Divers find dead white shark in Terence Bay

A group of recreational divers made an unlikely discovery — the remains of a male white shark — in the waters of Terence Bay on Sunday.

They found the remains on the seafloor in about 10 metres of water. It was 2.7 metres long.

Already decaying, the animal's carcass was being eaten by lobsters and other sea creatures.

The divers reported their findings to the Marine Animal Response Society, which is based in Halifax.

Tonya Wimmer, the society's executive director, said this is the first time the organization has received this type of report from local divers in 25 years of operation.

"Normally, [it's] really us hearing about animals that are on beaches and in trouble," Wimmer said. "Or they're maybe at sea or floating at sea. But we haven't had a report before about someone discovering an animal on the seafloor."

A team of divers helped complete the examination of the shark. (Facebook/Nicolas Winkler Photography)

The society along with the group that made the initial report and a team of expert divers returned to the site two days later.

They were able to collect samples for diagnostic and research purposes. The society retrieved the shark's head, but left the body underwater as food for the other animals.

"We try to take the opportunities when dead animals are involved to study them in as many ways as we can, especially if it helps us save the rest of the living animals," said Wimmer.

"We don't often get to handle animals like white sharks. They are endangered. They are considered rare."

Wimmer said they don't know the cause of the shark's death, but she estimates it had been dead for at least a few days upon discovery.

Since October 2022, the society has received reports of five other dead white sharks in the Maritimes. All were found washed up onshore.

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