Divers Remove Ghost Nets, Meet Rare Great White Shark

Derk Remmers was doing what he's done for years: pulling deadly abandoned fishing nets from a shipwreck in the Strait of Sicily. Then a massive great white shark swam right past him.

"The shark was pretty close to us," Remmers told the BBC. "And in fact, my fingers were trembling when I was trying to get the camera operating."

The June 8 encounter wasn't just thrilling. It was scientifically significant.

Great white sharks do live in the Mediterranean Sea, but researchers almost never see them alive. Most knowledge about the species in this region comes from dead sharks accidentally caught by commercial fishing operations.

Remmers volunteers with Ghost Diving, a team of 550 divers who partner with Healthy Seas foundation to remove "ghost gear" from oceans worldwide. Ghost gear refers to abandoned fishing nets and equipment that trap and kill marine animals long after fishermen lose them.

The numbers are staggering. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, 640,000 tons of fishing gear get abandoned in oceans every year.

In 2025 alone, Ghost Diving volunteers logged 140 diving days conducting surveys and active cleanups across the globe.

Why This Inspires

The timing of this encounter couldn't be more meaningful. Remmers was literally removing the exact threat that endangers species like great white sharks when one appeared before him.

"What makes this encounter so powerful is not only the shark itself, but the context in which it happened," said Veronika Mikos, director of Healthy Seas. "We were there to remove ghost nets trapping marine life on a shipwreck ecosystem that is a hotspot for biodiversity."

Dr. Carlo Cattano, a researcher at Sicily's Marine Centre, called the sighting "extremely valuable" for understanding this critically endangered species. The data from this encounter will help scientists identify conservation hotspots and better protect threatened Mediterranean sharks.

Remmers knows how lucky he was. He said a diver is statistically more likely to win the lottery jackpot than meet a great white shark underwater, especially in the Mediterranean.

But the encounter didn't stop the team's mission. "We also went on with our diving plan to remove nets from the wreck," Remmers explained, "as this moment showed the importance of our work very clearly."

The experience felt "pretty special" to a diver who's spent decades doing this crucial work. Sometimes the ocean reminds us exactly why we fight to protect it.