As for the cause of the shark's behaviour, Gennari said it was almost certainly an accident rather than an attack on the boat.

Enrico Gennari, director of oceans for the South African company, suspects that one shark may have wound up on top of another.

It took about 20 minutes, and the whole time we were splashing water on the shark's gills, trying to help it breathe, "Gennari said."