This is why I sold my inflateable boat ......."Unsinkable"

[El Presidente]

 

 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-09-07/cookiecutter-shark-catamaran-expedition/102822734

How a 40cm cookiecutter shark deflated a 9-metre catamaran off the coast of Cairns

By Jameela Timmins

Posted 2h ago2 hours ago, updated 57m ago57 minutes ago

 

 

How can a 40-centimetre shark deflate a 9-metre catamaran?

On Wednesday at 1:30am three sailors attempting a round-the-world voyage activated their emergency beacon after their boat was attacked by sharks 800 kilometres off the coast of Cairns, and began to sink. 

The craft left St Petersburg on July 1, 2021, in a bid to break the world record for cruising distance in an inflatable sailing trimaran. 

The crew — Siberians Evgeny Kovalevsky and Stanislav Beryozkin, and Vincent Thomas Garate from France — were rescued by a cargo ship and are due to arrive in Brisbane today. 

 

Russian sailors Stanislav Beryozkin and Evgeny Kovalevsky have been rescued from a sinking catamaran in the Coral Sea.(Supplied: Russian Geographical Society)

It's suspected their craft was set upon by cookiecutter sharks. 

It's the second catamaran to be used in the attempt, after the first vessel — Russian Ocean Way — was punctured by sharks in Tahiti in June. 

The trio had also made an earlier attempt in March on a trimaran but the trip was abandoned for other reasons.

What are cookiecutter sharks?

Cookiecutter sharks are little, but their prey is not. 

"Cookiecutter sharks are unique in that they're very small, usually around 40 centimetres," Daryl McPhee, an associate professor of environmental science at Bond University, said. 

"They generally feed on large prey including whales and large fish."

 

The teeth of a cookiecutter shark, which feeds on big fish.(Supplied: Robert Zelugaro)

The sharks have an "odd and somewhat frightening array of teeth they use to grab their prey and twist to bite a circular piece off," he said. 

They can do this to an animal several times, slowly eating their prey.

 

[KCCubano]

They are one strange shark! Have seen many pics/footage of the chunks they can take out of people and other fish or animals

[Bill Hayes]

It's my favourite shark. I recently binned my inflatable kayak that I used to go spearfishing off. Ha ha!

[Chibearsv]

Cookie cutter sounds so cute...yikes!

They're also known as cigar sharks which should terrify you no matter what your boat's made of 😁

[jakebarnes]

I remember when I was younger reading about how some cookie cutter sharks disabled a submarine. Admittedly not via the hull, but finding the softer spots and taking out sonar and electrical points.