TIGER SHARK CAUGHT ‘PLAY-BITING’ WORLD-FAMOUS SHARK
WITH PIX AND VID
By Shuk Yee Tsang
A dramatic underwater encounter captured a tiger shark appearing to “play bite” the world-famous tiger shark Emma.
The rare moment was filmed around 30 miles offshore from Grand Bahama in the Bahamas by professional underwater photographer Ken Kiefer, 56, from Texas, USA.
Footage shows one tiger shark nudging and nibbling at Emma while circling near a bait crate during a shark feeding dive.
Ken, who has been filming sharks for more than 20 years, said the tense moment immediately made him worry for the well-known predator.
The incident unfolded while shark feeder and wrangler Eli Martinez was managing the dive.
Ken, who has more than 25 years of shark diving experience, said proper briefings and experience are essential when filming animals at close range.
He said: “When the shark on the left started taking some nibbles at Emma, I was telling myself, ‘Don’t bite Emma.’
“Eli Martinez, the shark feeder, is a friend and a legend when it comes to feeding sharks. I was capturing footage and images of his expertise.
“Usually, I see tiger sharks nipping at reef sharks or lemon sharks. It’s not very common to see them nipping at other tiger sharks.
“It was partly because they could sense the bait in the plastic crate, and partly as a warning that they were there first and wanted the food.”
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