [music playing] Storms are moving in along
the coast of Cape Cod. We got a report that some
big sharks been reported east, southeast to the southwest
corner of Stellwagon Banks. [inaudible] observatory
[inaudible] 63, winds gusting to
20 miles an hour. NARRATOR: The conditions will
make sighting from the boat impossible. So a dive team is
dispatched to see if they can get an underwater view. Judging from the
Coast Guard flag, it's blowing about 15 to 20
northeast, which is probably, the worst wind we could
have for where we're going. Definitely not ideal. Usually, a day that we'd
probably stay at the dock. We're not that
far from port now. And you can see the seas
are definitely building the further out we get. The wind's probably
picked up a good 5 knots. And there's patchy fog blowing
around so we're getting down to some low visibility. We'll find out fast if
it's too rough or not. NARRATOR: The dive team
tests the shark cage. If it's bouncing up,
it's smashing off the boat, there's no way we're going to
put a diver in and risk that. The diver got his
hand or arm caught between the cage and the
boat, he could break his arm. He could break his fingers. OK, let's give it a shot. See what it looks like. Ready? See how the cage is shaking? Put a man in there,
that'd be very dangerous. NARRATOR: The team has no
choice, but to turn back. It's a little disappointing
that we didn't get out there and get any sharks,
but the weather just wasn't cooperating. The further we got out there,
the more the wind picked up. The heavier the seas got. And it just was too
dangerous to deploy the cage. And it would have been a really
hard time spotting sharks in these weather conditions. So it's disappointing, but
we know they're out there. NARRATOR: The MonsterQuest
expedition team is hunting great white sharks in
the coastal waters of America. And trying to determine
why attacks on humans are on the rise. There are more attacks now
than there were 20 years ago along the Pacific
Coast in North America. NARRATOR: The team
is investigating these recent attacks
and sightings to analyze this new threat. The potential for an
encounter between a white shark and a human has increased along
the Pacific Coast in the last 10 years, simply because
the ocean user groups, their populations-- swimmers,
divers, surfers, and kayakers-- have also increased. The more people we have in
the water, the more likely you are to have an encounter
if a shark is in the area. NARRATOR: There's
another factor that may be playing a role
in how close to shore these monsters are coming. Pinnipeds-- seals-- have
been protected since the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. [music playing] White sharks population was
decimated in the mid-70s after the release of "Jaws." So removal of these adult
sharks in the mid-70s to sell their teeth in "Jaws"
gave the pinniped population a chance to explode unchecked. There were no predators
to keep them in check. To take care of the sick, the
injured, the young and old. So their population
grew and grew and grew, and now is at a point, where
it's growing exponentially. We have nearly 400,000 of
them off our coast now. 10 years ago, we
had barely 200,000. NARRATOR: And more seals
mean more great white sharks. You can expect to see them
close inshore when you have pinnipeds along the shoreline. White sharks, generally, do not
attempt to feed upon pinnipeds until they reach a
length of about 10 feet-- 3 meters. NARRATOR: With more
great whites hunting for, seals there is a greater
risk of a shark mistaking a human for a seal. The growth rate of white
sharks along the Pacific Coast is dependent upon
the available food. The more food the shark has to
consume, the larger and faster it will grow. NARRATOR: There's another
troubling consequence to this. With access to a
steady food source, great whites can gain 100
pounds and grow a foot in length in as little as nine months. We have white sharks that
have been reported this year that some people have said
are in excess of 20 feet and as broad as a Station Wagon. Animals of that size probably
are in the 19 to 20 foot range. And it's highly conceivable that
their weight could exceed 5,000 pounds. NARRATOR: It is these
giant great whites that have been spotted
hunting along the coast lines. Drawn in by prey they can
sense, even from miles away. Sharks do have ears, located
just back here on the head. They're very sensitive. They have hair cells
inside of these ears. And they pick up
on the vibrations that go through the water. Sharks use the auditory
sense or their sense of hearing at distances very
far away from their prey items. Sometimes up to several
miles away from their prey. Their prey items may
make noises or even maybe splashing at the surface,
and that's something that a shark will key in on
and quickly go to investigate. NARRATOR: These monsters also
have a highly developed sense of smell. As a shark swims, it moves
its head back and forth. The purpose of this
is to find areas that have higher concentrations
of odor molecules. And this is to help them
pinpoint exactly where that prey item is. NARRATOR: As it
approaches for the kill, the shark relies on
bioelectric receptors. Sharks have a big blind
spot when they're feeding. When a shark gets to be about
30 to 50 centimeters away from its prey item, the
shark is no longer be able to see directly
in front of its nose. So a shark has a unique
structure known as the ampullae of Lorenzini, which are
a bunch of pores located on the head of the shark
that are filled with gel. And what this
allows a shark to do is key in on an electric
impulses given off by their prey. After it identifies
