Boat Passengers Watch Dog Fight A Hammerhead Shark in Bahamas

Boat Passengers Watch Dog Fight A Hammerhead Shark in Bahamas

Just one canine arrived deal with-to-facial area with a hammerhead shark after jumping into the drinking water in the Bahamas.

On Feb. 16, travellers on a boat tour of the Bahamas witnessed the tense deal with-off among the animals, which started out when the dog experimented with to bounce on the shark. The scuffle was captured on online video by the tour boat’s captain and crew member, Rebecca Lightbourn from Exuma H2o Athletics, the operator of the boat, instructed NBC Information through e mail. 

“We’re unsure if the pet dog just wished to enjoy or needed to protect his property but he just jumped ideal in!” Lightbourn said in the electronic mail. “He managed to splash all around and even tried out to consider a chunk out of his fin, but the shark swam off, quite unsure of what just took place!”

The movie, entitled “Puppy vs Hammerhead,” caught more than two minutes of the wrestle among the pet and the shark, as well as panicked commentary from travellers on the boat. Lightbourn reported they you should not know the title of the doggy, but additional that the crew at Exuma Water Athletics nicknamed him Rufus.

The online video displays the significant shadow of a 12-foot hammerhead shark swimming underwater close to the boat. Seconds into the online video, Rufus jumps into the water off of a nearby dock and swims towards the shark. For a number of seconds, the puppy and shark circle just one a different in the drinking water and seem to get into a little bit of a scuffle, as a single visitor on the boat screams, “He’s heading to chunk the shark!”

Scalloped Hammerhead Shark, Sphyrna lewini, Wolf Island, Galapagos, Ecuador
A hammerhead shark off the coast of Ecuador.ullstein bild / ullstein bild by using Getty Illustrations or photos

Passengers on board turned increasingly much more nervous for Rufus as he remained in the h2o, with one person yelling continuously, “Get out, newborn, get out!”

Eventually, by the finish of the video clip, the pet jumped up on to rocks together the shoreline to exit the drinking water ahead of operating absent back to the dock.

Travellers cheered, shouting “Good boy!” although one particular individual requested, “How’d he get away with that?” Some also commented that it appeared like the canine was heading to try out to jump in right after the shark yet again.

Lightbourn mentioned that the puppy is a type of domesticated stray termed a Bahamian Potcake and is the pet of a caretaker on a non-public island.

Shelter Dog Stories
A potcake puppy dog from Turks & Caicos.Lauree Feldman / Getty Photos

As element of the usual tour route, the boat passes the island 2 times a day, and travellers on the tour are normally greeted by Rufus.

In accordance to Lightbourn, the dog is “super friendly” and often operates alongside the edge of the h2o when the boat goes by.

It is not unusual for passengers to see sharks even though on the boat tour, Lightbourn said, but they commonly only experience reef sharks or bull sharks. Hammerhead sharks clearly show up considerably less routinely, with sightings going on only a several situations every single 12 months.

On Feb. 16, the crew on the boat famous the unusual sighting of the huge shark and slowed down so travellers could see the animal. But when the shark started off to swim closer to the shore, Rufus also took detect of it, top to the showdown.

In the times due to the fact the experience-off in between the canine and the shark, crew associates from Exuma Drinking water Sports activities have seen Rufus and stated he is “100% A-okay,” Lightbourn explained.