iStockphoto / Pieter De Pauw
Stanford professor Andrew Huberman of the Huberman Lab just captured some of the most surreal great white shark footage ever filmed from a fishing boat.
His team of researchers was in the field (Pacific Ocean) seeking to “collect footage of great white sharks for a fear/anxiety VR stimulus.” Professor Huberman writes “we wanted tuna for our dinner and we had one on the line…” but that’s when the enormous shark stole their fish.
The footage they captured is absolutely stunning and I’m not being hyperbolic, it really is special.
They had a tuna attached to a rope next to the boat when a massive great white shark swallowed the fish just inches away from the boat. The group of researchers on the boat erupted in cheers as the encounter and subsequent great white shark footage was better than anyone could’ve hoped for.
This clip was originally posted by Andrew Huberman, Ph.D. to Instagram and has since gone viral on Instagram and TikTok, racking up millions of views:
@fishinganonymous 😱WAIT for the SHOCKING twist🦈 Hand-lining a HUGE tuna takes an INSANE turn!🐟🦈 #fyp #foryou #greatwhiteshark #bigeye #fishtok #sharkencounter #tiktokviral #fishingadventure #heartstopping #mustwatch #sharkfishing #tunafishing #biggamefishing #deepseafishing #fishinglife #Australia #SouthAfrica #Japan #USA #NewZealand #Indonesia #CostaRica #Mexico
Professor Huberman wrote:
We wanted tuna for our dinner and we had one on the line… we were expecting a (meal) reward. A local great white reminded us that, when they are around, humans eat last. However, the reward of seeing it breach was greater than the meal we would’ve had.
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I’ll also never forget that incident because when we get a big and unexpected release of dopamine, it leaves and indelible mark on our memory.
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You can start to see why dopamine is so fundamental to the evolution of every species. **It’s the chemical currency that tells us about the value of our experiences and efforts**.
People were astonished by this video. On Instagram, commenters wrote:
“WE’RE GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT”
“Those guys on the ledge got steel legs. I would’ve buckled and fell in the water to be dessert for the great white.”
“I wouldn’t even care about losing the fish, that was awesome.”
“I panicked for the guy in green and he’s so chill about it. Thought for sure he’d fall in.”
It is remarkable how calm they stayed on the ledge. There were mere inches away from a truly gargantuan great white shark and there was blood in the water.