A RARELY-seen great white shark with distinct markings is believed to be the largest in the world.
The apex predator of the sea, Deep Blue, measures at an impressive 22ft and weighs an enormous 2.5 tonnes.
Experts believe Deep Blue is the largest great white shark ever seen – and has lived for around five decades.
The-50-year-old female shark was first spotted in 2013 by shark expert and researcher Mauricio Hoyos Padilla in the waters close to Guadalupe Island, 160 miles from Baja California, Mexico – a known hotspot for great white sharks.
In 2021, Deep Blue was filmed circling ocean divers in a cage off the coast Guadalupe, Mexico.
Michael Maier, 53, who captured the video on an expedition with Nautilus Explorer, said Deep Blue was “very calm” during the chilling encounter.
He told Barcroft TV: “She was not at all nervous, and she just doing her circles around us.
“She was very interested in us, and looking at us. During the circles, we realised how big she was.
“She must have been around seven metres.
“We had a very long beautiful dive with her and when we all came back to the boat, we were all very enthusiastic about this encounter.”
He added: “What I do love about diving with sharks is the massive force of these animals in combination with elegance.
“It’s never hectic, it’s quiet, it’s reassuring, and it’s just very beautiful to be with them in the water and to dive with them.
“I felt the luckiest guy to be able to catch Deep Blue on video, and still when I watch this video, I’m very happy.”
Deep Blue got her name from Discovery Channel diver Mauricio – who swam with the creature as part of a Shark Week documentary.
Padilla was filmed reaching his hands out of a metal shark cage and touching her fin in the 2015 TV show.
Deep Blue was believed to be pregnant at the time.
He previously told Newsweek that he was looking for a shark to set a transponder tag on to learn more about the ocean predators.
He said: “Suddenly this huge female passed under the boat and we were amazed by her size.
“We tried to tag her but the tip did not work properly and we had to jump into the mother boat to fix it.
“A few minutes after she came back to our skiff and we were able to set the transponder that would send the signal to the AUV and we started the track.”
He added: “We got amazing footage of Deep Blue close to the bottom, taking advantage of her dark dorsum pigmentation to camouflage with the color of the bottom.”
In 2019, the camera-shy predator – identified by her distinct scars across her body – was spotted by Shark conservationist Ocean Ramsey while feasting on a whale carcass.
Describing the experience, she said: “There was a dead sperm whale in the area and we did observe her from a distance swimming over to it and eating it on a regular basis throughout the day.
“This gentle giant swam up and brushed up against our boat repeatedly.
“There is a theory that large females come here when they are possibly pregnant trailing whales.
“This individual may be one of the largest recorded and shows similar markings to ‘Deep Blue’ a shark I’ve studied in Isla Guadalupe, Mexico where I’ve done most of my work with white sharks.”
The influencer, who is followed by chef Gordon Ramsey, F1 star Lewis Hamilton and Pixie Geldof, has over half a million followers, and uses her presence to encourage people to petition for shark rights.
She first gained notoriety when she was filmed riding the back of a great white named Bella in 2012.
Although Mauricio has not seen Deep Blue since his first encounter with her, he suspects he knows exactly where she spends her time.
He said: “We do surveys every year from the ecotourism boats and our skiff.
“Since she is a big female I am sure that she arrives to Guadalupe island in November or December when most of the northern elephant seals arrive to the island.”
Great whites are rarely seen around Hawaii as they prefer seas with cooler temperatures.
In 2016, two divers came face to face with another colossal Great White that rivalled Deep Blue in size.
Thanks to the 1975 film Jaws, great white sharks are one of the most recognisable sharks in the world.
Named after their white underbellies, great white sharks are a type of mackerel shark which includes species such as the mako shark, salmon shark and porbeagle shark.
They are considered to be the world’s largest predatory fish and are estimated to live for 30 years.
On average, they grow to around 15 ft long, but some great whites have been measured at 19 ft. Their streamlined shape and powerful tails allows them to propel themselves through the water at more than 37 miles per hour.
The monster predator also has 300 sharp triangular teeth arranged in up to seven rows. Unlike humans, which only ever grow two sets of teeth, great whites keep growing new chompers as long as they live.
Great whites also have a bite force of of up to 1.8 metric tons, which allows the shark to quickly inflict massive trauma on their prey.
