Australia has always been a land of many terrifying encounters with the animal kingdom. However, it remains a beautiful place to witness nature’s beauty too. So, you can often find people and families going on vacation to the island country. A family on a sunny beach trip got a pretty terrifying shock when they came back home and took a closer look at their beach photos. It is safe to say that they almost received way more than a fun day out during their trip to the coast of Melbourne, Australia.
It seems like the family was not aware of how dangerous the waters could be in the area. So they had innocently frolicked there for several hours. They took quite a few pictures of their fun time out, and it was only later on that they were only a few inches away from a life-threatening situation. Take a look at this picture, and see if you can spot why the family went into a tizzy:
If you manage to look past the happy father-daughter couple and look at the water, you might spot one shark fin. Did you see it? Yes, that’s just how close the aquatic predator was to the non-suspecting family frolicking in the water. Quite a close shave!
The Beach Photo Gave Them Fright Of Their Lives
The beach photo was taken in the beginning of 2023 at Australia’s Carrum Beach. Recently, though, the internet seems to have taken hold of it with renewed vigor. However, there is a debate this time around as to the presence and identity of the mysterious shark fin. Originally, the Chelsea SES search and rescue group had posted the picture on their Facebook page. It accompanied a warning to all people in the area, even the locals, about the potential threat in the waters.
The caption to the original beach photo post read: “Yesterday we posted about a shark sighting, just off the beach, between Bonbeach and Chelsea. Well later, we received a message from a family, who follow our page, who were at Carrum Beach, earlier in the morning. It was their little one’s first visit to the beach, and the gentleman’s partner grabbed a couple of snaps to record the day. Later, when they got home and looked at the pictures, they noticed something in the shallow water, just behind them, was this our shark?”
The Internet Is Split On The Creature’s Identity
In the more recent rediscovery, however, the users argued on whether it actually was a shark. One user was of the opinion that a shark would not be able to approach the shore that close. Their comment read: “Looks a bit shallow for a shark that would have a fin that size judging by where the dog and the guy to the left are standing. Wouldn’t the other guy behind them have noticed?” Another supported the claim partially: “Couldn’t be a very big one, given the size of the dog and the depth of the water.” A third comment read: “I agree that it can’t be discounted – but it’s highly unlikely that a shark cruising in the shallows would not be seen and those in the photo not aware.”
Nevertheless, there were several users who were not as brave at writing off the possibility. After all, sharks have been documented to swim in close proximity to the shore in the past, even in areas that are frequented by tourists. So, it would probably do well to always keep an eye out if the beach has such warnings surrounding it.
Sources
- “Family terrified after spotting chilling detail in beach photo.” Lad Bible. Callum Jones.