‘It was struggling’: Family helps rescue beached great white shark
A father and his son can now share an epic tale of how they saved a great white shark that became stranded in Port Pirie, Australia.
A recent human-shark interaction in Australia had a positive ending.
When a Great white shark found itself stranded off the southern coast of Australia, three beachgoers and a father-son duo helped return the giant fish to the ocean.
An around 10-foot shark was stuck in a sand bank off a beach off the Saint Vincent Gulf on April 29, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) and Reuters. Nash Core and his 11-year-old son, Parker, discovered the shark while flying a drone along the beach during a crab raking trip.
“We looked over and we seen this shark in the shallows, so I ran and got my drone and flew over for a bit of a closer look. We noticed that it was really struggling,” Core said, per the outlets. “At that time, some locals were already starting to wade out to go help, and Parker and I said, ‘Let’s get down there and try to help as well.”
Shark spotted during family vacation
Core and Parker went to the Saint Vincent Gulf as tourists visiting with family from the Gold Coast in Queensland state and left with an spectacular story to tell, ABC reported.
“As we were going out, my young son, Parker, turned to me and said, ‘My heart’s pounding.’ I said, ‘Yeah, mine’s beating pretty fast too,'” Core told the Associated Press.
Parker said the rescue was a “good experience” he’ll probably remember forever, according to ABC.
Great White rescued, though shark’s condition is unclear
Core said he and the beachgoers managed to push and drag the shark out of the sand bank after nearly an hour, per ABC.
He added that it’s his first time seeing a shark on a beach, and his first time seeing a Great White in general. Although the rescue operation was a success, he said it’s unclear whether the shark is OK.
“We’re unsure at this stage, but it looked pretty sick. It was pretty knackered,” he told ABC. “It was pretty tired and just didn’t have much strength. So hopefully it did, but we’re unsure at this stage.”
Reuters contributed to this story.
