This Kayaker Keeps Being Circled by a Great White Shark That Won’t Leave

Can you imagine being on a sea fishing trip and getting circled by a great white shark that is the same size as your kayak? The fisherman who experienced this describes it as “incredible and certainly humbling” and it has produced some amazing footage that we can all enjoy.

At first, we see a sequence from above the water with the great white swimming around and under the kayak. As the cameraman places an underwater camera in position, the shark continues to circle and is in no hurry to leave. The above water footage is fascinating alone but there are links to where you can enjoy the underwater footage if you want to see more.

Great Whites Near the Shore

This kayaker is fairly close to the shore in California, you can see the land in the distance. This is the ideal environment for spotting great whites who like to inhabit temperate and tropical coastal waters. If you happen to be kayaking in these waters, they are the largest predatory fish species that it is possible for you to spot so it is quite a moment when you see one.

They are also not that hard to identify thanks to their size and distinctive appearance. The shark in this footage is the same size as the kayak but they can grow up to 8m long and can weigh up to almost 5,000 pounds.

In terms of body shape, the great white has a distinctive torpedo-shaped profile with a pointed snout. The coloring is slate-grey on the top with a white under-belly. This is for camouflage near the surface of the water which is where they hunt for prey. Their tail fins are crescent-shaped and, of course, they have that distinctive dorsal fin on their backs that we can recognize from movies. It is there to help them steer and stay upright in the water.

Great whites also have a very characteristic jaw and a wide mouth full of up to 300 serrated teeth. They do not chew, instead, they tear off chunks of flesh and swallow them whole.

This species has a fearsome reputation as ‘man-eaters’ and it is reported that over half of all shark attacks on humans are down to the great white. However, this shark appears to be curious rather than aggressive and causes no harm to the kayaker.

Next up:

• Watch How Close This Woman Came To Becoming A Shark’s Meal
• Watch a Shark Bite an Alligator In South Carolina