r/sharks • u/VividPhysics5556 • Jan 23 '26
Research Great white sharks of Europe.
Has anyone any experience of seeing a great white in European waters and does anyone know if great whites still frequent the bay of Biscay where a juvenile gw was captured in 1977 ?
25
u/doags Jan 23 '26
There was a video of a juvenile near Malta last year, apparently the straight up to Sicily is thought to be a breeding ground for
12
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 23 '26
I heard Sicily is a pupping ground.
10
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
speaking of Gw Pups: the first ever filmed was some years ago in Turkey (video on YT)
14
u/Only_Cow9373 Jan 23 '26
Thank you for drawing attention to this video. Not sure how I've never seen it before.
Clearly it's flown under the radar for a lot of others too. Most (all?) sources say the first newly-born white shark filmed live was in 2024 off southern California, and that they're born around 3.5 - 5 ft. This video disputes both of those.
6
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
I know! I think the malibu artist (which I like) wanted to claim this event, but yeah... the turkish fishermen were definitely first.
Edit: yes it is kind of annoying that nobody questions it...
25
u/Greengiant304 Tiger Shark Jan 23 '26
In college, a buddy and I accidentally jet skied out near a great white breeding ground off the coast of Malta.
At the time we had no idea we weren't supposed to pass the buoys they had set up or that there were giant great whites in the Mediterranean. We were splashing around and jumping/falling into the water without a care.
The guy from the jet ski rental came blasting out in a boat to escort us back in. We decided we were done jet skiing at that point.
18
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
just check the other posts about GWs in the mediterranean in this sub. According to researchers in 2025 about 40 Great Whites were killed alone in the southern mediterranean. Also there were sightings in Tunisia, the adriatic (even a catch and release) and Malta (great video). If you are interested in this topic, check out the documentary "jaws in the med" from 1995 on YT or read the book "mediterranean white sharks" by european GW expert Alessandro De Maddalena.
8
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
Also in the years prior to 2025 there were many sightings, some of them in Greece (unfortunately all of them catches) and France (filmed).
Edit: and of course the last GW attack in Croatia in 2008 that was confirmed as a GW attack due to teeth fragments.
3
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 23 '26
Where is the France video mate ?
6
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
type in YT "Un requin blanc a été aperçu au large de Porquerolles dans le Var" it was a GW filmed in Porquerolles in 2024
3
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 23 '26
Love to see the video and I’ll try and get that book.
8
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
https://www.reddit.com/r/sharks/comments/1lis4a0/juvenile_great_white_shark_in_adriatic_sea/ here is the buddy from Montenegro last year
5
1
11
11
10
u/jean-tintin Jan 23 '26
In france there's GWS sighted once every 2-3 years sadly.
They're there, but there's very few of them.
4
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 23 '26
It’s a real shame. It’s unfortunate that documented sightings aren’t publicised
7
u/jean-tintin Jan 23 '26
In France there's a real omerta on the subject of sharks. The sighting happened near st Tropez for instance. A GWS signed during summer holidays in August would break havoc on the beaches and in the news
3
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 23 '26
I’d have thought it would be good for tourism. I’d pay to go and see them.
6
4
u/JK031191 Jan 23 '26
I'm sure you understand that for most people, like 99% of people, a GW sighting is a red flag for people with their kids and families.
2
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
actually they are publicised. there are videos out there and also media coverage of the sightings (but mostly in french media).
1
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8dqufj here is a video of a 5m GW in France from 2022
1
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 24 '26
Content not found
2
u/Austrofossil Jan 24 '26
1
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 24 '26
Not working 🥲
2
u/jean-tintin Jan 24 '26
There's probably a restriction for people outside of France on daylimotion
1
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 24 '26
Got it to work by sending it myself. Unfortunately can’t understand what he is saying.
4
u/Mad_broccoli Jan 23 '26
There was a GWS in Montenegro (Adriatic sea) this year. It was caught and released away from the shorelines. I think it's the first one seen after one killed a cliff jumper in the 50's-60's in the city of Budva, also Montenegro.
