A surfer in Puerto Rico on Monday was frightened out of the water by a large shark that could be seen thrashing just outside the lineup.
Jorge Benitez, who captured the accompanying footage at a spot called Middles, told FTW Outdoors that the surfer closest to the shark is Rolando Montes “and he definitely saw the shark and paddled to shore quickly.”
However, Montes might not have been in danger.
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As science writer Sarah Keartes pointed out via Twitter, the shark is chasing a large ray – “maybe an eagle ray?” – and shows no interest in the surfer.
“Only a close call if you’re the majestic flap flap,” Keartes wrote, referring to the wording in a CBS News tweet showing the footage. “No danger here.”
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Benitez told FTW Outdoors that he spotted the leaping ray and began to capture that on video. He was not aware at the time that a shark, possibly a hammerhead, was pursuing the ray.
When Montes reached the beach Benitez asked him, “Why were you so afraid of a stingray?”
Benitez said he did not see the shark until he and Montes reviewed his footage. “It was definitely a big one,” Benitez said.
–Image courtesy of Jorge Benitez