its prey item, it's going to launch a
vertical attack, where it's going to swim directly upward. NARRATOR: Once the great
white opens its jaws, it can no longer see its victim. But it still knows
exactly where it is. And it's going to forcefully
ram into that prey item. Damage it. And take a good chunk
of meat out of it. Now it's said that these
great whites can take up to 50 pounds of meat out of
their prey item in one bite. NARRATOR: But Craig
O'Connell says this monster's preferred prey is not human. They're no more dangerous
than any other predator. They are a lot bigger
than most predators, but we have to understand
that the marine ecosystem is their environment. And we have to respect that. The great white shark, over
the past several decades, has been represented
as a man-eater. And this trait, as being a
man-eater, is highly accurate. Great white sharks actually
don't target humans as one of their prey items. We're not on their menu. NARRATOR: But something
is bringing great whites to the waters where humans swim. The big thing is
about white sharks, we never go looking for them. [music playing] NARRATOR: While in
search of game fish, Wayne Davis made
a bizarre sighting during a routine flight near
Plymouth, Massachusetts. The most recent one
was right on the beach, just northeast of
the Chatham Airport. It was a day after,
kind of, a big storm. The water was all
murky brown and green. Big surf. So I whipped around,
got my camera out. Went back out and found him. He was right where I left him. It was just outside of the
surf line, 200 or 300 yards. NARRATOR: The massive predator
was just off the beach, with its victims in sight. Just south of this beach,
not a mile, and the white shark was headed south, was
a gang of surfers. I wouldn't want to have
been a surfer there. If I'd been a surfer
down there and I knew that shark was there,
I would have gotten out of the water. [music playing] NARRATOR: The MonsterQuest
team is in Massachusetts, when two kayakers sight a great
white near Chatham on Cape Cod. The kayakers were
only yards away when a great white leapt into
the air and grabbed a seal. It was the first of an
unprecedented cluster of sightings. I got a call
from Captain Bill. He told me that he saw two
white sharks off the beach-- East Beach of Cape Cod, area
known as Monomoy Island. It's very exciting, but
I'm tenuous, at best. Because I'm
wondering, is it true? Are there white
sharks out there? And if there are, we got to
mobilize and get out there and do some tagging. We got to get this going. We got to get this happening. These things are going to leave. They're to leave. NARRATOR: Skomal
takes to the air. I drove down to
Falmouth, Mass, on the Cape and got in his plane. Flew out to the area. And literally, within moments
of arriving in that spot, I saw a white shark. NARRATOR: The scout confirms
there are multiple great whites off the Cape. And after about 20 minutes,
I realized that this wasn't the only white shark. There were four of them there,
in addition to this one. So five white sharks
swimming close to the beach. Unbelievable. One, two-- OK, fine. That's exciting enough. But five in 20 minutes? Blows me away. It's like, all of a sudden,
going out and seeing five Lochness monsters
when you didn't even know there was one there. NARRATOR: The team
launches into action. Once I get back
to my office we're going to mobilize the crew. I want to get the gear together. Get out on a boat tomorrow
and get Billy organized. He's going to have
his team together. We're going to go try
to tag these animals. NARRATOR: MonsterQuest
is investigating great white sharks
along US coastlines. Coastlines where these beasts
seem to be attacking humans with increasing frequency. Man has feared these predators
for centuries and the dangers that swim just offshore. When we look at the
history of shark interactions with humans along the Pacific
Coast of North America, we can find interactions
with coastal Indian tribes and sharks, all the way from
the lower parts of California, extending all the way up
into British Columbia. Legends and tales of
sharks tipping over canoes and eating the
occupants are common. They even had
prayers and offerings that they would make before
swimming out on seal hunts, in order to keep the sharks
from attacking and killing them. NARRATOR: One of the
most frightening attacks in the Pacific occurred near
Monterey, California in 1952. He was swimming with a friend,
when attacked by a white shark. Barry Wilson and
Brookner Brady, Jr. Were swimming when Wilson
was suddenly pulled under. Brady had a knife with him,
and began stabbing the monster. The shark thrashed
around, and the knife was dislodged from his hand. And the shark released
Barry and at that point, four skin divers that
were diving nearby came to their rescue. During the swim to
the beach, the shark returned at least three or
four times and bit Wilson. The shark was able to find
Barry by using its nose, following the blood
trail because the artery had been severed. NARRATOR: Wilson
was the first person to die in an area that
would become the epicenter for great white attacks. [music playing] Known as the Red Triangle for
the blood that often stains its waters, Northern
California's coastal waters are infamous as shark territory. The area from Monterey Bay
to a little above San Francisco Bay and out to the Farallon
Islands forms a triangle. This has been referred to by
colleagues as the Red Triangle. The reason for that is the high
number of white shark attacks that have occurred within
this geographic location. NARRATOR: Shark activity in the
area seems to be on the rise. From the year 2000
