A Vancouver Island divemaster captured rare video footage of a blunt-nose six-gill shark on Monday [1].
The encounter provides a glimpse of an elusive deep-water predator that is seldom filmed in its natural habitat. Such footage helps document the presence and behavior of these sharks in the coastal waters of British Columbia.
Carl Sorenson, a divemaster, was diving off the coast of Vancouver Island when he encountered the animal [1, 2]. Sorenson was not originally targeting the shark; he was searching for a giant Pacific octopus [1, 2]. During the search, the blunt-nose six-gill shark appeared, allowing Sorenson to record the animal on camera [1].
The shark is characterized by its six [1] gill slits, a feature that distinguishes it from most other shark species. These predators typically inhabit deeper waters, making sightings by recreational or professional divers infrequent [1, 2].
While some reports suggested a team of scientists was responsible for the footage, verified records indicate the encounter was made by Sorenson [1]. The video was released to the public on Aug. 24 [1].
The footage captures the shark's massive size and distinct blunt snout as it navigates the underwater terrain of the Canadian coast [1, 2]. The unexpected nature of the meeting highlights the biodiversity found in the region's cold-water ecosystems.
“A Vancouver Island divemaster captured rare video footage of a blunt-nose six-gill shark”
The recording of a blunt-nose six-gill shark in this region underscores the ecological complexity of the Pacific Northwest coast. Because these sharks are rarely seen in shallower waters or by non-researchers, opportunistic sightings by divemasters provide valuable supplemental data on the distribution of deep-sea species moving into coastal zones.
