Two kayak fishermen off the coast of Half Moon Bay got an unexpected visitor last Tuesday when a massive great white shark surfaced behind them.
Ian Walters and John-Patrick Thomas were kayak fishing about a mile from Pillar Point Harbor last Tuesday when they spotted the the dorsal fin of a shark break the surface of the water.
'It was a beautiful, calm, foggy day. I noticed a really big dorsal fin. Further down, I noticed a very big tail. We both just tried to keep each other calm. We watched it circle around,' Walters told local news station KRON4.
The shark, estimated to be around 14 feet long, circled the pair before following Thomas' kayak for several minutes.
Walters captured the encounter on video. The footage shows the massive shark gliding through the water, its imposing size dwarfing their 13-foot kayaks.
Two kayak fishermen off the coast of Half Moon Bay got an unexpected visitor last Tuesday when a massive great white shark surfaced behind them
Ian Walters (pictured) and John-Patrick Thomas were kayak fishing about a mile from Pillar Point Harbor when they spotted the dorsal fin of a shark break the surface of the water
'There he is. You alright?' Walters asked Thomas in the video. 'Yeah,' Thomas replies, doing his best to keep his composure.
Walters purposefully moved his kayak in towards Thomas to 'seem bigger as two kayaks,' and tried diverting the sharks attention toward a group of seals.
Walters posted the clip on his Instagram, and asked for fellow shark enthusiasts to help identify what kind of shark they encountered based on the appearance of the dorsal fin.
Despite the close encounter, the shark did not display aggressive behavior, as it seemed more curious than aggressive. Walters said he was grateful to have experienced such a rarity.
'It was pretty magical to be near one like that. The apex of the apex predators. It wasn't aggressive at all. The experience was mostly surreal,' he said.
The sharks eventually left the kayakers alone after losing interest.
Dr. Paul Kanive from the California White Shark Project confirmed the shark as a great white and explained that August is a time when these apex predators migrate closer to the California coastline.
Despite the close encounter, the shark did not display aggressive behavior, as it seemed more curious than aggressive. Walters said he was grateful to have experienced such a rarity
Dr. Paul Kanive from the California White Shark Project confirmed the shark as a great white and explained that August is a time when these apex predators migrate closer to California
'It's got that classic triangle (fin) shape,' Kanive said.
These colossal creatures prey on large marine mammals like elephant seals and sea lions. Growing up to 20 feet long and weighing over 2,000 pounds, they rule the ocean.
A recent study estimated that around 300 great white sharks call the Central California coast home.