to the present, 2009, we have already sustained
45 unprovoked shark attacks. NARRATOR: And once great
whites claim a territory, the attacks are
likely to increase. In our study, we use
geographic profiling, which was originally
a CSI technique to track the whereabouts
of serial killers. And we apply that technique
to study the hunting behavior of sharks. NARRATOR: Like serial killers
who return to the same areas to search for
victims, great whites have preferred stalking grounds. We've identified areas that
are very important for shark hunting. And if I was a
surfer or a swimmer, I wouldn't go some around
that area or go spear fishing. Because you're
asking for trouble. NARRATOR: A MonsterQuest team
is headed to Mexico to track great whites in the Pacific. They will attempt to attach
a camera to the dorsal fin of the beast, to record its
movements and aggression when the shark is out
of visual range. The great white sharks have
always been looked at as dummy to machines. But that's not the case. These great white sharks are
highly intelligent animals. You're working with
everything in nature rolled into this incredible package. It's the danger of nature. It's the mystery of nature. Craig Ferreira has spent his
life studying great whites. He knows the risks of contact
with these ferocious beasts. The best way to describe a
great white shark is to equate it to an F-16 fighter jet. There's a machine
that's built to destroy, built to take things out in
the quickest, most violent way possible. And the great white
shark is the same thing. OK, here we go. NARRATOR: Ferreira will be
joined by diver Dale Pearson. One of the challenges is
actually getting a 15, 18 foot white shark into
position where you can hook a camera onto his
back without getting killed. He's going to have to
lean out of the boat in shark-infested waters,
with a shark right there and hook a camera
to its dorsal fin. NARRATOR: They will travel
to the waters of Isle de Guadalupe, 150 miles
off Baja, California. They've targeted this area
as a likely place for camera tagging because female great
whites travel from here to the Southern California
coast to give birth. I was a little apprehensive
on the way down here, but now you get down here,
you see the Sea Escape. This boat is fantastic. The crew has got
their act together. I was in South Africa, and
we developed the shark cam came over the internet. I haven't seen it. So we've ordered a lot of extra
equipment like springs and nuts and bolts and [inaudible]
links, and all sorts of things. Because I've got a
feeling we're going to have to improvise on the job. You could probably build a
nuclear submarine on this trip. NARRATOR: The team has decided
that a smaller boat will get them closer to the
massive beasts. And three shark-proof cages will
allow them to observe and film the attack behavior up close. These guys are
heavy [inaudible].. But what I like all
these big bolts. This is a massive bolt. Nice
thing is if a shark can get his head in there, you can get
a nice up close and personal scene with him. NARRATOR: The cages have
been specially designed to stand up to the largest
great whites known to man. But the great white shark
is the largest predatory shark in the ocean. These animals get to at least
6 meters long, which is what? 20 feet-- 18, 20 feet. I've personally seen an animal
which is around about 22, 23 feet long. Weighing maybe 4 to 5 tons. This is a giant animal. They're macro predators. They're right at the
top of the food chain. NARRATOR: The team sets
out for the island. [non-english speech] NARRATOR: They will
spend the next week in the water with great whites. And they are well aware of
the dangers they will face. You can't be
complacent around them. You look at them.
You diving with them. You're working with them. You see them cruising
around, you think, these are just big pussycats. But you go out there and you
cross that line and your life can end like that. NARRATOR: And those who
spend time in the ocean know just how quickly
the beast can strike. My wetsuit's filling up with
fluid, and I knew it was blood. [music playing] NARRATOR: Brian Kang
was spending the day surfing his favorite break. After surfing the
inside for a few minutes, I decided to make my way to the
break that was further outside. NARRATOR: The 38-year-old
was waiting for a wave. I got hit and drug
for about 20 yards. I look over to my left-hand
side, and I see the tail. I see this huge tail
sticking out of the water, about 4 plus feet
out of the water. And just thrashing wildly. The tail was so far away
that I was like, oh, my god. This is a huge shark. NARRATOR: The 17 foot great
white tore into Kang's hip and began dragging
him out to sea. It takes me for, like, 20
yards, and then drops me off. I'm completely freaking out. I know I'm hit. My wetsuit's filling
up with fluid. And I knew it was blood. NARRATOR: Kang
scrambled to escape. I just had the eerie feeling
that it was going to come back for seconds. And sure enough, it did. The minute I got my board
up and underneath me, the shark comes straight
below me and above, and just rolls me over. Its head's sticking out
of the water, and kind of gumming for me. NARRATOR: Kang
reacted instinctively. The only thing I
could do at that point was literally to grab its nose. And I was like punching with my
right hand and its lower jaw, just holding on to its nose. I put it in some kind
of trance or something and, like, nothing happened
with its mouth completely open. Just slowly submerged
into the water. NARRATOR: The surfer
began paddling desperately toward shore, leaving a
trail of blood in the water. Kang was rushed to the
