He’s gonna want a bigger boat.
A California fisherman shared the heart-stopping moment he came face-to-face with one of the ocean’s most feared predators, capturing the behemoth creature dwarfing his 12.5-foot-long kayak on his phone.
David Slavich, was kayaking in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 25 when he came across the creature, ending up so close to the Great White Shark he was looking it in the eyes.
Slavich admitted a paddleboarder had warned him earlier in the day about a shark sighting, but he didn’t think much of it.
However, as he was enjoying some time out on the water, an unsettling “woosh” sound from the water reminded him he was not alone.
“I look over my shoulder, and I see this massive, massive silhouette and the distinctive fin,” he told KRON 4.
“This is not a killer whale, this is not a dolphin, this is a great white,” Slavich recalled of his terrifying encounter. “Oh my God, oh my God, there’s a great white shark, oh my God.
“There is this giant eyeball locking with my eyeballs,” he added. “It was one of the most surreal moments I’ve ever had in my life.”
The fisherman told NBC the interaction was “one of the scariest moments” in his life, and said he’ll no longer fish alone, saying he is always wary there could be sharks out there while he’s fishing.
“Every splash or seagull or anything while I’m out there, I’m hyperaware,” Slavich said.
After the shark swam past, Slavich pulled up his rig so that the shark couldn’t latch on and “brace[d] for impact.”
Thankfully, it didn’t engage.
“I think my encounter really just proves that they are not interested in eating people,” Slavich told KRON4. “They are pretty curious … [that] didn’t mean my heart wasn’t beating through my chest, because they can explore my leg a bit and I won’t necessarily survive that exploration.”
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