1/11This Jaws-dropping shot greeted a photographer as she got up close and personal with a group of sharks.Tanya Houppermans, 44, caught the moment as the sand tiger shark glided through a tunnel of tiny fish off the coast of North Carolina in the United States. PICTURE: TANYA HOUPPERMANS/CATERS
SHARKNADO! Unique pictures reveal stunning sand tiger sharks gliding through bait balls of tiny fish
FEW people would willingly jump into the water with a shark, let alone with one that is feeding but that’s exactly what Tanya Houppermans did.
2/11Sand tiger shark in bait balls. These stunning images get up close and personal with a group of sharks as they glide their way through gigantic bait balls. PICTURE: TANYA HOUPPERMANS/CATERS
3/11Photographed from beneath a sand tiger shark, the image shows the animal as it penetrates a bait ball of thousands of fish, the top half of its body emerging out of the grouping. PICTURE: TANYA HOUPPERMANS/CATERS
4/11Few people would willingly jump into the water with a shark, let alone with one that is feeding. But that’s exactly what photographer and conservationist Tanya Houppermans has done to capture her “one in a million” shot of a sand tiger shark dissecting its way through a huge bait ball. PICTURE: TANYA HOUPPERMANS/CATERS
5/11Ms Houppermans, 44, took the incredible series of photographs on July 10 and 11 in waters off the coast of Morehead City in North Carolina, where she has been shooting for the past eight years. PICTURE: TANYA HOUPPERMANS/CATERS
6/11In all her time diving, the snapper said she had never seen a bait ball of the size she witnessed in July. “I am always amazed by how incredibly graceful and beautiful sharks are,” she said. PICTURE: TANYA HOUPPERMANS/CATERS
7/11Ms Houppermans hopes the images will dispel misconceptions about sharks, saying they are not creatures to be feared. Despite their ferocious appearance, there have been no reported human fatalities caused by a sand tiger shark. PICTURE: TANYA HOUPPERMANS/CATERS
8/11Sand tiger sharks survive on a diet of bony fish, other sharks and crustaceans. With no reported human fatalities caused by a sand tiger shark, conservationist Tanya hopes her snaps will teach the public the truth about these awesome creatures.PICTURE: TANYA HOUPPERMANS/CATERS
9/11The bait balls within which the sharks swim are constantly moving, and can sometimes measure as much as several storeys high, PICTURE: TANYA HOUPPERMANS/CATERS
10/11“Unfortunately, popular media has propagated the myth over the last several decades that sharks are mindless monsters.” said photographer Tanya Houppermans. PICTURE: TANYA HOUPPERMANS/CATERS
11/11”Those of us who work around sharks know that this is anything but the actual case. It can actually be extremely difficult to get a shark to come close enough to take its picture. Sharks are often quite cautious and timid around people, and will typically retreat if they feel threatened.” said photographer Tanya Houppermans. PICTURE: TANYA HOUPPERMANS/CATERS