The moment a massive beached shark on the verge of death was carried back to the ocean has been caught on film.
A group of friends were cycling near the North Beach in Durban, South Africa, back in June 2022 when they spotted the thresher shark stranded in the shallows.
Gordon Reid, who had been bodyboarding on the beach at the time, captured footage of the rescue and posted it to TikTok.
Reid then joined in rescue efforts when it became clear they would take several people.
“By the time I got there, we decided to pull it across to the pier and try and let the natural rip help it get on because it really had zero energy,” Reid told Storyful. “The poor thing wasn’t kicking at all.”
Sharks need water to be constantly running over their gills in order to collect oxygen. If a shark remains out of the water and motionless for too long, it will die.
Thresher sharks are not very dangerous to humans. They are a shy and reclusive species, meaning they are difficult for humans to approach. They can grow up to 20 feet long and are easily identifiable by their huge tail fin, which in some cases reaches about half the length of their entire body.
In the video, the shark can be seen sitting motionless in the shallows of the water. A wave rushes over the shark, toppling it over on its side. It remains completely still.
A man can be seen attempting to position the shark in the direction of deeper waters by grabbing its pectoral fin. He eases it further and further into the waves.
The shark still appears to be still as the waves crash over it. But slowly, it starts showing signs of movement.
“It’s getting strength,” a man can be heard saying.
Two men then attempt to guide it back into the water. As they continue angling the huge creature back into the direction of deeper water, it eventually regains its full strength, and swims away.
“It’s swimming!” a man can be heard saying. The rescuers then applaud as they watch the shark swim back into the ocean.
Reid told Storyful that easing it back into the ocean using its fin “felt quite safe,” despite the size of the animal. He said it had been a “cool experience.”
Sharks and other marine life can occasionally become stranded in the shallows for numerous reasons. It is more common in cetaceans, such as whales and dolphins.
Sharks may wash up if they become disorientated and are unable to navigate themselves to deeper water. Some become stranded if they are sick or injured, and lacks the strength to guide themselves back into the water.
It is not clear what caused this particular shark to become stranded on the beach, however thresher sharks often swim in shallow coastal waters when hunting fish.
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