Shark Rock — Jimmy Swift, Palolem Beach, Goa
Jimmy Swift · A great white shark spray-painted on a natural beach rock, 2015 · Palolem Beach, South Goa, India
Photo from the Street Art Utopia archive; photographer and capture date unrecorded. Artwork: Jimmy Swift, 2015. Full photograph shown; resized for display.
Jimmy Swift painted this rock near the shore of Palolem Beach in South Goa as a great white shark in March 2015. My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 · Laughing Squid, 27 Jun 2019 Checked Swift used the rock’s own pointed shape as the shark’s head: “It’s truly amazing how mother nature can carve out such a perfect shape.” My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 Checked Two years later he came back and gave the faded shark a fresh coat. Laughing Squid, 27 Jun 2019 · My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 Checked
4 things to know
- The rock came first“When I first saw this rock it looked like a perfect place for a great white,” Swift told My Modern Met. “It’s truly amazing how mother nature can carve out such a perfect shape.” My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 Checked
- A nod to JawsAccording to My Modern Met, the film Jaws inspired Swift to try painting on the shark-head-shaped, three-dimensional rock. My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 Reported
- A fight with the tideSwift wrote on Instagram that he was “literally beat up by the waves and rising tide and forced to stop before it was finished”. It was his first shark, and his first painting on a three-dimensional surface like a rock. My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 · The Daily Jaws, 3 Feb 2023 · Laughing Squid, 27 Jun 2019 Checked
- A fresh coat in 2017Laughing Squid dates his return to March 2017, when the faded shark got new paint; The Daily Jaws says he has gone back on several occasions to keep the paint fresh. Laughing Squid, 27 Jun 2019 · My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 · The Daily Jaws, 3 Feb 2023 Checked
Check-in guide
- 📍
- Near the shore of Palolem Beach, South Goa, India. My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 · The Daily Jaws, 3 Feb 2023 Checked
- 🌊
- The rock stands in the surf, and the tide decides how close you can get. The paint fades and has been renewed before; the newest dated evidence is from 2017, so it may look different today. The Daily Jaws, 3 Feb 2023 · Laughing Squid, 27 Jun 2019 Unconfirmed
Sightings
- 2015Mar
First painted · Laughing Squid
- 2017Mar
Repainted · Laughing Squid
- 201812 Feb
Report · My Modern Met
- 20233 Feb
Mouth still visible · The Daily Jaws
Every stamp links to its source. Green stamps are dated work on the rock: the first painting in March 2015 and the repaint in March 2017, which sets the status stamp. Amber stamps are later reports; The Daily Jaws (2023) says the mouth is still visible, but its photos are not dated.
On the record
Graffiti Artist Transforms a Beach Rock Into a Gigantic Great White Shark
“When I first saw this rock it looked like a perfect place for a great white,” revealed Swift, who painted the shark in March 2015.
Artist turns stone into JAWS shark and people are taking amazing photos
“The most recognisable bit about Bruce has always been his big ‘smile’ and this part of Jimmy’s painting is still very much in evidence.”
The facts
- Title
- Shark Rock, the name used in our posts; no title from the artist was found. Unconfirmed
- Artist
- Jimmy Swift. My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 · Laughing Squid, 27 Jun 2019 · The Daily Jaws, 3 Feb 2023 Checked
- Year
- First painted in March 2015. My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 · Laughing Squid, 27 Jun 2019 Checked
- Place
- Near the shore of Palolem Beach, South Goa, India. My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 · The Daily Jaws, 3 Feb 2023 Checked
- Medium
- Spray paint on a natural rock. My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 Reported
- Repaint
- March 2017, after two years of fading. Laughing Squid, 27 Jun 2019 · My Modern Met, 12 Feb 2018 Checked
- Status
- The newest dated evidence found is the March 2017 repaint. The Daily Jaws described the mouth as still visible in February 2023, but its photos are undated; the present condition is not known. The Daily Jaws, 3 Feb 2023 Unconfirmed
- Our photo
- The SAU post uses this photograph from our media library; photographer not recorded. Street Art Utopia, 30 Sep 2026 Checked
Related
- Too Close for Comfort (8 Photos): the SAU collection with Shark Rock
- 10 photos – Graffiti Artist Jimmy Swift made White Shark out of beach rock: more photos of the shark on SAU
All sources (5)
Press
- My Modern Met: “Graffiti Artist Transforms a Beach Rock Into a Gigantic Great White Shark”, by Emma Taggart, 12 February 2018. Artist, Palolem Beach, March 2015, Jaws, the return two years later.
- Laughing Squid: “Artist Transforms Sharp Rock Rising From the Waters on a Beach in Goa, India Into a Great White Shark”, by Lori Dorn, 27 June 2019. March 2015 and the repaint in March 2017.
- The Daily Jaws: “Artist turns stone into JAWS shark and people are taking amazing photos”, by Tim Armitage, 3 February 2023. Palolem Beach, the tide, repeated repainting, the mouth still visible.
Street Art Utopia
- Street Art Utopia: Too Close for Comfort (8 Photos), 30 September 2026. The SAU post with this photo.
- Street Art Utopia: 10 photos – Graffiti Artist Jimmy Swift made White Shark out of beach rock, 18 May 2024. More photos of the work.
Artwork File · Last checked 19 October 2026 · Certainty labels follow How We Verify Art · All Artwork Files