Carl Sorenson, a diver from Vancouver Island, encountered a rare bluntnose sixgill shark at a depth suitable for recreational diving, a sighting that is uncommon in the area. The shark was about five feet away and moving slowly towards Sorenson before bouncing off his camera gear, which he managed to record on video. This was Sorenson's first-ever encounter with a sixgill shark out of 1,200 dives around Vancouver Island. He speculates that the shark may have been in the area to mate or give birth, or possibly to hunt for octopus, as it is known to eat them.
Written by the local model on 2026-08-25,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Carl Sorenson, a diver from Vancouver Island, had an unexpected encounter while diving at the Madrona Diving Site near Parksville: he came across a bluntnose sixgill shark, which is a rare sight in B.C. waters. According to Sorenson, who has made over 1,200 dives around Vancouver Island, the shark was about five feet away and approaching him with its mouth open. Sorenson managed to capture footage of the shark using his camera, getting close enough for it to bounce off his equipment. The bluntnose sixgill shark is a large deep-water species, but seeing them at recreational diving depths like this one is uncommon. Sorenson stayed with the shark for about three minutes before it swam away into deeper water. This encounter was a rare treat for Sorenson, who described it as an experience he never expected to have on that dive.
Written for “Rare Shark Encounter on Coast” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
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No political leaning scored for article 2275 · logged 2026-08-27
Vancouver Island diver Carl Sorenson was on the lookout for octopus, a sight he encounters regularly, when he came across something very unexpected.
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he → encounter → something
“This shark was about five feet away and coming at me with its mouth open,” Sorenson told Global News.
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Sorenson → come → News
“I started screaming in my regulator and then I realized you got to get your camera on, so I hit record right away.”
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I → start → record
Sorenson managed to capture a massive bluntnose sixgill shark, getting close enough for it to bounce off his camera gear.
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it → manage → gear
He stayed with the shark for about three minutes before it made its way out to deeper water.
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it → stay → water
“It wasn’t on my bingo card that day,” he said.
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he → say → card
“I’ve got about 1,200 dives all around Vancouver Island and I have never seen a sixgill shark.
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I → get → shark
“It’s just a very rare thing for us to see here and that’s why it’s at the top of every diver’s bucket list.”
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it → ’ → list
The bluntnose sixgill shark is a large deep-water species and while they are not uncommon in B.C. waters, seeing them at a recreational diving depth is.
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seeing → see → depth
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earthquake → prompt → news
Sorenson said it may have come into the shallow waters at the Madrona Diving Site near Parksville to mate or to give birth.
uncertain
it → say → birth
He said they also could have come to find octopus, just like he was looking for.
uncertain
he → say → octopus
“Because they eat octopus and I was in an area with a lot of octopus, so maybe that was also a part of why it was there as well,” he added.
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he → eat → octopus
He was confident the shark wasn’t going to enjoy him as a snack.
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shark → go → snack
“When it came at me with its mouth open, it definitely wasn’t in an aggressive way,” he added.
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he → come → way
“It was very slow and gentle and moving methodically.”
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It → move → ?
Sorenson said the video he posted has received lots of excitement and comments online.
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he → say → excitement
“It’s going to be hard to top that for a while,” he said.
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he → go → while
