A freediver has shared hypnotic footage of whitetip reef sharks circling in a vast marine protected area in Mexico. In the clip, dozens of sharks can be seen cruising through the electric blue waters and paying absolutely no attention to the videographer.
“I was incredibly lucky to witness whitetip reef sharks circling around Roca Partida, a remote and wild island deep in the Pacific Ocean,” says Benjamin Yavar who shared the footage on Instagram. “It’s part of Revillagigedo National Park, located about 400km south of Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.”
For Yavar, this spellbinding footage is a reminder of what a healthy ocean should look like. “This place is massive, the largest fully protected marine area in North America,” he says. “With full protection, they thrive in huge numbers, playing their natural role as top predators and helping keep the ocean in balance.”
Some people might fear seeing so many sharks in one place but Yavar was thrilled, knowing how important these animals are for the health of our ocean and our planet. “Being there, surrounded by so much life, reminded me how important it is to protect wild places like this,” he says, “and how rare and special it is to witness them with your own eyes.”
Image and video credit: Ben Yavar, @ben.freediver, www.benjaminyavar.com
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