While fishing in a kayak in the Pacific off the coast of Northern California, a man was shocked beyond belief to see a great white shark swimming next to him.
The extremely close encounter happened on Sunday off San Mateo County, as David Slavich was enjoying a nice sunny afternoon fishing.
While filming his fishing reel cast into the water, he turned his head to see the apex predator swimming behind him.
“Oh my god, there’s a great white shark,” Slavich said as he hurriedly reeled his line back in. “Oh my god.”
Just a few seconds after putting his fishing pole back into the kayak with him, the shark swam by.
The shark was only a few inches away from Slavich’s kayak, with its dorsal fin poking up through the water as it swam past.
The animal dove beneath the water, disappearing from the surface after the extremely close encounter.
“There was a moment when it seemed like we were looking directly at each other, and I had the distinct feeling that it was just as curious about me as I was about it,” Slavich told Storyful News.
As soon as the shark disappeared from view, Slavich started paddling away, saying he was getting out of there.
“I felt more awe and fascination than fear,” he said. “It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
Great white sharks are found in the open ocean all over the world.
They migrate seasonally to stay in waters between 50 and 80 degrees, according to NOAA Fisheries.
Scientists say that most human-shark incidents are not predatory attempts, but rather the result of exploratory bites from sharks investigating unusual objects in their environment, such as kayaks, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
In California, white sharks are responsible for the vast majority of incidents between sharks and humans, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
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