"Statistically, it is way more likely to win the lotto jackpot."
Photo Credit: iStock A cleanup dive in the Mediterranean turned into the kind of wildlife encounter most people only see on screen. As CBS News reported , a great white shark cruised past divers underwater, and the divers think the clip could be the first underwater recording of a great white shark in the Mediterranean Sea. While diving off the Strait of Sicily, volunteer diver Derk Remmers was helping remove abandoned fishing gear from the seafloor when he encountered a great white shark. Although great whites are known to inhabit the region, encounters there are rare, and reported sightings usually happen near the surface, according to CBS News. The dive was part of a Healthy Seas foundation mission to collect discarded nets and other equipment from underwater biodiversity hotspots. In a video from ABC News, the shark is seen moving calmly through the water alongside a school of fish. Remmers later told the BBC , "The shark was pretty close to us and in fact my fingers were trembling when I was trying to get the camera operating." He described the moment as "insane." This was not just a lucky wildlife sighting. The divers were in the area because human activity had already damaged it. Healthy Seas said earlier dives at the site found animals, including sea turtles, ensnared in discarded fishing gear. Overfishing, lost gear, and habitat disruption have changed the waters that marine life depends on. According to CBS News, the International Union for Conservation of Nature has listed the great white shark as "critically endangered" in the Mediterranean since 2016. Healthier oceans support fisheries, tourism, and coastal communities. Top predators, such as great whites, also play an important role in helping keep marine ecosystems in balance. When sharks, turtles, and other species are threatened by pollution and entanglement, it can signal broader stress across the food web rather than a problem affecting just one animal. Remmers said the encounter shook him. To emphasize how unusual the sighting was, he said: "Statistically, it is way more likely to win the lotto jackpot than to meet such an iconic animal underwater. "You spend decades diving wrecks and removing ghost nets, but nothing prepares you for a moment like this." Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here .
