Deep Blue (great white shark)

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Deep Blue is a female great white shark that is estimated to be 6.1 m (20 ft) long and is said to be over fifty years old. The shark was first spotted in Mexico by Mauricio Hoyos Padilla, a researcher. Deep Blue has been featured on the Discovery Channel's Shark Week. The shark had also been spotted in Hawaii by marine biologists who had been in Oahu to study tiger sharks. Various videos have shown the shark to have been calm and non aggressive around humans and notably even a few dolphins.^[1][2]

Discovery[]

Deep Blue was first discovered in 2014, she was filmed as part of Shark Week off the coast of Guadalupe Island, Mexico aboard the MV Horizon charter vessel. Deep Blue's popularity increased when a video of her was posted to Facebook in 2015 by Padilla, the video went viral. Deep Blue's exposure increased further when she was spotted in Hawaii by researchers who had been in the area to monitor tiger sharks, Deep Blue was in the area scavenging for food from a sperm whale carcass. Due to the amount of interest in her, a Twitter account was created about her and named after her.^[3][4]

Description[]

Deep Blue is estimated to be 6.1 m (20 ft) long and weigh over two tonnes. Some have disputed her size, stating that she is more likely to be eighteen to nineteen feet in length. Deep Blue has noticeable pigmentation and markings on her body, with a large laceration over the right side of her body. In addition to her length, her body has a noticeable girth to it, leading some people to have speculated that she was pregnant. Deep Blue has been identified by researchers by not only her size but the pattern of where the gray meets the white underside, with a shark photographer called George Probst commenting that a shark's countershade is unique to the individual, stating "That’s as unique to a white shark as our fingerprints are".^[5][6]

Interactions with humans[]

Despite the large size of Deep Blue, she has been filmed non aggressively approaching one diver and even tolerating the presence of other scuba divers in the area, even allowing free diver and model Ocean Ramsey, to hold on to one of her fins while swimming with her.^[7][8] However, it is disputed by multiple sources that the shark encountered by Ramsey was not actually Deep Blue and was likely to be Haole Girl, another female shark, which is not as large^{[contradictory]} as Deep Blue. Prior to this interaction, the shark is said to have already fed on some of the whale carcass, which may have contributed to her placid behavior around the divers. When Deep Blue was filmed in Mexico a few years before, Deep Blue can be seen swimming around the shark cage calmly and only taking curious bites at the cage itself, she didn't attack Padillo, who had been on top of the cage and exposed. The diver was even able to touch her fin, stating he was trying to push her away from the cage.^[9][10]

Criticism and identity[]

Ramsey's video of her touching and holding onto the shark has brought on some criticism from shark researchers. David Shiffman, a marine biologist criticised Ramsey's behavior and stated that the shark should not be interfered with, stating that it is an enormous wild predator and that repeated contact from humans can over stress the animal. Michael Domeier, another shark researcher, also criticized Ramsey's behavior. Domeier stated that the number one rule of shark diving was not to touch the sharks. Both researchers considered Ramsey's behavior as essentially harassing the animal.

In addition to his criticism of Ramsey, Domeier believed that the shark encountered by Ramsey was not actually Deep Blue and was likely to be Haole Girl, a newly discovered and equally large^{[contradictory]} great white shark that Domeier believed was pregnant.^{[11] [12]}

David Bernvi, have claimed that Deep Blue is with 93% likelihood 528 cm in total length (total length 491–565 cm) based on a model using the caudal fin to determine the total length. This means Deep Blue likely is 5,3 m (17 ft) long and not the largest white shark on record.

See also[]

• Ocean Ramsey, notable diver who has swam with Deep Blue.

References[]

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