hospital, where doctors needed 60 stitches to close the bite. I believe it was, like,
near 60 stitches and staples. Amazingly, that's pretty
minor for a shark attack. Obviously, I feel very lucky. There's times where I really
wonder, if I'm still alive. [music playing] NARRATOR: It is this predatory
behavior that the expedition team is attempting to record. They are planning to place a
camera on a great white shark. The team has arrived at their
destination, dropping anchor just off the Isle de Guadalupe. There's certain areas in the
world that are known for having large white shark populations. Guadalupe Island is like
the king of all those spots. There's actually been a couple
of people that were killed here that were attacked by a
shark-- spear fishermen. So this area right here
is infamous for having huge, huge white sharks
and perfect conditions to dive with. NARRATOR: Shark expert Craig
Ferreira has suggested the team stay in one location, to
let the great whites learn of the new food source. It's a little bit obscure on
the radar, in the shark world. It seems like a difficult
place to get to. I must be honest, it actually
looks like white shark world. But the fact that it's so
far from land, like 180 miles from land, we're on our own. So we're isolated [inaudible]
in our own little world. We can't go back to
shore and buy something to come and repair some kit. So I think we're going
to have to be a lot more careful with what we do here. The plan today
is basically, we've got to test a lot of stuff. The first day is
always the hardest one. The goal of this expedition
is to actually hook a camera onto the dorsal fin
of a white shark. And be able to record some
footage of its actions once you do that. So many variables. So many dangers. Just as you put the camera on,
the shock can whack the boat and damage the camera. Once a shark takes off,
you got to chase the shark. You got to be on it. You can lose the camera. So it's a lot at stake here. NARRATOR: The shark
cam is non-invasive. Great whites, though deadly,
are a protected species. The team drops the
specially-designed camera down to 100 feet. And we've got one
camera, one shark cam. And even just testing it today,
dropping it down on the line to see if it's going to leak,
my heart's already pumping then. Because I'm thinking if a
shark comes on and grabs it, it's gone. And then this camera
will be like this. So the tail of the
shark will be there. The head will be behind me. The camera will be on like that. The main thing is just to
hope that you get the camera on properly. Hopefully you get an eye
view of the white shark in his own world. NARRATOR: The team will also
have divers in cages recording the shark's behavior. And alerting the crew when a
great white is approaching. But there are some things
the team can't schedule. It's a very non-invasive way
to hook a camera to an animal. Shark! NARRATOR: MonsterQuest
is searching North American coastal waters
for monster great white sharks. These deadly beasts
may be coming closer to shore and into
contact with humans more often than ever before. We've got another shark. We've got one
coming in right now. In the shark-infested
waters of Isle de Guadalupe, the team is searching
for great whites. They want to track
the beast's movements and see exactly how they attack. We got a good shark here. It's coming up to the surface. Taking the bait, take two-- taking two or three
baits already. So we're going to
get rigged up now, take the small boat out, and
try and get the camera onto it, the shark camera onto it. I just want to rig up nice, big,
fresh baits before we do it. No second chances here. Got some blood in them. That's good. NARRATOR: The team is trying
to lure one of the predators close enough to attach a
camera to its dorsal fin. The boat has just
dropped anchor, and already the
beasts are gathering. There's the sharks right here. It's cooking. This is-- this is
a shark we need. That's a big shark, the
biggest one I've seen today. I'd like smaller ones. These animals are a bit big
to do live capture with, to get the camera on. Oh! This is what we need guys! This is good. The shark's really cooking. It's coming right
on the surface. Full of confidence, it's coming
right to the back of the boat. So It won't be afraid of
the small boat at all. NARRATOR: The team estimates
that the sharks are all at least 16 feet in length. Ferrara launches a smaller boat
to get closer to the monsters. We're going to try the first
deployment of the camera. So we've got the little boat
connection to the big boat. We've got a big shark four
and a half meters plus. What the plan is here is that
the shark coming for the bait. Fernando will guide the
bait passed the boat. Hopefully, the shark will
follow the boat up the boat, and then I'll be in the middle
between the shark and Fernando. And as it comes close to
me, following the bait, I can put the camera
onto the shark. NARRATOR: It is a move that will
require split-second timing. The team has attached
the guideline the camera to retrieve
it, if they miss the mark. CREW (ON RADIO): [inaudible]
be advised, shark coming in on the starboard side. Moving in fast. Get ready. OK, one's coming. There's another
one in the back. CREW (ON RADIO): I repeat,
three sharks in the area, over. There's a lot of
sharks in the area. They're not coming up
to the boat though. They appear to be
just circling around. NARRATOR: Darkness
begins to fall. Two big sharks
around the boat, they suddenly came
up out of nowhere, so we're going to give a good
[inaudible] before it gets dark, see if we can get a
camera onto one of these sharks. OK. That's it.
