Shark with rope caught on tail spotted off shores of Aptos

An alarming video taken this weekend off the shores of Seacliff State Beach shows a great white shark with a rope around its tail.

Experts from Sea Spirits shot the video of the 200-300 pound shark Saturday morning. The rope is said to be about 30 feet long.

They say the shark did not appear to be in distress, but that could change if the rope becomes tighter.

Sea Spirits added that if the rope does get caught on something, that could cause more concern. If it became too tight, the shark’s tail could even fall off, which would most likely lead to its death.

They said they do not think this was done in a malicious way, it seems to be accidental or someone just trying to get a closer look at the shark.

Crews were out again Monday looking for the shark, but have not spotted it yet. This means it could have lost the rope or moved to another location.