Woman tries to pet a great white shark on Georgia fishing trip, but its sudden thrashing and lunge reveal the powerful survival instincts of an apex predator

A lady who tried petting a great white shark off the Georgia coast got a rude shock when she saw the creature thrashing and turning its head towards her during an unusual encounter that was captured on video. The video shows a shark tagging expedition in which a lady extends her hand towards the great white shark lying next to the fishing boat.

According to the crew, who stated that the lady known as Jen was not in any danger since they had the shark under control, the shark's sudden movements startled her and made her retract, reported Fox News.

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This incident has raised the question of the behaviour of sharks. Why would a great white suddenly thrash, twist or turn its head while being touched by a person?

There are reasons why this particular shark turned out this way, though these reasons have not yet been clearly identified.

Why a great white shark might suddenly thrash or swing its head

Great white sharks are strong marine predators; however, their behaviour should not always be interpreted as an attempt to attack.

The shark that gets caught and restrained by humans for tagging is put into an entirely new situation as compared to the one it experiences while freely swimming in the water.

Handling and physical interaction, along with restraint, can make the shark react through sudden body movements in accordance with its surroundings.

Thrashing consists of strong body and tail movements, while a fast head turn can make the shark aim its mouth at the object close to it. These movements can occur unexpectedly and can give people close to the shark no time to respond.

The behaviour of the shark will also depend on how it is treated and the environment surrounding it.

However, without the proper analysis of the video clip and the situation at hand, it would be impossible to determine whether the particular movement of the shark was brought about by stress, physical contact, or something else.

Furthermore, the video itself does not prove that the shark attempted to bite the woman intentionally.

What happened during the Georgia shark-tagging trip?

The adventure was planned by Knot Lucky Fishing, a nonprofit organisation based out of Savannah that organises fishing adventures for military veterans, active duty military, and their families.

The shark tagging project carried out by Knot Lucky Fishing involves capturing, tagging, and releasing great white sharks through partnering with research institutions to collect valuable data on the movement and migration of the sharks.

Also, the project names the tagged shark after fallen military service members in order to pay tribute to them while carrying out scientific research.

According to the founder of Knot Lucky Fishing, Jimmy Armel, the woman was never under any threat during the incident. The team was always in control of the situation but was not able to tag the shark because of the safety risks involved in the process.

However, the video provides useful insight into the interactions between humans and animals.

Just because a shark appears to be stationary next to a boat does not necessarily mean that it enjoys physical contact, and its next move can be easily anticipated through assumptions made about domestic animals.