In a world where the ocean depths hide mysteries and colossal creatures, a recent sighting of a supposed 30-foot great white shark has stirred waves of fascination and skepticism across various social media platforms, including YouTube and TikTok.
The sighting, captured on video, showcases the enormity of the shark, leaving viewers in awe and sparking debates about the actual size of great whites.
A Glimpse into the Abyss
The online video shows a great white shark of extraordinary size, with the people onboard the boat suggesting it could very well measure a staggering 30 feet.
To be fair, the dimensions of this massive ocean predator look unreal! Both its length and girth are enormous, no doubt about it.
A 30-footer would, however, be an almost impossibly colossal specimen even among great whites!
While the exact length of this particular shark remains unverified, the sighting has reignited discussions about the potential existence of great white sharks of such colossal dimensions lurking in the uncharted territories of our oceans.
Here is the YouTube video showing the supposed 30-foot-long great white. What do you think of its size?
Our verdict here at Strike and Catch: A massive shark? For sure! A 30-footer? Probably not!
For one thing, this is only a YouTube and TikTok Short. There is no information whatsoever about the location or the size of the vessel these people were in.
All we see is shaky camera footage filming a very large great white beneath the surface.
Even just guessing its length is challenging under such circumstances, and the eye can be deceiving!
Understandably, these people were super excited, and they had the opportunity to go viral with this video, which they did!
But, as so often when it comes to social media, you should take things with a pinch of salt!
Great Whites – The Giants of the Ocean
According to our own research and official reports, the largest known great white sharks today have a maximum size of about 20 feet and a weight of 4,000 to 5,000 pounds.
Female great whites usually outgrow males by several feet.
By far, the most famous female great white that still roams our oceans to this day is a specimen called “Deep Blue”.
This majestic shark measures around 20 feet and has an estimated weight of 4,400 pounds.
The average size of these apex predators is between 10 and 16 feet, with weights ranging from 1,000 to 2,500 pounds.
Even “El Monstruo de Cojimar“, the biggest great white shark ever recorded, a regular monster shark of more than 7,000 lbs that was caught off Cuba in 1945, “only” measured 21 feet.
So, again, while the shark in the video undoubtedly is a monster, it would still outgrow the largest great whites known to humanity by approximately 10 feet. That’s a stretch, isn’t it?
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Uncharted Territories and Ancient Giants
On the other hand, the vastness of our oceans, 95% of which remain undiscovered, definitely holds the possibility of sheltering great white sharks of 25 or perhaps even 30 feet.
We just don’t know, that’s the problem!
Historical reports and myths have often spoken of 30-foot great white sharks, and while practically all of them remain unconfirmed, the potential for their existence cannot be entirely dismissed.
Fossils of prehistoric great whites suggest that ancient sharks could reach maximum lengths of around 30 feet, hinting at the genetic potential for such sizes in today’s great whites.
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Conservation and the Future of Great White Sharks
With ongoing conservation efforts and marine protection programs, shark populations are experiencing a resurgence.
The sighting of larger specimens in regions with successful shark protection initiatives raises questions about the future sizes of these magnificent creatures.
Could today’s great whites regain the colossal sizes of their ancient counterparts?
Only time and proper research will tell!