Europe · 08 June, 2026 · 2 min read
Volunteer Divers Film Adult Great White Shark in Strait of Sicily During Net Removal
Divers captured what may be first underwater footage of an adult great white in Med. Mission removed ghost nets from a shipwreck in the Strait of Sicily.
How clear the shark’s threat level is to people.
8 of 9 outlets skipped it: BBC says the event could spur marine protected areas..
19outlets compared
Same story, two versions
tap a side to read it in full
One stresses direct non-danger, another relies on distance offshore.
Shark Off Sicily
A team of volunteer technical divers captured what is believed to be the first-ever underwater footage of an adult great white shark in the Mediterranean Sea during a mission in the Strait of Sicily.
“"Le mie dita tremavano, è stato un incontro davvero speciale"”
The dive involved volunteers with Ghost Diving and the Healthy Seas Foundation removing abandoned fishing nets from a deep shipwreck, with the encounter described as occurring in the Strait of Sicily while they worked on a relitto between Sicilia e Tunisia.
Volunteer diver Derk Remmers told the BBC that "Le mie dita tremavano, è stato un incontro davvero speciale," describing how the shark swam near the divers, then moved away and returned.
Remmers said he did not have fear because the shark was "si trovava in una parte centrale del Mediterraneo, lontano dalle coste" and did not represent a danger for people.
Who Filmed It
Multiple outlets tied the footage to Derk Remmers, who filmed the encounter while working with Ghost Diving and Healthy Seas Foundation on removing ghost nets.
Adnkronos said the images were captured by "un gruppo di subacquei volontari della fondazione Healthy Seas insieme alle organizzazioni Ghost Diving e SDSS" while they worked on a relitto tra Sicilia e Tunisia.
The BBC described the interaction as "pretty special" and said the sighting was thought to be the first underwater footage of an adult Great White shark ever filmed in the Mediterranean in its natural habitat.
In the same BBC account, Remmers said, "The shark was pretty close to us [...] And in fact my fingers were trembling when I was trying to get the camera operating," as he tried to keep the camera working.
Conservation Stakes
The mission’s focus on removing abandoned fishing nets was presented as part of a broader conservation effort, with the Guardian saying the sighting happened during a mission organised by the NGO Healthy Seas Foundation in partnership with Ghost Diving and the Society for Documentation of Submerged Sites to remove abandoned fishing nets.
“"to remove abandoned fishing nets"”
The Guardian added that Healthy Seas said the video was believed to be the first underwater footage captured of an adult great white shark in the Mediterranean in its natural habitat.
The BBC warned that scientists fear the species could disappear from the region altogether, while also saying people shouldn't be concerned because the shark was spotted many miles offshore.
Healthy Seas director Veronika Mikos framed the encounter as a reminder of what can still exist offshore, saying "Moments like this remind us how much life can still exist in offshore Mediterranean waters" and "how important it is to protect it from preventable threats like abandoned fishing gear or overfishing," according to NDTV.N