Santa Cruz (WFLA)— Dramatic video captured by onlookers shows a stranded great white shark struggling to survive.
Dozens of people watched from the cliffs of Pleasure Point in Santa Cruz, California as the 8-foot shark tried to escape from a shallow reef below.
He was trapped, bruised and bloodied and rolling in the incoming tide.
The shark remained struggling in the surf line as rescue attempts were made by the Pelagic Shark Research Foundation.
“We were able to get the shark upright and in the water. It just kind of turned around. It was aimless,” Sean Van Sommeran told local affiliate KSBW.
Rescuers were supposed to check on the shark again today, but its survival seems unlikely, according to the affiliate.
Authorities say its carcass will be recovered for examination by state officials to determine whether the animal stranded itself or was sick.
The great white shark is arguably one of the world’s largest known predators and is one of the primary predators of marine mammals.