Menashe Pinhas, an amateur diver from Kiryat Ono, surprised the Israeli diving community when he captured footage of a rare Yago shark, or Hexanchus nakamurai, during a dive in Eilat.

This is one of the least known and hardest-to-spot sharks in the Red Sea.

Pinhas, who was on an afternoon dive near the Eilat Refinery area in the city's southern region, suddenly noticed unusual movement and quickly identified the rare shark. "I was diving with friends near the Eilat Refinery, and then I suddenly saw unusual movement from the side," Pinhas recalls.

"I immediately realized it was something out of the ordinary. When I got closer, I was in shock—it was a Yago shark, a species that almost never appears in this area. My heart was racing, but I kept my composure to not miss the moment and took pictures."

The footage taken by Pinhas, which was posted on social media, quickly went viral and garnered enthusiastic reactions from the diving community both in Israel and around the world.

The rare Yago Shark, never before filmed. (credit: Walla)
The rare Yago Shark, never before filmed. (credit: Walla)

'A moment I'll never forget'

The Yago shark is from the ancient Hexanchidae family, characterized by having six gill arches instead of the five that are typical for most shark species. It usually lives at depths of 200 to 600 meters and feeds mainly on fish and squid.
Its presence in relatively shallow waters is a mystery for researchers. Its average length is 70 cm and it weighs about 2 kg. The Yago shark is common in the Red Sea and the western Indian Ocean.

"I'm still trying to process what happened," adds Pinhas. "I've been diving for years, but I've never experienced anything like this. It's a moment I'll never forget."