Shark Saves Diver From Giant Groper

Grey River Argus, 10 September 1948, Page 3

Shark Saves Diver From Giant Groper

DARWIN Henre Titse, a Keepang diver, attributes the fact that he was not swallowed by a giant groper to the intervention of a tiger stiarK. On his recent return to parwin. Henre said that he was diving at 10 fathoms off Melville Island with another diver when he noticed a number of small fish in alarm dart past his glass face plate. He looked around in the murky water and saw a great fish, which he recognised as a groper. The groper started to circle around him with ever-increas-ing speed, which usually precedes an attack Henre said he released air bubbles from his pressure valve, which caused the gi-oper to. swim away, but only for a few minutes. When the groper returned it made a few short rushes at the divers. His companion began to ascend and dropped a bag of large pearl oysters, which the groper seized and crunched like a hungry dog. While the attention of the groper was occupied by tne evsters, he made his way slowly behind a heap of rock and coral, where he stood perfectly still. The props? started to swim around, but had failed to observe him standing Motionless, when suddenly g large tige" shark appeared and distracted me attention of the groper. Titse added that whi’e the Two giant fishes were circling each other sparring for fight, he signalled and was halped up As he ascended ' the groper made a sudden rush at

his legs, and a vicious snap just 1 tor’lle'aark threatening the groper, I would have been caught as ‘the groper is far more dead!} than the shark,” declared Titse the ehark is a coward and must oto attack, but a groper will attack a man any time.”-N.Z.P.A._ Reuter.