Sharks Feast on Whale Carcass Near Fatal Surfer Attack (Video)

A whale carcass washed ashore on Tuesday in the town of Esperance, an idyllic coastal enclave in Western Australia. But before the blubbery body made it to the sand, an estimated 13-foot great white shark was seen feasting upon the floating cadaver.

Salmon Beach, where the whale washed up, was closed following the sighting. Later, officials managed to remove the dead whale by Wednesday afternoon, dumping it in a nearby waste facility. However, the whale has sparked renewed concerns about shark activity in the area, especially since the area has a history for fatal attacks on surfers.

See the footage below.

Jaimen Hudson, a wildlife photographer and tourism operator captured the footage of the shark feeding on the whale remains before it beached. He wrote:

“This is NOT something you see often! Today we had a dead whale carcass wash up on one of the beaches. As you can see it has been festering in the water for a long time! The huge oil slick and horrific smell have bought in some White Pointers to capitalise on a free feed. This guy was getting his last little bit of food prior to the carcass becoming completely beached.”

Speaking to ABC, Hudson estimated the great white to be about four meters (13 feet). He added: "There were a couple of sharks feeding on it, which was the first time I've ever filmed that, and I've been droning for 11 years in Esperance.”

In Esperance, Laetecia Brouwer was killed by a shark while surfing in 2017. Before that, surfer Andrew Sharpe was fatally attacked in 2020. And earlier this year, not far from Esperance at Wharton Beach, surfer Steven Payne was attacked and killed in chest-deep water, as onlookers (including his girlfriend) watched from the shore in horror.

Only Payne’s surfboard, peppered with bite marks, was recovered.

Naturally, the latest sighting has everyone a little on edge. Mitchell Capelli, founder and chair of the Esperance Ocean Safety and Support group, encouraged vigilance:

"Unfortunately, the likelihood of something happening is significantly increased around this time of year. We just need to be doing everything we can to keep people in the loop."