Video: Spearfisherman Headbutted by Whale Shark

One hazard of spearfishing is that you occasionally have to watch out for opportunistic sharks. A net full of tasty fish is a tempting target for many of the ocean’s top predators, but spearfisher Chris Coates hardly expected to get blindsided by a whale shark on one of his recent outings. The spearfisherman was filming a fellow diver off the coast of Ascension island in the South Atlantic Ocean when the incident occurred. Unfortunately for Chris, he was completely oblivious to the shark’s approach until he was warned by the other diver, but by then it was too late. The bumbling whale shark headbutted Coates in the stomach and knocked him aside. Luckily, Coates said he sustained no injuries.

http://youtu.be/usBCv1FGBco

Whale sharks are generally mild-mannered fish that swim through the ocean looking for small fish and plankton. They very rarely get into conflicts with humans, but like whales, they can seem a little absentminded at times.

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