Rare white sharks captured “smiling” on camera on the beaches of Santa Cruz, California

Updated June 22, 2024, 4:30 p.m. IST

A seasoned wildlife photographer captured stunning images of two smiling great white sharks near Santa Cruz County beaches.

(Photo credit Eric Mailander)

A longtime photographer captured rare images of white sharks smiling near the Santa Cruz County beaches California. Eric Mailander is an experienced marine photographer and has photographed over 20 juvenile great whites. the Sharks swim near New Brighton State Beach using a GoPro.

Last week, Eric visited by boat an area known as “Shark Park,” where this specific species of shark goes every year. To record the sharks’ dorsal fin identification numbers, he lowered his action camera onto a pole and submerged it in the water.

Much to Mailander’s amazement, fortunately the baby sharks were attracted to the pole and swam in its direction, allowing him to take some interesting photos of the smiling great white sharks.

(Photo credit Eric Mailander)

Mailander also recorded the movement of baby sharks in the sea with a drone camera.

Everyone has seen the aerial photos of the grayling sharks near the coast. He told KRON4, “I wanted to show what they look like underwater. They seem to be smiling.”

Mailander helped Monterey Bay Aquarium researchers monitor populations off the coast of Central California.

“I took this footage a few hours ago at Shark Park and it’s incredible,” he remarked of the video. As I was using my drone to record this 7 foot white shark, a baby salmon shark appeared out of nowhere and the white shark decided to give it a go.

“I’m not sure about the outcome, but the white shark reappears near the end of the video without a shark in its mouth.” He added.