Shark attacks are known. But sharks can also attack boats. But it’s not a great white shark, it’s a cookiecutter shark.
The crew and their belongings were saved, but the catamaran was lost.
Three sailors (from Russia and France) were rescued from a sinking inflatable catamaran in Sept. 6, 2023 after it came under repeated attack by sharks that stranded them more than 500 miles off Australia.
Rescuers picked up the men, two Russians and a Frenchman, after their emergency beacon sent out a distress call at 1:30 a.m. eastern Australian time, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, or AMSA, said in a statement.
Several shark attacks damaged both hulls of their 30-foot boat.
cookiecutter shark
Size: Cookiecutter sharks are relatively small compared to many other shark species. They typically measure between 40 to 56 centimeters (16 to 22 inches) in length.
Feeding Habits: Cookiecutter sharks are known for their parasitic feeding habits. They attach themselves to larger marine animals, such as whales, dolphins, and even submarines, using their specialized mouth and sharp teeth. They bite into their host and rotate their bodies, carving out round plugs of flesh, hence their name “cookiecutter.” This unique feeding strategy allows them to extract a cylindrical chunk of flesh from their prey.
Most likely, the sharks mistook the catamaran’s cylinders for fish and bit through the material.
