What began as a cheerful family outing at Melbourne’s Carrum Beach turned unsettling when one family discovered something chilling in the background of their beach photo.
The picture captured a father and his young daughter smiling and waving at the camera, completely unaware that something unusual seemed to be lurking just behind them in the water.
It wasn’t until they returned home and looked at the photo more closely that they noticed a dark, indistinct shape rising from the sea only a few feet away.
The image quickly made its way across the internet in 2023, sparking a wave of speculation and debate. Some viewers were convinced it showed a shark, while others argued it was nothing more than a strange play of light and shadow on the water’s surface.
Now, years later, the same photo has resurfaced and gone viral once again, reigniting the mystery.
At the time the photo was first taken, local authorities confirmed that the timing wasn’t entirely coincidental. The SES Chelsea division had issued a shark warning that very same day, advising beachgoers in the area to stay alert and out of the water.
In a Facebook post, local authorities shared:
“We posted earlier about a shark sighting just off the beach between Bonbeach and Chelsea. Later that day, we got a message from a family who follows our page. They had been at Carrum Beach earlier in the morning.”
They went on to explain:
“It was their child’s very first trip to the beach, and the dad’s partner took a few photos to remember the day. When they got home and looked at the pictures more closely, they spotted something in the shallow water right behind them. Could this have been the same shark?”
The post quickly took off online, drawing thousands of reactions and comments. Social media users were split—some convinced it really was a shark, others sure it was just an illusion caused by the waves.
One commenter wrote, “It couldn’t be a big one, considering the size of the dog and how shallow the water is.”
What began as a picture-perfect family outing at Melbourne’s Carrum Beach turned eerie when one family discovered something alarming in the background of their photo.
The picture showed a father and his young daughter smiling and waving, completely unaware of what was lurking just a few feet behind them in the shallow water.
It wasn’t until they returned home and looked at the photo more closely that they spotted a strange, dark shape emerging from the waves.
The image quickly spread across social media back in 2023, fueling a heated debate about what the mysterious figure could be—was it a shark, or simply an optical illusion created by the water? Now, years later, the photo has resurfaced and gone viral once again.
At the time, local authorities confirmed that the timing was not random. On that same day, SES Chelsea had issued a warning to beachgoers after reports of a shark sighting in the area.
In a Facebook post, the group shared:
“We posted about a shark sighting just off the beach between Bonbeach and Chelsea. Later, we received a message from a family who follows our page. They had been at Carrum Beach earlier that morning.”
They went on to explain:
“It was their child’s first trip to the beach, and the father’s partner took a few pictures to capture the moment. When they got home and looked at the photos, they noticed something in the shallow water right behind them. Could this have been our shark?”
The post immediately went viral, drawing a flood of reactions from curious users. Some were convinced it showed a shark, while others weren’t so sure.
One person commented, “It couldn’t be very big, considering the size of the dog and how shallow the water is.”
Another wrote, “It looks too shallow for a shark with a fin that large, judging by where the dog and the guy on the left are standing. Wouldn’t the man behind them have noticed?”
A third added, “I suppose it can’t be completely ruled out—but it seems unlikely a shark would be that close to shore without anyone seeing it.”
Authorities later weighed in. According to the Victoria Fisheries Authority (VFA), neither Life Saving Victoria nor the VFA could confirm the presence of a shark in the area that day.
However, marine expert Professor Charlie Huveneers, head of the Southern Shark Ecology Group, suggested a more logical explanation. He told Yahoo News Australia that the shape in the photo looked more like a stingray than a shark.
“The quality of the photo makes it hard to be certain,” he said. “But based on the shape, it doesn’t resemble a shark’s dorsal fin. It’s more likely the wing of a Southern Eagle Ray, which are commonly seen in shallow coastal waters.”
So while the viral photo sparked plenty of speculation and fear, the truth behind it may have been far less sinister—a harmless stingray gliding beneath the waves on what had otherwise been a beautiful family day at the beach.
The Southern Eagle Ray, a species classified as near threatened, is native to the southern waters of Australia and occasionally seen around New Zealand’s coastline. These graceful marine creatures are known for gliding close to the seabed in shallow waters, often near beaches where swimmers and snorkelers might spot them.
The eerie discovery at Carrum Beach came only a few days after another unsettling report from Aldinga Beach, south of Adelaide. There, a group of fishermen filmed a huge great white shark circling their boat. The predator, estimated to be about 13 feet long, moved slowly and deliberately around the vessel, leaving the men both awestruck and alarmed. The back-to-back sightings reignited public concern about shark activity in Australian waters, reminding locals just how close these powerful animals can come to shore.