That's it. Aw! Maybe it'll turn. It's coming. [interposing voices] OK. Pull-- pull it in a bit. It's too close. Oh! Oh, look at the size of it! Man! Son of a gun! [interposing voices] Come again. OK. Beautiful! OK, throw the bait out again. OK, OK. Come here, come here. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's a female. That's what I want. That's what I want. It's getting under
the boat again. Oh! Came into us. Dammit! OK, that was perfect. Took our bait again. All right, I'm ready. I can see her now. Well, it was
passing by, but I-- I don't see it anymore. CREW (ON RADIO):
There's sharks below us. Oh yeah? OK, he's coming around? CREW (ON RADIO): Roger that Whoa, whoa, whoa! All right. I'm not going to get that back. Oh! That's all I need. I need that dorsal fin. It's very dark now. It's hard to see where the shark
is, and it surprised Fernando. Just came up and
grabbed the bait, and you can't stop it once a
shark that size gets the bait. So just going to stick
another bait on quickly. OK, Fernando. Shark that size wants
to gets the bait-- there it is [inaudible]----
and turns around, you can't stop it. It's just too much power. OK, he's coming around. OK. Oh, yeah he's
right here, right-- OK. OK, OK. That's it. It's a little bit-- little bit skewed. [cheering] Yeah, it's like the
classic "Jaws" scenario. [growling] NARRATOR: Surfer Royce Fraley
knows just how prevalent Great whites are
in Pacific waters. He has witnessed multiple
attacks in his 43 years. Fraley has also been chased
by great whites twice before, and been in the water when
other surfers have been bitten and attacked. His latest encounter occurred
in the winter of 2006, when he felt a terrifying
and familiar presence. ROYCE FRALEY: All
of a sudden, I just feel all of this upward surge. And I just look to my
right, and just see, like, the classic mouth
completely open. For one split second, I'm
thinking it's something else, but the next split second you
see this big, old gray thing with teeth coming at you. NARRATOR: He turned to see a
15-foot great white closing in for the kill, and there
was no time to react. ROYCE FRALEY: And the next
second I'm going down. I just instinctively
hung on to my board, and just took a breath of air as
much as I could, and was going down, down, down, down. Before I knew it, I
just shot to the top like a cork, hit the surface
of the water still holding on to my board. NARRATOR: Gasping for air,
he motioned to another surfer nearby. So I just started
high-tailing it straight to him, and he looked at me and
just started paddling away, and I basically
paddled onto his back. NARRATOR: He made it
back to the beach, and as word of
the attack spread, other surfers scrambled
out of the water. Help! ROYCE FRALEY: Yeah, it's like
the classic "Jaws" scenario. We were waving to everybody,
you know, get in the water, clear it out. NARRATOR: Royce was lucky. ROYCE FRALEY: I pulled
my wetsuit down, and, surprisingly, I just
had these four little marks on my hip. NARRATOR: The shark had
left an 18-inch wide imprint of jagged teeth. The board literally
saved Royce's skin. It was like this semi coming
by you and just kind of grazing you. Somehow avoided disaster. [growling] NARRATOR: On the East coast,
near where the movie "Jaws" was set, great white sharks
are coming closer to coastlines and beaches. Recent sightings near the port
town of Chatham, Massachusetts, have led to beach
closings and warnings to stay out of the water. The expedition team is
preparing to do something never before accomplished in
Atlantic waters, the tagging of a great white, in an effort
to see where these monsters are going, and what this
new behavior might mean. I've been on the
water for 40 years, and I've probably seen
maybe two or three great-- great whites in all those
years, and here's the pilot, he sees two right off the beach. NARRATOR: Multiple
great whites have been spotted close to
shore by a fishing boat, and confirmed by
aerial flyovers. We were out lobstering
in Cape Cod Bay. My pilot did a flyover of
the outside of the Cape, and spotted two great whites. That's the first time we've
ever had seen two great whites together right along that beach. I figured this is it. I called Greg right away, said
we've got to get into action and get moving, and
tomorrow's the day. Let's go.
Let's do it. NARRATOR: Tagging can be very
dangerous because of how close they need to be to the sharks. The sharks are staying
basically on the bottom, and we really have to take--
takes a while before we can get the best shot on that shark. And we're looking at
between three to five feet below the surface, is
probably the maximum depth that we'll even consider
taking a shot on the shark. NARRATOR: The team launches
off of Sandwich Marina. A shark is quickly sighted, and
shark biologist Dr. Greg Skomal leads the mission. The spotter plane put
us on this 12-foot shark. It was swimming about maybe
100 yards off the beach. We mobilized very quickly, and
the mix of ingredients that made "Jaws" so
popular were starting to happen right here
in New England again, but in real life. This wasn't a
Hollywood production. We had a tourist town, we had
a very popular weekend, holiday weekend, we had
white sharks, and-- and we had researchers,
and we had a harpooner. CREW (ON RADIO): [inaudible] NARRATOR: The pilot leads
them to a 10-foot shallows about 150 feet off the northeast
shore of Monomoy Island. DR. GREG SKOMAL:
Guys, it's great. It's early in the day, and
we got a shark sighting. Let's go tag them. We get this shark
tagged, I'm going to have the day of my life. NARRATOR: The team
