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Photo © Simon Heather

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Great White Vortex

Great White Vortex
by Clay Folden


A juvenile Great White Shark swimming through bait schools in the shallows off of a beach near Santa Barbara. The swirling trail behind him is called a vortex trail. This 'wake' is created by the oscillating movement of the shark's tail, causing small contrasting vortices, which remain visible due to the suspended sediment in the surrounding water.