In what is being described as an idiot move, an Australian man "surfed" a dead whale floating in the water on Saturday, while surrounded by sharks, according to reports.
Harrison Williams, 26, was out with his friends on a boat near Perth in Western Australia when they stumbled upon the 12-meter-long whale carcass. At approximately 1:30 pm Williams got the idea for his bonehead stunt, believing that he was in fact helping the poor mammal.
"Basically the whale looked in distress and I tried to help it. But clearly I was too late," he told the Daily Mail. It might be noteworthy to mention that the whale was missing a massive chunk of its side.
Nonetheless, the extreme sport lover jumped off the boat, swam to the body and climbed onto its back.
However, he failed to realize that a gang of sharks, including several tiger sharks and at least one great white, was feeding on the carcass.
"It is very risky to enter the water around that type of large food source because even if you can't see sharks it's highly likely the carcass is attracting them from a long way away," Tony Cappelluti, regional manager of the Department of Fisheries, told The West Australian.
Lucky for Williams, he survived the ordeal unscathed, although it's clear that it's not particularly one of his finest moments.
"Mum thinks I'm an idiot, dad's not too proud either," he told Sky News of his encounter.
The whale has reportedly been in the ocean for several weeks, floating between Rottnest and Fremantle off the Western Australia coast. Thanks to winds, the body is not expected to drift ashore for some time.
As controversy circles the legality of the daredevil move, fisheries officials are now monitoring the carcass to make sure that it's not interfered with again. According to The West Australian, the department notes that people should stay out of the water not just when it comes to dead marine life like whales, but also when they see blood or large schools of fish nearby.
Hindsight is 20:20, and it's clear Williams has seen the error of his ways.
"I've done it, I don't need to do it again," he told Sky News. "Definitely it was a stupid act, didn't mean to disrespect anyone."
It seems that he can now check whale "surfing" off his bucket list.
[Credit: GlobalNewsLive]
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