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When wildlife lensman Chris Fallows archetypal ventured into the waters of False Bay, successful Cape Town, South Africa, helium saw a thriving assemblage of large achromatic sharks.
They would hunt the tens of thousands of seals that lived connected a adjacent stone called Seal Island. A decennary ago, Fallows saw 250 to 300 antithetic large achromatic sharks a twelvemonth there.
And with a small luck, you could spot 1 of these majestic predators jumping retired of the water, snatching its prey successful its jaws portion flying done the air.
Fallows' photographs of this behaviour successful large achromatic sharks, called "breaching," are immoderate of the astir breathtaking of the earthy world, capturing them successful mid-flight, suspended supra the water.
"To spot a 1,000-kilogram large achromatic shark travel flying retired the water, well, that's thing precise fewer radical get to see, and surely I ne'er got bushed of it," Fallows told 60 Minutes Overtime.
But astir 10 years ago, the large achromatic shark colonisation began to mysteriously disappear. Sightings dwindled, and tourists stopped coming. Scientists and conservationists disagree implicit who, oregon what, the culprit is. But they each hold the sharks that erstwhile cruised those waters are present gone.
"It truly showed to maine conscionable however fragile our satellite is," Fallows told 60 Minutes Overtime. "It affected maine precise deeply, but it was besides a catalyst to doing what I bash today, to effort and showcase what I've been truthful privileged to see."
Fallows spoke with 60 Minutes Overtime from his location successful Cape Town astir his renewed determination to support and papers the earthy satellite aft the large whites' disappearance, and shared the stories down his singular images of wildlife.
Fallows' astir well-known photograph is "Air Jaws": a melodramatic black-and-white changeable of a large achromatic shark breaching, its jaws wide open, displaying razor-sharp teeth.
"Air Jaws" by Chris Fallows. Cape Town, South Africa.
Chris Fallows
In 2001, Fallows took a vessel retired into the waters adjacent Seal Island to effort to seizure a large achromatic breaching.
"We'd been towing a [seal-shaped] decoy for astir astir an hr already, not having overmuch success. But conscionable thing said to me, conscionable support your attraction and support focused," the lensman told Overtime.
Suddenly, a large achromatic shark leapt retired of the water. Fallows' shutter clicked away. It was each implicit successful astir 7 seconds. "And it was successful the days of film. [I couldn't] look connected the backmost of the camera and spot if I'd nailed it."
"I waited the full weekend, not knowing whether I'd benignant of over-imagined this unthinkable image, whether it was going to beryllium sharp… [on Monday] I walked into the lab, everybody was clapping," helium told Overtime.
The photograph was life-changing for Fallows. It was published successful newspapers and magazines astir the world, earning him planetary designation and giving him a vocation shooting photographs of animals successful the wild.
"It was a photograph that changed my life, and it gave maine a fantastic commencement with my photography. And it… epitomizes the powerfulness and, I guess, predatory prowess of this unthinkable animal," helium told Overtime.
Fallows would spell connected to instrumentality much photographs of large whites successful the waters disconnected Cape Town's coastline, diving into the waters without a shark cage to instrumentality photographs underneath the large achromatic sharks arsenic they swam by.
"A View to a Kill " by Chris Fallows. Cape Town, South Africa.
Chris Fallows
Fallows told Overtime that his wife, Monique, is simply a captious portion of ensuring that helium is harmless portion moving with animals successful their environment. To photograph large achromatic sharks and different species, helium typically dives without a cage.
"I'm incredibly privileged to… person an astonishing spouse successful my unthinkable wife," helium told Overtime, "[She] understands those animals' behavior, making what I bash a small spot safer, but besides champion allows maine to beryllium successful the close presumption to instrumentality a large shot."
Fallows said large achromatic sharks, portion feared by galore people, are misunderstood. He says he's learned a batch by observing them up close.
"One of the astir important educators and teachers for maine was the large achromatic shark, an carnal that galore radical fearfulness but I learned to emotion implicit the years," helium told Overtime.
"I tin genuinely accidental that I've ne'er felt that the animals, you know, person been openly acting aggressively towards me… it's the tolerance of those animals to let maine successful their space," helium explained.
Fallows told 60 Minutes Overtime the communicative down different image: a herd of elephants crossing a dried-up water led by a large-tusked female.
"Sadly, we've got precise fewer elephants with immense ivory [tusks] left. One of the places to spot them is Amboseli National Park successful Kenya," Fallows told Overtime. "I was precise fortunate to beryllium successful the close presumption astatine the close time, from a precise debased angle, precise adjacent to her."
"Defiance" by Chris Fallows. Amboseli National Park, Kenya.
Chris Fallows
The photograph, named "Defiance," captures what helium called a "tusker," oregon long-tusked elephant, a uncommon show due to the fact that elephants with tusks that agelong are often poached for their ivory.
"This unthinkable matriarch… defied the poacher's snare oregon the hunter's gun," Fallows told 60 Minutes Overtime. "And has someway managed to support her herd… some harmless and sustained with nutrient and water."
While the nonaccomplishment of large achromatic sharks successful coastal waters astir Cape Town was "tragic," Fallows told Overtime the rebound of humpback whales gives him "hope."
Since a moratorium connected commercialized whaling by the International Whaling Commission went into effect successful 1985, the planetary colonisation of humpback whales has grown significantly.
Fallows has seen the effects of this rebound himself disconnected the seashore of South Africa. "We present spot groups of 150 oregon 200 together," Fallows said.
"And determination tin astir apt beryllium nary much sensorial acquisition than photographing [them]… you odor them, you spot them, you perceive them, you consciousness the whale enactment connected you," Fallows told 60 Minutes Overtime. "They interaction you precise deeply… It's genuinely unthinkable to beryllium successful the institution of the largest creatures connected the planet."
"After the Fall, the Rise" by Chris Fallows. Cape Town, South Africa.
Chris Fallows
Chris and Monique Fallows person utilized profits from income of Chris' photographs to concern conservation efforts, including their own.
In 2017, they purchased 61 acres successful Cape Infanta, connected South Africa's southbound coast, for situation restoration. They're present successful the process of purchasing a 26,500-acre spot successful Namibia for situation restoration and to assistance summation the standard of wildlife corridors successful the area.
Fallows told 60 Minutes Overtime that radical tin "tread much carefully" connected the situation and make productive biodiversity areas by taking attraction of their "own small patch" of the world. One casual regularisation to follow: "Don't propulsion integrative successful the water… I can't archer you however galore times I've seen animals wrapped successful plastic."
"All beingness depends connected different signifier of life," Fallows told 60 Minutes Overtime.
"Great achromatic sharks, elephants, lions, penguins, they each person their ain small families and ecosystems successful which they live… dainty them with respect."
The video supra was primitively published connected April 12, 2026. It was produced by Will Croxton and was edited by Nelson Ryland. Jane Greeley was the broadcast associate.
Photos and videos courtesy of Chris Fallows, Jono Allen, Marisa Denton, and Warner Bros. Discovery.
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