A Quebec diving student was injured by a great white shark in Percé, Que., in the province’s Gaspé region, according to Plongée Percé. Plongée Percé, a scuba diving centre and non-profit organization, told CTV News that the incident occured during a training dive Wednesday with two students and the dive shop’s general manager. The victim, a male diving student, received first aid at the scene before being transported to hospital. Plongée Percé said his life is not in danger. He sustained upper body injuries, including to his chest, left shoulder and back. “I just turned around and saw the shark attacking him. It happened in a flash. One second he wasn’t there, one second he was there, and the next second he was gone again. I realized that there was some blood in the water, and then we surfaced, and we got him as quickly as possible on the boat and back to shore,” said Steve Melanson, general manager of Plongée Percé. “It’s very, very sad the way it happened, but I’m glad he’s gonna be okay. I’m glad I was able to take him out of the water quickly and get him to the ambulance very fast. From the time of the attack to the time he was at the dock in Percé, I think it was only about 10 minutes, so he was really, really lucky.” Melanson described the shark as “so big” and said it was the first time he saw a shark in the area. “I’ve been here for 15 years, and I have close to 2,000 dives around the island, and it’s my first encounter,” he said. All diving activities are suspended as a precaution for the remainder of the season. Melanson said they aimed to discuss next steps with other professionals. Sharks in Gulf of St. Lawrence The St. Lawrence Shark Observatory told CTV News sharks are common in Atlantic Canadian waters, particularly in regions with grey seal populations, their food source. According to Thomas Leszkiewicz, shark conservationist, researcher and board member of the St. Lawrence Shark Observatory, the Gulf of St. Lawrence has 11 shark species, typically present from June to early November. However, the organization said white sharks have increased in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in recent years. The organization said several factors are driving the increase, including climate change, which is driving grey seal populations and sharks to warmer waters for longer. White sharks are also an endangered species, but government policies have recently protected them, boosting breeding and their count, Leszkiewicz said. “We just have to be careful. There are a lot of things we could do: not swimming at dusk and dawn, not swimming close to seal colonies, avoiding reflective material like bracelets,” Leszkiewicz said. But despite the increase in tagged white sharks in Atlantic Canadian waters, the organization said recent numbers are not unprecedented, and the risk to the public remains unchanged. “This is a tragic accident, and our thoughts are with the victim, but these are remarkable animals, and we just have to learn how to live with them going forward,” Leszkiewicz said. “I hope this doesn’t scare people too much and makes them more curious than anything else.”