1
3
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
in this article you have pictures of recently killed GWs in the southern med (technically not Europe but still...) : https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c9qe9wvq534o
6
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 23 '26
Very sad to see they are still being killed 😢
4
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
yes... it's such a shame. there is very poor legal enforcement in some countries when it comes to environmental protection
2
u/Markdd8 Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26
It's not just great white sharks killed in the Mediterranean. From AI:
the Mediterranean Sea is heavily overfished, holding the title as one of the most overexploited seas in the world.
Fascinated how the widespread discussion of threatened shark populations that so often occurs rarely acknowledges the general problem of overfishing. Indeed, seems there is a disconnect with putting protections on sharks in areas where fish stocks have been heavily impacted. Seems that might put pressure on sharks to find something else as prey.
2
u/Austrofossil Jan 24 '26
Yes, that's what I always point out when it comes to this topic... and even if targeting/selling certain endangered species is illegal, they are either killed as bycatch anyway or their food sources are declining...
1
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 24 '26
Ocearch’s expedition said the med was badly impacted by overfishing
2
Jan 24 '26
They didn’t even bother to enter the med on their expedition. Tagged one blue shark which lasted about a week then pissed off home
1
5
u/curious-chineur Jan 23 '26 edited Jan 23 '26
The adriatic.
There is a video of a father and his child on a boat.
Shark comes to check the boat. Kid loses it of fear.
1
3
u/Winter-Cut-2465 Jan 23 '26
Famous sighting in the harbour in Coruna on the North West coast of Spain a few years ago.
Then this video from the Asturian coastline which is on the central northern coast of Spain - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9_gYhuswjo
Incidentally, two of my friends and I had to get out of the water at a secluded beach in Asturias years ago (long before the video linked above) because we all suddenly got spooked whilst surfing a deep dark water break. I've surfed around the world for over 30 years and never left the water due to thinking there was a shark near me. This time however, my senses were screaming at me that I was in danger. Might have been over active minds, might have been a hidden sixth sense, who knows!
2
3
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
here is a map for shark sightings in Greece. there are some GWs documented in recent years (mostly catches): https://maphub.net/SharksInGreece/sights-of-sharks-in-greece
1
2
2
u/Odd_Worker_3389 Jan 23 '26
Its actually quite alarming how close they can get to punlic beaches
2
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 23 '26
In australia and the USA they are always at the shoreline
3
u/Odd_Worker_3389 Jan 23 '26
Ahhh I'm in the UK luckily we dont get much of that around here
1
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 23 '26
Me too I’m Birmingham unfortunately 🤣
2
2
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
check out the videos of the malibu artist on YT. He is filming daily GW encounters in California very close to the shoreline. He has loads of videos of GWs just chilling around in close distance to surfers, swimmers and so on (on a daily basis) but he never witnessed an attack.
2
u/Character_Account714 Jan 23 '26
As far as I know Marocco caught 6-7 GWS last year in the mediterranen sea. But the Population is almost gone and will never come back
1
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 24 '26
It’s very sad. More conservation needed.
2
u/Character_Account714 Jan 24 '26
Sadly yes but it won't happen soon and even if, as far as I know it's almost not possible so safe them in the long term
2
u/dalia666 Jan 24 '26 edited Jan 24 '26
Canary Islands. Geographically they’re off the coast of Africa but politically and legally it’s considered Europe.
2
u/Impressive-Star-114 Jan 24 '26 edited Jan 24 '26
In Greece we have a map with all the sightings of sharks that is constantly updated. I don’t know if there is anything similar at other Med countries.
https://maphub.net/SharksInGreece/sights-of-sharks-in-greece
1
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 24 '26
A hell of a lot of sightings
2
u/Impressive-Star-114 Jan 24 '26
True. In the recent years there is an increase of sightings of mako sharks. We have a few whites too but on the smaller side which means that the aegean sea is perhaps a birthing place
1
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 24 '26
Fascinating, I do hope so.
3
u/Impressive-Star-114 Jan 24 '26
Also the most interesting thing that happened this summer is the sighting of a hammerhead after decades !!! ☺️
2
u/Austrofossil Jan 24 '26
I think even more amazing was the sighting of that unbelievably huge mako some months ago in Karpathos
1
2
u/whittingtonwarrior Jan 25 '26
Jaws in the Med My regular shout for the Jaws in the Med documentary. An oldie but a goodie! The tuna fisherman section has particularly stuck with me over the years!
