In this video, fishermen in the Bahamas see churning waves near their boat. As they get closer, they realize that it is a sea turtle and a tiger shark engaged in a deadly struggle. A few expletives fly as they take it all in. The turtle’s flippers flail in the water as the shark grabs hold. “No way,” says one of the fishermen. “That poor [deleted] turtle!” They watch as the turtle tries to climb onto the boat. It moves to the diving platform, trying in vain to get away from the shark. The tiger shark has a firm grasp on the turtle’s shell. They grab a fishing rod, hoping to find a way to help the turtle. The turtle’s shell is made of keratin and does a great job of protecting it in the wild. While the shark has a firm grip, the shell keeps the turtle’s vulnerable body safe. Still, the fishermen are ready and willing to get the turtle to safety. “We’ve got to rescue the turtle,” they say. The shark loses its grip on the turtle as the video cuts out.
A Good Deed
“We’re out here and we just saw a Tiger Shark stompin’ on a turtle,” they say into the camera. Dipping the camera into the water, they get a great shot of the Tiger Shark swimming in the bright blue water. They grab the turtle out of the water gently. “Let’s relocate this baby.” Once they find a safe place for the turtle to be that is far enough away from the Tiger Shark, they put it back into the water carefully. Happy to be alive, the turtle swims away. Sea turtles are not strangers to predators in the ocean. In Australia, another sea turtle fended off a tiger shark attack without the help of kind fishermen.
