Brewer was in South Africa this summer working for the eco-tourism and animal conservation organization White Shark Africa.
The organization blends tourist-like experiences with science and data collection, including tagging and identifying individual sharks.
While cage-diving off the coast of Seal Island in Mossel Bay, Brewer saw the massive shark opens its jaws as meat was thrown into the water. She posted the photo to her Instagram account, where it’s attracted a whopping 6,037 Likes.
Brewer said she caught the image with a GoPro camera she had bought just before her trip. The camera’s fish-eye lens made the shark seem closer and more menacing than it was in real life, she noted, as National Geographic reports.
She later told TIME: “When you’re there and you’re in their presence, it’s not scary. They’re beautiful and graceful, and you can see how intelligent they are.”
The New Jersey teacher said she took several images during her visit to the area where sharks congregated. Upon her return to the U.S., Brewer hung the photo in her classroom, and said that her students were excited by her close encounter, but also inspired by her love for animal conservation.
She said: “It’s a motivation for them to see that image, and be excited by it, and to realize that they could do that too, if they wanted. And even though some people may see the image and think it’s terrifying, if 350,000 people can talk about it in one day, at least people are talking and having conversations about these beautiful animals.”
Not everyone is as enthralled with the photo as the students. Ricardo Lacombe posted on the White Shark Interest Group Facebook page, according to NG: “Bait usage is fine in my book as an attractant, but dragging it at the cage like this is asking for trouble for the shark. So disappointed this shot is getting so much coverage … but a chance to try and educate people I guess.”
