There has always been a population of white sharks that patrol the deep edge of the Gulf... when i was a kid they caught an 18 footer off of Tampa bay... on one of my favorite freedive spots lol... first time I ever felt my butthole pucker hahaha...
I remember they had to cut the shark into 5 sections just to get it in the boat...
Just a few years ago, a friend of mine was on a commercial spearfishing trip out in the middle grounds. Deep water, big fish, known for the occasional white shark. At 130', with a stringer full of bloody fish... he shot another that dug in under a big coral mound... leaving his stringer on top of the reef, he went in and under to dig out the wounded fish... when he came out, he described it as "seeing a shadow coming over him"...
... a full grown white shark was cruising DIRECTLY over him at that point, just a few fee above.... he said the eye of the shark was "glued" to him the whole way past....
... once the big shark dissappeared into the haze, he had to make the painful decision to head for the surface.... knowing a deco stop would be necessary... WITH a stringer of fish hanging at your side no less....
... He said that was the longest deco stop of his life.
