Kayakers Film Great White Shark As It Lurks Below Them
A pair of kayak fishermen in South Africa filmed a frightening interaction with a great white, as the shark lurked below the duo, separated from them by little more than the shell of their boats.
The kayakers managed to remain calm after spotting the white shark, and one, identified as Don Sims by Fishing EC, dipped his camera in the water, capturing footage of the great white. Though the clip is short, it reveals a large white shark with a distinctive mark on its head circling below the pair. As the camera breaks the surface, it is easy to see just how close the great white is to the duo, mere feet away from the bottom of their kayaks.
The clip was taken off Chintsa in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, according to the Times Live, a region known for its white shark population. Cage diving is a major tourist attraction in South Africa, as vacationers come from around the world to swim with the sharks. Seal Island, in Cape Town’s False Bay, is a particular white shark hotspot, as is Mossel Bay.
Watch: Great White Shark circles kayak fishermen in Chintsa, Eastern Cape http://t.co/rdktozam4e pic.twitter.com/trNrwwcENu
— Times LIVE (@TimesLIVE) January 13, 2015
Last year, groups of kayakers in both California and Massachusetts were struck by white sharks while in the water. In early September, two women in their 20s were attacked in Plymouth when they set out in hopes of observing a white shark that had been spotted in the region. As the Inquisitr previously reported, the shark struck only once, knocking one woman into the water, but quickly turned away after it realized the pair didn’t represent prey it wanted.
Great White Shark Breaching Seal Island False Bay Cape Town… http://t.co/bpZ2OhOoo9 #sharkproducts #sharkproducts pic.twitter.com/lemiDyKCAh
— Shark Information (@sharkinfotalk) January 13, 2015
A month later, in early October, kayakers off the coast of California were thrown from their boats by a white shark which struck from below them. Two attacks occurred in the course of just an hour, impacting different groups of kayakers near Vandenberg Air Force base, and the same fishermen were responsible for providing assistance in both cases. Though it wasn’t possible to prove that the same white shark was responsible for both incidents, two other attacks involving a great white were also reported in the area that month.
Neither kayaker in South Africa was harmed, and the great white shark reportedly swam off after losing interest in the pair.
[Image: Don Sims via Fishing EC]
