Rare Great White Shark Sighting Documented in Mediterranean Sea
Volunteer divers from Ghost Diving and Healthy Seas filmed what is believed to be the first underwater video of a Great White shark in the Mediterranean Sea, encountering the large adult male just three metres away while clearing ghost fishing nets near a shipwreck in the Strait of Sicily. The Mediterranean population of Great White sharks is classified as critically endangered, largely due to illegal fishing, accidental capture, and habitat loss. Scientists and conservationists say the sighting is scientifically valuable and hope it will spur governments to establish marine protected areas in the region.
Volunteer technical diver Derk Remmers captured rare close-up footage of a Great White shark (Carcharodon carcharias) in the Strait of Sicily between Tunisia and Sicily in May 2026, during a dive to remove abandoned 'ghost' fishing nets from a shipwreck. The encounter, described by Remmers as 'pretty special,' saw the large adult male swim within three metres of the divers before turning back out of apparent curiosity and then disappearing. The footage is considered the first of its kind recorded underwater in the Mediterranean, where the species has lived for millions of years but is now critically endangered due to overfishing, illegal fishing, and habitat degradation. Researcher Carlo Cattano of the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn noted that most existing knowledge of Mediterranean Great Whites comes from dead specimens caught in fishing operations, making behavioral observations like this exceptionally valuable. Scientists stressed there is no cause for public alarm, as the shark was spotted far offshore. Conservationists used the occasion — timed around World Oceans Day — to call on governments and the fishing industry to reduce net abandonment and to create marine protected areas. An estimated 640,000 nets are lost or discarded at sea globally each year, trapping and killing marine life including sea turtles and large fish.
Limitations & open questions
The exact current population estimate for Great White sharks in the Mediterranean varies across sources (described as 'a few hundred' by The Independent but not quantified by others), and no peer-reviewed study on this specific sighting has yet been published.
How coverage differed
The Independent framed the story with emphasis on the divers' emotional reaction and the ghost net crisis, while Wired provided the most scientific depth, contextualizing the shark's ecological role and conservation status. Al Jazeera's coverage was brief and focused on the viral spread of the video rather than its scientific significance.
What different sources said
- WiredLeft
Great White Sharks Have Been in the Mediterranean Sea for Millions of Years—but Sightings Are Incredibly Rare
- The IndependentLeft
Great White shark filmed in the Mediterranean for the first time by stunned divers
- Al JazeeraLeft
New video of great white shark in Mediterranean goes viral
- BBCCenter
Rare footage captured of Great White shark in Mediterranean Sea
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