Teacher's amazing great white shark photo goes viral
This too-close-for-comfort photo of a great white shark is going viral because it's such a great photo, but the art teacher who took it said she had no idea it would turn out like this.
Amanda Brewer snapped this terrifying photo this summer near Seal Island, Mossel Bay while in South Africa interning with White Shark Africa to promote shark conservation. She shared it to her Instagram in late September.
On October 5, the photo was picked up as the GoPro photo of the day. Since then, it's racked up 78,000 likes on Facebook and 357,000 likes on Instagram.
While many have marveled at the chilling shot, the photo has its share of critics. Several comments have wondered whether such a terrifying portrayal is helpful to shark conservation. Others have cried photoshop.
Brewer said she just got lucky.
"I went with my GoPro camera in hand, and one day, it was the perfect storm," she told Good Morning America Wednesday.
She said was in a shark cage when the shark approached. She set up her camera to take several shots at once, and this happened to be one that it took.
Brewer posted several photos from her trip to her Instagram, but this one has the ultimate honor: It made it up on the wall in her New Jersey elementary school classroom.
"They're all so excited about it," she said. "It's been an amazing experience to share with my students."
Here are some more highlights from Brewer's adventures.