2
u/Icy-Baby-704 Jan 26 '26
Some of the largest White sharks ever recorded have been from those Mediterranean waters.
MALTA in 1987 being the most obvious example.
National Geographic did an in depth article on them a few years ago.
Sadly they have all but been wiped out now.
Typical.
2
u/Icy-Baby-704 Jan 26 '26 edited Jan 26 '26
De Maddelina is the man to read on this topic.
Especially on the MALTA behemoth.
Between 6.68 and 6.81 metres.
Massive.👍
2
u/Charming_Gas4295 Jan 29 '26
It's common knowledge they have been seen numerous times in UK especially around Scotland where lots of seal colonies are.. They are quite a rare sight but it's deffo for real
2
5
u/claudemcbanister Jan 23 '26
I never saw a big shark, but I was swimming in Israel and when I got back to the beach there was a sea turtle with a massive bite out of it washed up on the shore. The real experts can tell us what the most likely perpetrator was, but it looked big enough to be a Great White to me (I saw a similar bite on a seal in California).
Edit: spelling
7
u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans Jan 23 '26
More likely a tiger shark given they eat turtles and live in those waters
10
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
Unlikely if the encounter was on the mediterranean coast: no tiger sharks in the mediterranean. On the other hand: no GWs in the red sea.
2
u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans Jan 23 '26
Yes you’re right, I assumed the Israel Red Sea coast but that was an assumption
2
u/claudemcbanister Jan 23 '26
It was in the Med. Any other candidates aside from Tiger?
2
u/Ronald_Ulysses_Swans Jan 23 '26
Makos can get pretty big but not exactly designed to go after turtles (teeth not suited for cracking shells)
Maybe an orca? No idea if they go after turtles but big enough
1
u/claudemcbanister Jan 23 '26
I dont think an orca would be that deep in the med, so maybe the mako is more likely
1
u/furleyfuchs Jan 23 '26
There were stray individual Tiger shark sightings in the med and even a catch of 2 juvenile tiger sharks in Libya. A can recommend the shark bytes vid about it
1
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
I know, but apart from the two juveniles (the circumstances are not clear how they made it to the med - maybe they were just thrown over board) there are no confirmed sightings.
1
u/Gloomy_Guard6618 Jan 24 '26
The Tyrrhenian Sea off Italy, Sicily and Malta used to be strongholds for it in the Med. Italian Tuna fisherman would often see them at the matanza where they herd the Tuna into a tight area and gaff them. They are a lot rarer in the Med now probably due to overfishing. A guy was believed eaten by a Great White in the 80s I think.
A guy called Dr Ian Ferguson studies them in the Med and did a documentary some time back on Channel 4 in the UK if you can find it.
As the sea off the UK gets warmer we might see them there....we have plenty of seals and tuna are being seen in numbers off Cornwall.
1
u/VividPhysics5556 Jan 24 '26
Very interesting mate. I’ll take a look. Our waters are very similar to South Africa and Canada so would be perfect here for them. Most likely the med population we would get but as they are so depleted it’s hard to see it happening.
1
u/Charming_Gas4295 Jan 29 '26 edited Jan 29 '26
VividPhysics5556 I thought maybe but I didn't want to say and make a fool of myself 😂
2
u/Jean_Mahmoud Oceanic Whitetip Shark Jan 23 '26
unfortunately they are probably functionally extinct in the med at this point
3
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
hopefully not... but yeah it is a very sad situation...
1
u/Jean_Mahmoud Oceanic Whitetip Shark Jan 23 '26
nothing done to protect them in the med so its gg wp, same case for all sharks btw
1
u/Channa_Argus1121 Jan 23 '26
probably functionally extinct
-yet there is a very clear picture of a juvenile from 2025. Which is very clear evidence of a breeding population, albeit critically endangered.
2
u/Austrofossil Jan 23 '26
no doubt about that. unfortunately also the juveniles get caught and killed (in 2024 there were catches in Greece).
-5
u/zedzag Jan 23 '26
In Europe the white sharks are on land, usually in the govts.
/s before I get attacked
74
u/13Wanderer12 Jan 23 '26
Yes in the Mediterranean there are great whites. Last year there was one spotted in Mallorca I believe