One woman had athanks to a seemingly caring whale.
Nan Hauser is adamant a humpback whale lifted her onto its snout and saved her from in 2017.
The whole encounter was caught on camera, and the footage was shown on Saved From a Shark as part of National Geographic’s annual Shark Week.
The marine biologist and whale expert first knew she was in trouble when the tiger shark was swimming directly at her.
‘It’s moving fast and it’s coming towards me,’ she recalled.
‘I know and the whale knows that this is a serious situation. I wanted to get out of the water.’
Although throughout her career, she always thought that she may die at the hands of a whale, she now believes that this particular one saved her life.
‘The whale has got me right on the front of his face.’
It’s at this point Nan is able to get the attention of her boat and ask for help before she’s sent underwear again by the whale.
During the incident she was only wearing a snorkel and mask, so wouldn’t be able to breathe underwater for a long length of time if she was dragged under.
‘I suddenly realise that the shark is coming up. Right below me.
‘The whale pushes me back to the boat.’
Nan is able to clamber back on board and sits on the edge watching the whale who assisted the journey.
‘I look and he’s right there next to me, protecting me. I cried.’
She’s convinced they wouldn’t be here today without some aquatic assistance.
Martin Richardson thought he was dead when he was attacked by a shark while swimming in the Red Sea, Egypt – near the same spot just weeks ago.
‘I had lost approximately five pints [2.8 litres] of blood,’ he said.
‘You only have eight to nine [pints, or 4.5 to five litres] in your body.
‘I was waiting for a feeding frenzy… I knew it was circling me… I turned away and looked at the mountains. I gave up.’
However, just as Martin thought he was done for, a group of dolphins appeared and the attack suddenly stopped.
He was then pulled onto a boat and rushed to hospital where he needed more than 300 stitches.
Nat Geo WILD’s annual SHARKFEST begins on Sunday 16th July at 8pm starting with ‘When Shark’s Attack Season 9’.
