Kenting’s Hongchaikeng in Pingtung is an area where tourists visiting Kenting can take sightseeing boats or go snorkeling. However, recently, local residents captured footage of a large shark swimming into the fishing port, which startled everyone.
If someone were to encounter it while snorkeling, it would be like dancing with the sharks. Fortunately, experts identified it as a white-tip reef shark known to have a gentler nature.
Diving instructors also advise to quietly swim away if you come across it and not to disturb it.
We can hear the eyewitness shouting in the video:
“Wow, that shark is huge! Look, it’s swimming over here. Come here for a better shot. There it is, the shark is coming! Shark, shark!”
In the footage captured by local residents at Hongchaikeng, a fish was seen swimming into the fishing port, causing a commotion among the residents and tourists.
The presence of the shark not only surprised the tourists but also left the local residents stunned, wondering how a shark could have entered the area.
Local resident of Hongchaikeng
For someone born here, I have never seen a shark this big swimming into our area. It's really frightening to see it coming in like this. When I used to swim here as a child, I never thought that a shark would swim in here.
The eyewitness also said, “It should weigh around 10 to 20 kilograms. Everyone gathered around to watch because it was the first time, so everyone wanted to take a look.”
Experts say they are whitetip reef sharks.
Associate Professor Chen Yu-Jun 陳餘鋆 from Aletheia University said that: “The Kenting area is now entering the so-called breeding season for marine organisms, which could attract these types of sharks or large predatory fish to come closer.”
The Whitetip Reef Shark is a common species of coral reef sharks found in the Indian to Pacific regions.
They are known for their mild temperament, although occasional human attacks have been reported.
However, due to the influence of movies like Jaws, people are often frightened by encountering Whitetip Reef Sharks while diving.
When encountering them in the sea, the best approach is to avoid disturbing them and quietly move away.