In 2013, a 20′ great white shark was caught on video by Mexican shark expert Mauricio Hoyos Padilla off Guadalupe Island. Believed to be the largest great white shark ever filmed and among the largest great whites ever encountered, she was nicknamed “Deep Blue.” The female shark, weighing an estimated 6,000 pounds, was featured prominently in the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” of 2104.  

A few days ago, Deep Blue was seen once again, feeding on the carcass of a dead sperm whale roughly nine miles off the coast of Hawaiian island of Oahu. Great white sharks are relatively rare in the waters around Hawaii. Marine biologist, Ocean Ramsey, and several other divers recently spent a day swimming alongside the massive shark.

As reported by the Washington Post: “Beyond magic!” the shark conservation advocate and marine biologist wrote earlier this week in the caption of an Instagram video documenting her chillingly close encounter with the shark that had amassed more than 440,000 views as of Saturday afternoon. Several photos and videos of Ramsey swimming with, and even occasionally touching, the giant shark have since gone viral on social media, leaving many awestruck over the breathtaking images.

But for some other marine biologists also dedicated to studying the apex predators, Ramsey’s fearlessness has inspired more consternation than wonder, raising concerns that her risky behavior could have potentially negative impacts on humans and sharks.

“I can’t believe that ‘please don’t grab the 18-foot long wild predator’ is something that needs to be explicitly said out loud, but here we are,” David Shiffman, a marine biologist who studies sharks, told The Washington Post in a Twitter message.

On average female white sharks are 15-16 feet long, typically 4 feet longer than males great whites. Based on her girth, marine biologists think that it is likely that Deep Blue is pregnant. 

Massive great white shark sighting prompts “frenzy” and warnings