A Nova Scotian scuba diver can still picture the moment he came face to face with a great white shark during a routine dive on Wednesday.
Eric Peterson, an instructor with Torpedo Rays Scuba Adventures, was leading a customer on a dive at Fox Point Beach near Hubbards on Aug. 27 when the duo came within arms reach of the apex predator.
The shark, he said, appeared ten minutes into their dive. All he could see coming out of the murk was a big toothy smile, black eyes and a Cheshire grin.
In a video captured by another diver, the nearly three metre long shark can be seen coming within arms reach of the divers. It was surrounded by dozens of pilot fish, also known as banded rudderfish.
In that moment, he held onto his customer's chest strap, bringing them both down to their knees on the ground for safety. The two maintained eye contact and kept their composure as the shark nearly brushed past them.
Peterson has completed countless dives, even in international waters as far as Southeast Asia, but had never seen a great white shark in the wild until Wednesday.
The shark circled above the divers for about two minutes before eventually going its own way.
In recent years, there has been an increase in shark sightings along Canada's East Coast, with reports of great white sharks getting most of the attention. Last July, the Ocean Tracking Network at Dalhousie University in Halifax confirmed it was working on a plan to post warning signs for beachgoers for the first time.
Experts say conservation measures had helped the great white shark population recover from a drastic decline in the 1970s and 1980s. As well, they said climate change had led to warmer ocean temperatures, making it easier for many ocean species to spread northward.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2025.
-- With files from Michael MacDonald
Fatima Raza, The Canadian Press
