Hot spring discovered during North Port redevelopment project

Warm-water-loving shark may be following water temperature

Bukangi, a shark that had been guided out of the artificial waterway at Busan North Port Waterfront Park during a third rescue operation on Wednesday, re-enters the channel and swims near the barrier. [Yonhap]
Bukangi, a shark that had been guided out of the artificial waterway at Busan North Port Waterfront Park during a third rescue operation on Wednesday, re-enters the channel and swims near the barrier. [Yonhap]

A theory spreading online suggests that "Bukangi" — a shark that has taken up residence in the artificial waterway at Busan North Port Waterfront Park — is refusing to leave because of a nearby seawater hot spring.

Bukangi was spotted swimming in the waterway near the Marina Bridge section of the park Friday morning, according to Yonhap.

The sighting was about 90 meters inside the waterway entrance, near a barrier installed by authorities.

Earlier, the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Busan city and other relevant agencies carried out a third, eight-hour rescue operation on Wednesday to guide Bukangi out of the waterway. The effort came amid concerns that the shark could die after spending more than a month in the channel without feeding.

Bukangi slipped back in through a gap beneath the first barrier around 11 p.m. to midnight Wednesday before being stopped by a second barrier. Authorities responded Thursday by removing the first barrier and installing a double net where the second barrier had been, topped with a pontoon — a floating platform used for water-based operations.

Blocked from moving further into the waterway, Bukangi was subsequently spotted in the open water off North Port Pier No. 1, where it spent an extended period submerged without surfacing, suggesting it was expanding its range. Still, it was also seen returning toward the waterway entrance and circling near the barrier.

Experts believe Bukangi will eventually head out to open sea once it adjusts to conditions outside the waterway.

Bukangi is a female spinner shark measuring about 3 meters in length. Spinner sharks are an endangered species that prefer water temperatures of 18 to 26 degrees Celsius and travel long distances in response to changes in water temperature. If the shark remains in the waterway as temperatures drop, its health could deteriorate or it could die.

The shark's continued presence near the waterway has drawn renewed attention to the discovery of large-scale seawater hot springs at three sites during the North Port redevelopment project in 2014.

According to reports from that period, a hot spring was first found at the entrance to Pier No. 3 of Busan Port in late 2011, and the Busan Port Authority discovered two additional sources in 2014. The water reached a maximum temperature of 39.8 degrees Celsius — hot enough to use directly without additional heating — and was noted for its high quality, with a daily yield of 1,700 tons.

A seawater hot spring pool in the North Port redevelopment area, pictured in 2017. [Herald DB]
A seawater hot spring pool in the North Port redevelopment area, pictured in 2017. [Herald DB]

The Busan Port Authority opened a foot bath using the hot spring water near the Busan Port International Passenger Terminal in the North Port redevelopment area in 2017, though it no longer operates on a regular basis. An outdoor swimming pool drawing on the seawater hot spring also opened in 2018.

On online communities, a post by one user connecting the location of the hot spring discovery to Bukangi's behavior has attracted attention. The user noted that "Bukangi circles only along the outer wall of the parking lot where the seawater hot spring was found, swimming unusually close to the wall," and speculated that the shark "doesn't have the strength to swim out to open sea and seems to be acting on survival instinct, trying to get into what it has found to be the ideal place to recuperate."

Other users responded with comments such as "Did it come to soak in the hot spring?", "We need to check whether the hot spring water is affecting the water temperature," and "Well, at least it won't freeze to death."


jshan@heraldcorp.com