First Ever Footage Of A Shark Being Hit By A Boat [Video]

Researchers from Oregon State captured what is believed to be the first-ever footage showing a shark hit by a boat.

During an expedition in April off the coast of Ireland, the team tagged a basking shark with a tracker which they liken to a ‘Fitbit’ for sharks to record activity. Then, just hours after being tagged, the camera on the tracker recorded the shark being hit by a boat.

Shark researcher Taylor Chapple at Oregon State University’s Hatfield Marine Science Center said in a press release “this is the first ever direct observation of a ship strike on any marine megafauna that we’re aware of. The shark was struck while feeding on the surface of the water and it immediately swam to the seafloor into deeper, offshore waters, a stark contrast to its behavior prior to the strike.”

In the video, the boat hits the shark around the 2:40 mark:

Taylor Chapple added “…