A volunteer cleanup dive off the Strait of Sicily yielded footage that divers believe could be the first underwater recording of a great white shark in the Mediterranean. The sighting occurred during a Healthy Seas mission to remove discarded nets; earlier dives at the site found sea turtles entangled in ghost gear. The IUCN lists the Mediterranean great white as Critically Endangered (since 2016), and experts warn that lost gear, overfishing and habitat damage threaten broader marine ecosystems.
Divers May Have Captured First Underwater Footage of a Great White in the Mediterranean
Photo Credit: iStock
A routine cleanup dive off the Strait of Sicily became a rare wildlife encounter when volunteer diver Derk Remmers filmed a great white shark gliding past his team. The divers say the clip could be the first underwater recording of a great white shark in the Mediterranean Sea.
The expedition was part of a Healthy Seas mission to recover discarded fishing nets and other gear from underwater biodiversity hotspots. Earlier dives at the same site uncovered animals, including sea turtles, entangled in ghost nets and other debris, highlighting the human pressure on marine habitats.
While great white sharks are known to range in parts of the Mediterranean, sightings are uncommon and typically occur at or near the surface. In video shared by ABC News, the shark appears calm as it swims beside a school of fish while the divers watch in stunned silence.
"The shark was pretty close to us ... and in fact my fingers were trembling when I was trying to get the camera operating," Remmers told the BBC. He described the encounter as "insane."
Conservation groups warn that overfishing, lost gear and habitat disruption have altered the waters on which marine life depends. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has listed the great white shark as Critically Endangered in the Mediterranean since 2016, underscoring the fragility of large-predator populations in the region.
Healthy oceans support fisheries, tourism and coastal communities. Top predators like great whites help maintain ecological balance, and threats such as entanglement and pollution often signal wider stress across the marine food web rather than isolated problems.
Reflecting on the experience, Remmers said: "Statistically, it is way more likely to win the lotto jackpot than to meet such an iconic animal underwater. You spend decades diving wrecks and removing ghost nets, but nothing prepares you for a moment like this."
Video of the encounter has been shared by major outlets and may help raise awareness about ghost nets and the urgent need for stronger measures to protect Mediterranean biodiversity.
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