Paddleboarder Encounters Great White Shark Off Huntington Beach
A paddleboarder from Huntington Beach, California, recently recorded his close encounter with a great white shark, after he spotted the young predator swimming just a few feet away from his board.
Danny Reid was in the waters off Sunset Beach over the weekend when he spotted the white shark swimming below him, according to ABC 7. Though such an encounter would be terrifying for most beachgoers, Reid observed that the great white is hardly the first one he has encountered in the region.
“I filmed this on Saturday. I see them every time I paddleboard here in Sunset, and have witnessed them swim under my board a few times,” Reid noted.
Baby white sharks off #SoCal: “exactly where they’re supposed to be” @seaworld http://t.co/1ec8HLwDZX @nbcsandiego pic.twitter.com/crJNMIjXRF
— Shark Advocates (@SharkAdvocates) May 25, 2015
The encounter comes amid a period of increased shark sightings in the region, as Yahoo News reports. Last week, a school of 13 juvenile great whites made headlines when they were spotted just 50 feet from the shore of a popular beach. Prior to that incident, Huntington Beach safety officials encountered a group of at least six young white sharks earlier in the month. Police investigated the sharks from a local fire boat, and using a GoPro camera attached to a boat hook, they were able to film and photograph several of the great whites, as the Inquisitr previously reported.
Multiple great white shark sightings prompt advisories for O.C. beaches http://t.co/4gHtKwk328 pic.twitter.com/TRL1VSeVUg — KTLA (@KTLA) May 23, 2015
Despite the concerns of some beachgoers, police have pointed out that the great whites are hardly an unusual addition to the region at this time of year.
“The presence of juvenile sharks in the shallow waters of the surf line along the coast of California is not unusual. At this time, there are no warnings to stay out of the water, but biologists and Marine Safety officials advise not to provoke or interfere with the sharks,” they asserted.
Great white challenges @dogfishbeer for Delaware’s shark media spotlight http://t.co/rLeaJtswg4 @OCEARCH @MA_Sharks pic.twitter.com/g6wAFUg8mt
— Shark Advocates (@SharkAdvocates) May 23, 2015
Though white sharks are common in the region, the proximity of the juveniles to shore this year is somewhat unusual. Biologists have attempted to explain the sharks’ behavior, asserting that warmer pockets of water have lured the great whites near populated beaches. While they may seem intimidating, most of the sharks measure between five and eight-feet-long, however, making them still-maturing juveniles. Despite their fearsome reputation, the young great white sharks off Huntington Beach subsist on a diet of fish and stingrays, and pose little danger to beachgoers.
[Photos by Danny Reid via ABC News and Dan Kitwood / Getty Images]
