A pair of divers redefined what it means to experience a near-miss while shooting in the waters of southern California, when they were nearly swallowed whole by the most colossal humpback whales.
The two found themselves in the midst of a crill shoal, which had been forced toward the surface of the water by the whales. Desperately trying to get out of the line of fire, the two scramble to put a few feet distance between themselves and the whales before they break the surface of the water to feed. The whales burst through the water and come astonishingly close to gobbling up the pair or divers, who would have stood no chance had they been just a couple of meters closer to the gigantic mammals. The movie was shot by Jay Hebrard and Shawn Stamback near Souza Rock and has since gone viral the world over. Meanwhile, hundreds of near-misses, injuries and fatalities every year could potentially be saved by the first wetsuit created specifically to make divers and surfers invisible to sharks. The product of extensive research on the vision and color blindness of various shark species, the suits effectively camouflage those wearing them from predators while in the water.
“It’s based on new breakthrough science which is all about visionary systems for predatory sharks,” said the suit’s co-creator Craig Anderson while talking to the AFP.
“We’ve been able to interpret that science and convert that into, basically, materials that create some confusion for sharks’ visual systems.” Tests of the shark invisibility suits continue, though chances are finding willing participants for the up-close and personal evaluations won’t be an easy job.
