Video Footage May Reveal the Largest Great White Shark Ever Caught on Camera
— -- A new video showing a pregnant, 20-foot-long great white shark may be the largest of its kind ever to be caught on camera.
The estimated 50-year-old shark, nicknamed "Deep Blue," was discovered near Guadalupe Island by shark researcher Mauricio Hoyos Padilla in 2013.
It’s unclear why he waited two years to post the video, and he could not be reached to clarify.
The video, titled "Deep Blue (The biggest shark ever filmed) second part," shows Deep Blue circling the cages of researchers in the waters off the Mexican Coast, with one diver swimming outside the bars.
Padilla posted the footage of the 5,000-pound female on his Facebook page Aug. 10, where it has since received over 1.6 million views.
"When I saw Deep Blue for the first time, there was just one thought in my mind: Hope," Padilla wrote on his SlideShare page. "A shark of that size is at least 50 years old and that tells me protection and conservation efforts are really working. Deep Blue has been spared from longlines and the inherent dangers of being in the wild, and somehow she has found her way in the vast ocean.
"During November and December, we have seen several White Shark pregnant females like DEEP BLUE in Guadalupe Island feeding on seals, satisfying their needs to feed their pups."
Padilla continued to note that pregnant sharks are likely to get close to the ocean's shore and give birth closer to shallow waters.
Deep Blue was featured in a 2014 documentary "Jaws Strikes Back" during Shark Week on the Discovery Channel.
