An Australian man who climbed atop a dead humpback whale this weekend to entertain friends quickly lost his sense of humor when sharks surrounded the carcass.泭
Friends of Harrison Williams, 26, filmed him as he pretended to surf the carcass floating off the coast of Western Australia. As seen in the video, laughing turned to screaming when friends noticed tiger sharks and at least one great white shark ripping at the rotting animal.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=fmFboLb_f2E
In an interview with CNN affiliate ,Williams asserts hed seen the sharks before attempting the feat.
[The sharks were] too busy chomping on the whale, so it wasnt too bad, Williams told Seven Network.
Mum thinks Im an idiot, Williams added. Dads not too proud either. Hes since apologized for the stunt and admitted his mother is right.
Australias Department of Fisheries was also unhappy with Williams behavior, according to .泭
Australian law stipulates swimmers stay at least 30 meters (98 feet) from whales up to $10,000 Australian dollars. While Williams actions were risky, authorities said he wont be fined; this whale was already dead, and Williams didnt remove any part of it, another crime with a maximum $10,000 fine ().
The carcass has since washed up on the beach in Scarborough, bringing feasting sharks shoreward and forcing authorities to close three beaches.