HONOLULU (KHON) — A boat tour off of the coast of Hawaii captured a rare sight on video: a tiger shark attacking a sea turtle.
Kaimana Ocean Safari owner Kayleigh Grant called the scene “nature’s natural process” — the shark on the hunt for food and the turtle fighting for its life.
Grant had taken her boat tour out on their regular route when suddenly, about a half-mile off Kealakekua Bay, the shark was seen repeatedly ramming into the green sea turtle.
The turtle gave its best effort to fight off the shark, attempting to turn its shell toward the predator.
“And it works pretty well,” said Grant on the turtle’s defense. “Tiger sharks are made to hunt sea turtles, though, and so they have really sharp, serrated, strong teeth that are good for getting through that shell.”
Green sea turtles are the largest hard-shelled sea turtles in the world, reaching lengths of 4 feet and weighing over 300 pounds, according to the Maui Ocean Center.
Grant also added that this is all part of nature, the interaction is the natural course of life, and interfering could affect the ecosystem.
“Although you may feel bad for the turtle, it’s best to just let nature run its course and do what it’s supposed to do to keep the ecosystem functioning properly,” Grant said. She added that although she has seen something similar at least twice before, she felt lucky to witness it again.
The entire encounter lasted about 10 minutes before both creatures dove deeper into the ocean. It is unknown which animal came out on top.