Why These ‘Harmless’ Sharks Ate a Swimmer Alive

The Mediterranean is known for serenity, sun loungers, and picturesque blue water. No one expects the sharks there to eat people. But on April 21, 2025, off the Israeli coast near Hadera, a snorkeler filming a group of dusky sharks met an ending that has scientists reeling.

The 40-year-old tourist was swimming more than 100 meters offshore, holding a GoPro to capture the rare congregation. Then, according to Ethology, one shark lunged for the camera and missed. The bite landed on him instead. Within seconds, the water filled with blood, and a feeding frenzy followed.

Witnesses heard him cry out before disappearing beneath the surface. The next day, search crews recovered small human remains confirming his identity. Marine biologists Eric Clua of Paris Science and Letters Research University and Kristian Parton of the University of Exeter wrote that “he had been devoured by several sharks during this incident.”

‘Harmless’ Sharks Ate a Swimmer Alive—but There’s a Reason, Scientists Say

What makes this horrifying is that dusky sharks (Carcharhinus obscurus) are usually the well-behaved tourists of the shark world—massive, yes, but not man-eaters. They’re the ones snorkelers flock to see every winter near Hadera’s desalination plant, where warm water attracts dozens at a time.

That same tourist-friendly predictability might have set the stage for tragedy. Feeding and filming them has turned a once-cautious predator into something bolder. Clua and Parton believe “artificial provisioning in the area has resulted in habituation,” meaning the sharks now associate humans with food. The lead shark likely went for the GoPro, thinking it was a meal, “unintentionally wounding him.” The blood and chaos drew in others, “triggering a feeding frenzy.”

The scientists explain the event as a rare chain reaction of human curiosity, conditioned wildlife, and bad timing. In their words, “extreme competition between individuals has probably overridden the non-instinctive prey nature of the human victim.”

This incident drives home the need for boundaries between people and wildlife. Feeding sharks for entertainment distorts their instincts and makes future encounters less predictable. Ecotourism can still strengthen conservation when handled responsibly, but it depends on keeping that distance intact.

“The worst solution,” Clua and Parton write, “would be to unselectively eliminate all sharks present in this area.” The real culprit, they argue, is us—too eager to touch what should only ever be watched.