First Ever Orange Shark Discovered By Fishermen Off The Coast Of Costa Rica

What started as a normal day on the water quickly turned into something unforgettable for a group of fishermen off the coast of Costa Rica.

As their boat drifted, they noticed a strange glow beneath the surface—something that didn’t look right.

“We saw an orange glow below the water and I said, ‘My God, what is this?’” said Garvin Watson, owner of Parismina Domus Dei. “We were all screaming like crazy.”

Moments later, they realized what they were looking at: a shark with a striking orange color—something none of them had ever seen before.

The group, experienced catch-and-release fishermen, carefully brought the shark in just long enough to document the rare sighting before safely releasing it back into the ocean.

Curious and stunned by what they’d encountered, they shared the footage with experts.

Marine biologist Daniel Arauz Naranjo had the same reaction. “As soon as I saw it, I was like, what? That is crazy,” he said. Naranjo has co-authored a scientific paper about the shark suggesting that the orange color may be the result of an extremely rare combination of genetic mutations.

The discovery is a powerful reminder of how much of the ocean still holds surprises.

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