Water News

    GoPro Video of Shark Encounter Raises Questions

    Is Tufferson's shark encounter real or fake? You decide.

    Terry Tufferson had no idea what he was getting into when he and some friends went out to Manly’s Jump Rock in Sydney Harbour, Australia. Using a GoPro, Tufferson had originally planned to film his jump from the rock into the water. Instead, he captured footage of an unexpected run-in with a great white shark.

    If legitimate, the video is truly remarkable. After plunging into the water, Tufferson was just inches from the shark, which swam toward him and then, without causing him any harm, turned away. Though the video is labeled “man fights off great white,” it’s not much of a fight as Tufferson flails about, trying to get out of reach as quickly as possible. He eventually makes it to the shore, climbing out of the water onto nearby rocks.

    But many viewers are raising questions about its authenticity, claiming that the “shark” looks like it was cut-and-pasted from stock footage. Some have gone so far as to analyze the video further, saying that around the 59-second mark, the shark moves from the right side of the screen and reappears on the left. There is also an odd change in perspective, with the shark originally appearing below Tufferson, and then seeming to swim above him.

    Futhermore, this is Tufferson’s only uploaded video, leading YouTube users to wonder if it is either a marketing ploy by GoPro, or Manly Rock’s Council attempting to keep people from jumping off the rock.

    Interestingly, according to a release on great white shark activity in the area by the Tarongo Zoo, there have been no attacks within the last 222 years. There have also been very few sightings, with the most recent recorded in 1927.

    We might side with the users who commented: “Come out already, Jimmy Kimmel.”

    Check out the video below and decide for yourself:

    Image and video courtesy YouTube user Terry Tufferson