When Almog Atar set out on a fishing trip last Wednesday afternoon, he expected a peaceful day doing what he loves most. But three kilometers (1.8 miles) off the towering chimneys of the Orot Rabin power plant, he had a surprise encounter with a shark.
Atar, 32, was fishing from his kayak when a dusky shark (Carcharhinus obscurus) approached him. While this species typically prey on small fish and is not known to attack humans, it can occasionally mistake divers or fishermen for prey. Dozens of dusky sharks are spotted near Hadera’s coastline each year, but Atar had no reason to suspect anything unusual – until the shark locked onto his kayak.
Footage of the attack
The likely reason is that Atar had caught several zebra seabreams (Diplodus cervinus), a sought-after white fish with bold brown stripes, which the shark could smell. While the predator fixated on Atar and his catch, it ignored his fishing companions, who had no seabream in their possession.
The shark repeatedly lunged for Atar’s fish, forcing him to push it away with his speargun when it got too close. For several tense minutes, it circled his kayak before finally swimming off.
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“Encounters like this aren’t common, but they can happen,” Atar said. “There are sharks in the waters off Hadera, and people should take the necessary precautions because, at the end of the day, they’re large predators.”
Experts say warm waters from the Orot Rabin power plant, which discharges heated water into the Mediterranean, likely attract the sharks to the area.
Dr. Adi Barash, a marine biologist with the Sharks in Israel organization and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History at Tel Aviv University, helped Atar identify the species. The organization advised that fishermen – whether in Hadera or elsewhere – should avoid carrying fish on their bodies, instead securing their catch to a buoy or kayak.
“Hadera’s sharks don’t stay in one place; they roam the area,” the group said in a statement. “A few years ago, a similar encounter in northern Israel at sunset ended with the shark being killed. It’s important to follow safety guidelines to coexist with the sea without endangering ourselves or harming the sharks.”
Atar’s quick thinking and calm demeanor ensured the encounter ended safely, leaving him with nothing but an adrenaline rush and a remarkable story.