takes their position. DR. GREG SKOMAL: The harpooner,
Bill, goes out on the end. In this case, I followed him. I came out right behind him. So we're both balanced in-- balancing on the
end of this pulpit, and it's like walking the plank. Get ready to back it up. Get ready to back it
up when we hit them. NARRATOR: They see the
monster before it sees them. DR. GREG SKOMAL: And we
got over it, and I'm going, Billy, come on. Tag it, tag it, tag it. Put it in! Put it in! It's like his arm
was springloaded, waiting, waiting, waiting. So it's coming up, it's
coming up, and then, boom! He releases the spring. That hits the shark, the
shark moves away fairly quick, because we surprise the heck
out of it, and the party was on. We had our first tag
out on a white shark. And you know, I'm
thinking we just tagged the first white
shark in the Atlantic. What a party! Yeah, he does. Look at that. I get this greed thing that
kicks in, like, all right, let's find another. Let's find another. And that's-- that's exactly
what I said to the crew. Let's keep going. Let's keep going. Hey! [interposing voices] Yeah! Yeah! Well, I'm a little
bit over-excited here. Yeah, yeah. It's such a buildup that it-- it draws the life out of you. Just, wow! Amazing! NARRATOR: MonsterQuest is
searching the coastlines of America for massive
great white sharks. These beasts appear to be
coming closer to shore, and preying on humans in
ever increasing numbers. Some experts who have analyzed
where and when great whites attack, believe they
may be staking out specific territories. We apply the geographic
profiling model, which was developed to analyze
serial killer and serial rape patterns, and we were able
to successfully analyze shark predation. When we look at criminals,
we find similar patterns. So in both cases, you have a
strong influence of geography, you have the need to find
targets, or victims, or prey. There is a similarity in
how serial offenders hunt, how all criminals hunt,
and how animals predate. Well, the very first thing was
to make sure that we had all the data accurately mapped out. Where these patterns of
attacks random, clustered, or dispersed? And we found them to be
definitely clustered. Even though sharks are
constantly in motion, there are optimal areas for
them to be searching from. So they keep returning to these
locations over and over again. And I looked down, and
I saw what at first I thought was a dolphin. And I was like, no, no,
no, they're way too big. NARRATOR: This
California photographer is one of the latest witnesses
to document great whites stalking ever closer to shore. And I looked
down, and I saw it at first I thought
was a dolphin. And I was like, no, no,
no, they're way too big. And I thought it was a whale. I was like, wait a minute,
it's not moving like a whale. I got a closer look, and
then it was a white shark. I knew.
I know sharks. It was a white shark,
and it was a big one. So I told the pilot, I was
like, go down, go down, we have to get this. A couple of times I
was shooting the shark, and I panned up to show how
close we were to-- to Malibu, the coastline of Malibu. The shark was actually, I would
guess, about a quarter mile off the beach. NARRATOR: The monster was
bearing down on a spot where humans were in the water. Probably a mile north of
Surfrider Beach in Malibu, which is Surfrider Beach. It's one of the most well-known
surf spots in the world. It was swimming kind
of lazily, but you could see it was looking
for food or something. NARRATOR: Later analysis or
the footage allowed experts to estimate that the predator
was over 15 feet in length. It was-- it was like looking
at a school bus underwater. I have not seen a
white shark that big. I mean, I've seen a couple
of small white sharks and a bunch of other
sharks, but I've never seen a great white that big,
this close, in these waters. NARRATOR: The following day,
the body of a headless seal was found near the Malibu pier. [growling] The expedition team is
anchored 150 miles off the Baja California coast, where great
whites are known to congregate. The team is attempting to attach
a camera to one of the beasts, to see how it hunts. OK, OK. That's it. [cheering] NARRATOR: They have succeeded in
attaching the camera to the fin of an 18-foot predator. I keep this tight and
keep the shark around us. If the shark takes off now
and snaps something up, we're screwed. I've got to really
concentrate on this now. There it is. There she is. She's cruising nicely. Camera went on a bit
skewed, but it's still on. NARRATOR: But the shark fights
to free itself of the camera. I don't know. Maybe I should pull
this camera off. OK. I'm going to try and
pull the camera off. CREW (ON RADIO):
[inaudible] It came off. It came off. What happened? What happened? It wasn't on straight. [inaudible]? No, it wasn't on straight. We got it on, it
worked really well, it did the job exactly what,
you know, what was in my head, what I envisioned. Only thing is I
think we got to move. Let me just think now. It seemed to be pulling
skewed for some reason, so the camera was sort of
look like it was facing off to the side. Perhaps we got to adjust the
camera forward or backward. I'm not sure. I must think about
it, but I'm excited. I think that's a good test. I think that's it. Let's not push our luck today. Go back, see what we got, see
how it worked, and then we do tomorrow again. NARRATOR: The next
day, the team spends hours watching as the sharks
circle just out of reach. It's like they're calculating. They definitely were doing
some sort of a thinking. NARRATOR: The sharks seem to
be keeping to the shadows. But there are signs
