Mystery sea creature spotted at Eagles Nest in Inverloch
A mystery sea creature has been spotted close to the shorelines of a popular beach in Inverloch and residents have been quick to speculate what it was. WATCH THE VIDEO.
Bass Coast News
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A mystery sea creature has been spotted on the Bunurong Coast at a popular location in Inverloch.
Local Stewart Hill filmed a video of the large object gliding in the ocean at Eagles Nest on the Melbourne Cup long weekend and residents in a community Facebook group were quick to speculate what it was.
“It’s either a whaler or small white, too slow for a mako and a reef shark is not found in cold water,” said one local.
Another said “Forage extremely close to shorelines and I am tipping it’s a juvenile white”.
Parks Victoria Dive Officer Jonathon Stevenson told The Bass Coast News it’s not possible to tell what species was sighted from the footage.
“Shark movements are dependent on available food sources and there are several species of shark that might pass through Bunurong Marine National Park along the Bass Coast,” Mr Stevenson said.
“These include Great Whites, Bronze Whalers and Seven Gills.”
Experienced diver Steven Dunn believed the creature was about 2m long.
“People were saying it was 4m but it definitely wasn’t!”
The 64-year-old has spotted a shark in Inverloch before.
“I’ve been out on my paddle board and it was as long as my 3m board,” he said.
“I’ve dived for a long time and I’ve only been in the water a couple of times with sharks that I’ve known of.”
Mr Stevenson said divers should be mindful to swim safely and never go in the water alone.
“Sharks are apex ocean predators that play a critical role in maintaining the health of the ocean,” he said.
“As food availability changes, sharks move to different areas to feed.”
Mr Stevenson said shark sightings and interactions are rare.
“Visitors to marine protected areas need to be mindful that the ocean is a shark’s habitat and all wild creatures must be treated with respect and caution,” he said.
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