Great white shark spotted in the Mediterranean in rare encounter

A volunteer diver had a rare encounter with a great white shark in the Mediterranean Sea last month, as researchers warn the species may be edging towards extinction in the region.

Derk Remmers was diving for the NGO Healthy Seas when he came face to face with what is believed to be a great white shark between Tunisia and Sicily.

“The shark was pretty close to us... my fingers were trembling when I was trying to get the camera operating," he told the BBC.

The shark was spotted miles offshore, but conservationists hope the footage will push governments to establish marine protected areas in Mediterranean waters.

Great whites are rarely seen in the Mediterranean. Researchers carried out three expeditions in the Strait of Sicily between 2021 and 2023 in the hopes of seeing a shark.

Despite deploying bait and underwater cameras, researchers did not find a single great white shark. However, monitoring of North African ports found that at least 40 sharks were killed in 2025 alone.

"It's plausible that they will go extinct in the near future," lead researcher Francesco Ferretti warned.

The waters where the shark was spotted are among the most heavily fished in the Mediterranean. At least 13 nations, including Malta, operate in the Sicilian channel.

Closer to home, a shark was spotted off Sliema in May 2025, prompting a debate among local experts over whether it too could have been a great white.