of growing aggression. Oh, look at that. Right there. Perfect. [interposing voices] NARRATOR: The predators
buzz the cages, appearing out of nowhere. Dale Pearson heads topside. I was surprised how hard they
were to see in clear water. That was the first thing I
noticed, that you don't really see them coming, and
then when you do, it's amazingly camouflaged
in the clear water. NARRATOR: The aggressive
nature of the sharks as the team on edge. Dale Pearson decides to
take it back up tank of air into the cage with him. It was a little more
dangerous than what I expected, with the hookah lines and
everything coming down. There were so many
sharks around, one could have easily grabbed
ahold of the hookah line or got tangled into it, rip
me right out of the cage. Yeah, when you see
him coming around you, that anticipation builds up,
and you think something's going to happen, and it's like
this emotional roller coaster ride. NARRATOR: The sharks
glide under the boat and hide in the shadows watching
and waiting, as if hunting. The beasts are
engineered by nature to be the perfect
stealth predator. The thing with white
sharks, it's a waiting game. And then they arrive, and it's
all adrenaline and excitement, and then they disappear again. You just got to sit and wait. It can be quite
frustrating at times. NARRATOR: The team
baits the area trying to draw the beasts closer. CREW (ON RADIO): Yeah, there's
a lot of sharks in the area. They're not coming up
to the bait though. They see to be just
looking around, stalking. So we got the
small boat out here to put the camera on the
shark, because we have to use the small boat for that. And as soon as we got all
set up, the shark took off. CREW (ON RADIO):
Topside, be advised. Shark coming in on
the starboard side. Moving in fast. Get ready. OK, one's coming. NARRATOR: Pearson observes
the sharks are becoming increasingly territorial. CREW (ON RADIO):
Topside, topside, there's another one coming in. It's a big one. Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa. Here he comes, here he comes. OK, it's coming
around the back of us. CREW (ON RADIO): Topside,
topside, big one coming in on the bottom of the boat. Topside. This could be it. NARRATOR: MonsterQuest is on
the hunt for great white sharks, searching for the man-eaters
which may be attacking humans more often. Off Cape Cod, where
terror of the great white began almost a century ago,
the monster has returned. [cheering] DR. GREG SKOMAL: We saw another
three or four sharks that day that were not tagged, so we
knew there were at least 10 to 12 different
animals in the area. Oh, my gosh! Again, it's it's the "Jaws"
scenario kind of replaying itself. Quaint New England village,
white shark in the area. It drew all kinds of media
attention and public attention. And you know, I'm-- I'm kind of happy at the
time that it occurred, in late September, because I
think if it occurred in July, it would have been a
completely different scenario. Perhaps there would have
been some public opinion that the animal
needed to be killed. NARRATOR: Since the
historic first tagging days before, more great
whites have been tagged, and several were
sighted that got away. The tagging data could prove
that deadly sharks are coming closer to US shores. Along with this increase
in white shark sightings over the last five
years, we also can look at a dramatic increase
in the size of the gray seal population in the same area. That population wasn't
there 10, 15, 20 years ago. Now, it's expanded, it's
growing, it's sizable, and it's in this-- this region year round. I think that's attracting these
white sharks closer to shore, and creating, if you
will, an Atlantic hotspot for white sharks. And once white sharks find
a predictable food resource, like a seal colony, it's going
to recur there year after year. And so, you know, it
certainly wouldn't surprise me if if Monomoy Island, Chatham,
and that part of Cape Cod becomes a consistent feeding
area for white sharks. NARRATOR: The data will give
Skomal a much better sense of why great whites are
coming closer to shore. The first tags are programmed
to come up mid-January, and I can't tell you
how excited and-- and anxious I am to see those
data, because they're going to be the real first glimpse
of what this critter does in the Atlantic Ocean. NARRATOR: In the Pacific,
supplies are being depleted and time is running out. The team is losing light fast. Soon they won't be
able to see well enough to get the camera on the shark. So close and yet so far. Sharks are [inaudible]. We've got a big one here now. Looks like a female, but
she's just hanging back, hanging back, not coming in. CREW (ON RADIO):
He's still here. He's just down circling. Oh, yeah, here, OK. Dammit. They're getting there,
they're getting there. Come on! CREW (ON RADIO):
Topside, be advised. Shark coming in on
the starboard side. Moving in fast. Get ready. Oh! Man. Wait, wait, wait, wait! Aw! Sharks are coming
in pretty close, but they're not
consistent, you know? They come in they
make one or two passes and they bugger off
for 10, 15 minutes. And the problem is, we
don't have enough time to sit here all day waiting for
them to make up their minds. [inaudible] All right, buddy. Here he comes. Ah! Close. OK, quickly get
the bait out again. Come the other way. Yeah, it's out last chance. It's really late
in the afternoon. We're already staying
longer than we should. NARRATOR: Then finally success. They're not interested. They're not hungry at all. They're just playing
with the bait. CREW (ON RADIO): Topside,
topside, big one coming in on the bottom of the boat. Topside! Ah! There you go.
