A group of heroic beachgoers have saved a struggling beached shark at a Perth beach.
The group who were visiting Quinns Rocks on Sunday (April 24) saw the species, believed to be a mako shark, swimming close to shore.
In videos, the shark can be seen distressed in the shallow water as it attempts to find its way back out into the deep, thrashing about trying to breathe.
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Putting their bravery to the test, at least seven men helped push the shark back out into the ocean.
Definitely not a task for the faint of heart, but with the species classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, it was a heroic deed indeed.
The Reddit user, u/clozza1, who posted the video online, outlined the events.
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They said: “It got helped, this was when it first beached itself and no one knew what to do really. 2m shark so they weren't sure how to go about getting it back in the water or if it would bite.”
Also commenting: “[A] few blokes ended up walking it out into about waist-deep water 3 or 4 times before it swam off into deeper water. Kept swimming back up onto the beach.”
In a follow-up video, the men can be seen pushing the shark back into the water, although obviously a bit hesitant.
One user asked whether pulling the tail would have been easier in getting the shark back to its home.
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Another user replied: “It would have, and in the past, lots of folks did this, but it does harm to the Sharks. These fellas did it right, as slow and tedious as it is.”
One user laid out the shark’s stress in terms that anyone could understand.
They commented: “Dude, imagine just accidentally reaching the edge of the whole world as you know it, and getting stuck there inexplicably.”
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The rescue comes just a week after a Western Australian family filmed the moment a huge great white shark started chomping at their boat.
The family told Nine News that the shark - which they estimated to be between three and four metres long - hung around for about an hour in total, circling them before launching a series of attacks on the motor.
After unsuccessfully attempting to chow down on the boat, the shark left.
Certainly scary stuff, and makes the rescue of this poor beached guy even more admirable.
Jayden Collins