“It’s one thing to have a shark do a drive-by and check you out once, but if the shark comes back repeatedly that’s a predatory investigation going on and you don’t want to be at the bitter end of that. That is the feeling of being hunted and it’s not a good feeling.”

— Chris Harvey-Clark, Dalhousie University¹

The shark made a third pass before the divers reached the ascent line which led back to their boat. They felt most vulnerable at the end of the ascent due to low visibility from 10 m depth to the surface. They understandably skipped the recommended safety stop.

“The visibility was so bad you couldn’t see the end of your fins, you’re in murky water, we were right around the corner from where there are seals with a foraging shark nearby and no ability to fend it off so that is about the worst it gets.”

— Chris Harvey-Clark, Dalhousie University¹

Click here to watch video recorded after the divers had surfaced.

Assessment: An unanticipated close encounter with a white shark is for most divers a frightful experience. The repeated passes, the proximity of seals, and poor visibility all made for a tense experience, especially for someone as knowledgeable on shark behaviour as Dr. Harvey-Clark. Considering the distance from shore, the divers acted appropriately by heading back to the boat via the mooring line after the shark had returned for a third time*. Had the divers not left when they did, or had they waited until they were low on air—the encounter took place at the end of the dive—the incident could have turned dramatic for a number of reasons unrelated to the shark. What makes this incident so remarkable is the rarity of such an encounter, let alone at a popular dive site close to a major city so late in the season. As far as we know, this was the first³ verified encounter between divers and a white shark in Canada.

Recommendation: Do not rely on the Gregorian calendar to guesstimate when sharks have left for the season. White sharks remained in the St. Lawrence and Maritime provinces well into November, possibly due to unusually warm water temperatures². Longer seasonal residency by white sharks has yet to be proven by science but may have become the new norm due to the ongoing changes brought about by climate change.

Note: Dr. Harvey-Clark was interviewed by ORS. He was also one of two divers involved in the Baie-Comeau Greenland shark stalking incident in 2004.

 Click here for more scuba diving recommendations.

* Since Dr. Harvey-Clark and his partner were looking for benthic torpedo rays and thus focused on the sea floor, the shark may have made more—and earlier—approaches unbeknown to the divers.

References:
¹ Dal’s university veterinarian was on a routine dive near Halifax. Then a great white shark spotted him. Dal News. 15.11.2021. Online.
² Le golfe du Saint-Laurent a eu chaud en 2021. La Presse. 19.01.2022. Online.
³ We were told firsthand of a similar but unsubstantiated occurence—also at Chebucto Head—in 1991.

Further reading: How a great white shark altered an N.S. underwater researcher’s diving plans for 2022. Toronto Star. 24.12.2021. Online.