LAUDERDALE-BY-THE-SEA, FLA. (WSVN) - A pair of divers came to the rescue of a shark caught in fishing line off Lauderdale-by-the-Sea.
Diver Randel Sands always does his part to clean up while diving but rarely does he get the opportunity to save a life.
“I always make it a point of leaving the ocean or the beach cleaner than when I arrived,” said Sands.
Sands recorded video of the dive session when he encountered the shark, Tuesday.
“I saw this beautiful shark underneath this coral ledge, and she was lying under there, so I approached her really slowly because I didn’t want to spook her,” said Sands. “When I backed away from her, she became startled, and she tried to leave, and that was when I realized that something was wrong. She couldn’t leave.”
Sands, who has been diving for just about two decades, said the shark was tangled in fishing line that was also wrapped around the reef.
“The lines had lead weights on them, several fishing hooks, and she was stuck,” said Sands.
Sands and his partner carefully but quickly cut the lines to free the shark.
“And she left, and she was swimming beautifully. She looked very healthy when she left,” said Sands.
The encounter made Sands think about undiscovered sea life that may have been injured or trapped by what people leave behind.
“If you’re a fisherman and you’re not a diver, when you look out over the ocean and you’re looking down, it’s not an endless pit. It actually ends somewhere,” said Sands. “That’s where I’m at. That’s what I’m seeing. I’m at the bottom of the ocean, and I can see the garbage that’s on the ocean floor that’s been thrown off the boats. If you’re a beach-going person, please leave the beach cleaner than when you got there.”
He said he’s sure the shark would have died had they not freed her because she would not have been able to move or feed.
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