When one family discovered something horrifying hiding in the backdrop of their shot, what had begun as a lovely family day at the beach in Melbourne took a horrific turn.

A father and his little daughter were seen joyfully waving at the camera in the photo, which was taken at Carrum Beach. They had no idea what was behind them.

Quickly spread online
They didn’t notice a peculiar figure rising from the water a few feet away until they came home and took a closer look.

Back in 2023, the eerie image went viral online and sparked intense discussion about what the enigmatic shape might be—a shark or merely a wave trick?

And now, after several years, it has gone popular on social media once more.

The timing was no accident, local officials at the time said. SES Chelsea had alerted beachgoers about a shark sighting in the vicinity that same day.

And now, after several years, it has gone popular on social media once more.

We posted about a shark sighting, just off the beach, between Bonbeach and Chelsea. Well later, we received a message from a family, who follow our page, who were at Carrum Beach earlier in the morning.”

It was their little one’s first visit to the beach, and the gentleman’s partner grabbed a couple of snaps to record the day.
Later, when they got home and looked at the pictures, they noticed something in the shallow water, just behind them. Was this our shark?”

Social media users were split on what they observed in the post, which went viral right away.

One person wrote, “Couldn’t be a very big one, given the size of the dog and the depth of the water.”

Another added, “Looks a bit shallow for a shark that would have a fin that size, judging by where the dog and guy to the left are standing. Wouldn’t the other guy behind them have noticed?”

And a third commented, “I agree that it can’t be discounted – but it’s highly unlikely that a shark cruising in the shallows would not be seen and those in the photo not aware.”

Another theory
The Victoria Fisheries Authority (VFA) claims that neither Life Saving Victoria nor the VFA were able to verify the odd figure seen in the picture.

Professor Charlie Huveneers, the Southern Shark Ecology Group’s Research Leader, provided a more practical answer, stating that he thinks the “shark” was actually a stingray.

“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, which is native to southern Australian waters and occasionally seen in New Zealand, is listed as near threatened.

The terrifying find was made a few days after fisherman saw a huge great white shark, thought to be 13 feet long, circling their boat off Aldinga Beach, south of Adelaide.

Since then, authorities have warned beachgoers to remain vigilant as the controversy around what actually happened in that family snapshot continues to arouse interest and give people chills all throughout Australia.