Sharks Appear On Mediterranean Beach In Israel, Researchers Don't Know Why

Scientists and researchers are trying to fathom why numerous female sharks gather during the winter season near the place where the Hadera Stream pours into the Mediterranean Sea in Israel.

According to a report by Haaretz, the sharks remain in constant motion and close to the shoreline boulders in a small area.

It is believed that the sharks are attracted by the relatively warm waters near the shore, where they stay from the months of December to March.

However, the researchers are yet to figure out where the sharks go after March.

But till the sharks stay, they are a major tourist attraction. The report states that there were numerous people on the beach who were trying to see the sharks. The images on the screen of a drone operator shows approximately 24 sharks swimming in a small area in the water. This was happening 20 meters from the shoreline, the report said.

Diver Ran Golan, who along with his partners run a diving club during the winters at Hadera beach, described his experience of witnessing the sharks during a dive as a “jewel” and a feeling which was “indescribable.”

With regards to the sharks being close to the shoreline, Golan said, “People travel to the ends of the earth for experiences like this and now we have it right here, close to home, with easy access from the beach, without a boat, walking distance from the car.”

“It’s simply unbelievable,” added Golan.

Golan, for whom it is the second year running the diving club, described the dive site to be quite dangerous as it is an “an industrial site.”

Golan however stated that the sharks weren’t dangerous and described them as “totally nonchalant.”

For Eyal Beigel, a PhD student who heads the Top Predator Laboratory at the University of Haifa’s Morris Kahn Research Station, these shark sightings are a captivating mystery.

He described the eastern Mediterranean Sea as “a marine desert,” not likely to see a big population of top predators.

“Just as there are no lions and cheetahs in the Judean Desert, there aren’t supposed to be sharks here,” Beigel said.

Though much is not known about the sharks due to lack of research, Beigel had his own take on why the sharks congregate near Hadera beach.

According to Beigel, the sharks gathered because of the warm temperatures of the water and what he termed as “conservation of energy.”

However, the in-charge of marine environment matters at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Yigal Ben Ari, didn’t perceive the situation as positively as Beigel.

Ari stated, “I don’t like what is happening today. There are too many schools of sharks in the water, some of them swimming with hooks in their mouth.”

“The fisherman are sitting up top, there are people throwing food at the sharks and there are divers circulating in the water in difficult diving conditions, with strong currents and poor visibility. This is a sure recipe for bad things to happen,” added Ari.

But, Ari also explained the incident to be extraordinary and quite unique in its nature. He also said that this situation provides a chance to study sharks, the report said.

Ari said, “We have to take advantage of this excitement to preserve nature.”

In order to further research into the mysterious incident, Beigel gave a snippet of an operation which was being attempted. It involves ultrasound examination of a sharks by strapping them to the research boat for some hours to find out if they were pregnant.

The report further stated that scientists at present are conducting acoustic and satellite tagging which will result in tracking the sharks’ movements, understand the size of their population and also keep a tab on how many times they are coming to Hadera beach and for what reason.

Beigel, regarding the research which has been going on for two years, stated, “We must be patient and hope that in a few years, if we collect enough data, we will know a lot more about them.”