Experts Weigh In — Shark or Stingray?

As the image spread like wildfire, social media users couldn’t agree on what they were seeing.

One user commented, “Couldn’t be a very big one, given the size of the dog and the depth of the water.”
Another added, “Looks too shallow for a shark that size — wouldn’t someone nearby have noticed?”

Despite the speculation, neither Life Saving Victoria nor the Victoria Fisheries Authority (VFA) could officially confirm what the shadow in the photo was. That’s when Professor Charlie Huveneers, Research Leader of the Southern Shark Ecology Group, stepped in with a scientific explanation.

“The quality of the photo makes it hard to be certain,” he told Yahoo News Australia. “But judging by the shape, it doesn’t look like a shark’s dorsal fin. It’s more likely the wing of a Southern Eagle Ray, which are commonly seen in shallow waters and along beaches.”

The Southern Eagle Ray — native to southern Australian waters and occasionally found in New Zealand — is classified as “near threatened.”

Still, the eerie find came just days after fishermen reported spotting a massive great white shark, estimated at 13 feet long, circling their boat off Aldinga Beach near Adelaide.

Now, with renewed warnings urging swimmers to stay alert, the unsettling Carrum Beach photo continues to spark fascination and fear — a reminder that the ocean often hides more than it reveals.