There you go! Ah, son of a-- I'm-- I'm taking it
back, I'm taking it back. Bring it back. Bring it! Ah! Yeehaw! NARRATOR: The team
has camera-tagged a great white shark. Yeah, it was high on the
dorsal, that's for sure, but he got it. CREW (ON RADIO):
[inaudible] It came off. NARRATOR: MonsterQuest has
been chasing huge sharks that are coming closer to
shore, attacking humans with increasing
frequency and precision. This expert believes
these predators establish personal killing grounds. This researcher has
realized a lifelong quest and tagged a great white shark. This man has survived what
researchers have found is the most common type
of great white attack, the bite-and-release
exploratory attack. And this researcher is finding
patterns in where and when these massive predators strike. Bring it! NARRATOR: Off the
Baja California coast, the expedition team has attached
a camera to a great white. CREW (ON RADIO):
[inaudible] It came off. What happened? What happened? NARRATOR: The shark
cam remains attached for just a few minutes. It's like shaking
and everything. We got it on the shark,
but it-- you know, it was really struggling
around the boat. It was sort of
leaning away from me, so I couldn't get a good shot,
and I think I got a bit high on the torso, and the shark
took off quite quickly and the camera came off. But that's it, man. We just got to keep trying. The expedition was, for me, it
was successful in that we found sharks, and just finding
great white sharks is always a big part of the equation. And we found these animals. They were very big. The average size, it was close
to 4 and 1/2 meters long, and you talking about big
animals, big mature sharks. So it was very successful. We had success in that we
got the camera on the shark. It's a new system I'm
using and it worked. I knew it would work. I knew it would get onto the fin
and the shark would take off. Unfortunately, the actual
camera housing was-- was too large. I think it was was overbuilt. Because of the hydrodynamic
drag on the system, it didn't stay on as long
as we would have like. So we know that the
attachment point, the noninvasive attachment
system, that's good. All we need to do is scale
down the size of the housing and reduce the
drag, and we'll be able to find some behavior these
things that's never been seen. I was in the water for-- diving with the white
sharks for six hours a day, every day for the duration
of the trip, and I saw some behaviors that
I've never seen before. NARRATOR: New research suggests
that great white sharks premeditate, calculate, and
refine their killing skills. Dale Pearson observe
these behaviors close up while in the shark cage. CREW (ON RADIO): Watch out! Watch out! Wow! DALE PEARSON: It--
it felt almost almost like they were stalking us. You could tell that when
they came up to the cages, that they understood that we
were inside of something where they couldn't get to us. But anytime an arm or a leg,
or they saw something maybe they could get a shot
at you, they were there. They'd come out of somewhere
where you weren't expecting it, so it was pretty surprising. And it was like they
were waiting for you to make a mistake. NARRATOR: The science team
has finished its analysis of the Pacific
coast attack data. They've determined
that since the 1990s, shark attacks have increased
almost five per year. RALPH COLLIER: During the 20th
century, from 1900 to 1999, we recorded 108 unprovoked shark
attacks along the Pacific coast of North America. From the year 2000
to the present, 2009, we have already sustained
45 unprovoked shark attacks, or nearly 50% of the entire
total for the 20th century. With the increased populations
of ocean user groups-- surfers, swimmers,
kayakers, and divers-- more than likely, this
trend will continue to rise. NARRATOR: The team has also
identified the most likely location for shark attacks. This map shows an area
in central California, from Santa Cruz up
to San Francisco. We can see all of these attacks
occurring along this highway, that's utilized by white
sharks in their movements north and south along
the California coast. More than 60% of the cases
occurred in only three months of the year-- August, September, and October. NARRATOR: These three months are
the time when great whites are drawn to shore and near humans. RALPH COLLIER: We notice that
the attacks by white sharks seem to occur at the same
locations repeatedly, and more than 60% of the
attacks by white sharks along the Pacific
coast of North America occur at a recurring location. In this area, Byrd
Rock, we have two. This area down here we have two. Up here at Tomales
Point, we have a total of seven attacks that occurred. The balance of the
coastline in this area, we've had none, no
activity at all. This demonstrates a
preferred location for the shark, areas where
we have recurring attacks. NARRATOR: That makes
this California beach one of the most dangerous places
on Earth to swim and surf. This MonsterQuest expedition has
confirmed that great whites are coming closer than
ever to US shores, and with the first
successful Atlantic tagging, more will soon be known about
this mysterious creature's movements. There's something going on in
the thought process of a shark. They don't just go randomly
come out and nail you. There's there's a technique they
use to their feeding that's not just some random attack. I look at this experience as-- as just the beginning,
opening a new chapter to-- to white shark research,
white white shark research opportunities, and
actually solving the puzzle of the white shark
in the Atlantic. RALPH COLLIER: White sharks
along the California coast are doing the same thing today
they did 300,000 years ago. The only thing that's changed,
as far as the white shark is concerned, is humans
have been introduced into the environment. Before entering an environment
containing great whites, we have to be aware
that they are there, and we have to know the signs,
and make very wise decisions. In the 30 years that have
passed since the movie "Jaws," 100 million sharks are
slaughtered every year, 270,000 a day in just the last 10 years. And I think a planet
without great white sharks is going to be a lot more
boring, a lot less interesting, a lot less mysterious. I think we can start working
with this animal for next 100 years, and there's always going
to be something new to learn, and every time we
learn something, it's going to open
up more questions.
