The chances of being bitten by a shark in Hawaii are less than one in a million (the same probably goes for humpback whale enthusiasts in the area), but a Netflix docuseries crew nearly defied the odds while filming Our Planet II.
While filming at Laysan, one of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, the crew was attacked by two 15-foot-long tiger sharks, who “leapt at the boat and bit huge holes,” according to the show’s director.
The original plan was to get some underwater footage with the tiger sharks, but the sharks had different plans, attacking the crew in their inflatable boats. The team was able to make it back to shore safely, but they were understandably freaked out, considering this was actually the second shark attack they experienced on that same day.
Needless to say, they didn’t get the underwater footage, which begs the question: What were the tiger sharks hiding under there?
How Aggressive Are Tiger Sharks?
To be fair, this incident probably shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to the crew; tiger sharks are actually known for their more aggressive nature relative to other sharks (though they are still considered docile creatures), trailing only the great white shark in terms of its attacks on humans. Tiger sharks have been involved in a reported 103 unprovoked attacks on humans, with 39 fatalities. Still, at the end of the day, humans still pose a much bigger threat to tiger sharks than they do to us.
So tiger sharks are a cunning species, willing to eat just about anything. An inflatable boat floating in their vicinity? Sure, why not?
Are Sharks and Orcas Working Together?
The story of these tiger sharks attacking a documentary crew comes on the heels of the numerous recent reports of orcas banding together to attack yachts around the world and generally just showing up in menacing fashion in places where they don’t normally congregate.
Could it be that ocean life is finally fed up with humanity and our blatant disregard for the health of the planet and they’re taking matters into their own hands? Do tiger sharks and killer whales now have some sort of pact with the goal to erase human existence from the seas once and for all?
It can’t be ruled out at this point.
