Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water… Although this video footage wasn’t shot around Amity Island (the fictional location for Jaws) you won’t be able to watch it without John Williams’s famous “da-dum, da-dum,” music going through your head.
It was, in fact, shot in Half Moon Bay, California, by Oakland science teacher Ian Walters, when he was out kayaking and noticed a huge fin trailing behind his friend’s kayak.
“It was a beautiful, calm, foggy day. I noticed a really big dorsal fin. Further down, I noticed a very big tail. We both just tried to keep each other calm. We watched it circle around,” Walters told KRON4
Huge great white shark follows Half Moon Bay kayakers – YouTubeHuge great white shark follows Half Moon Bay kayakers – YouTubeWatch On
He suspected it was a great white shark from its classic triangular-shaped fin, which experts examining the footage later confirmed, estimating it to be about 14 feet long. (Great whites can grow up to 20 feet long.)
Luckily it showed no signs of threatening behavior; it just seemed to be curious.
“We watched it kind of go back around and start following me,” said Walters. “And we just tried to keep each other calm and not give any reason for a reaction from the shark, and just led it toward some seals and eventually it let us go.
“It was pretty magical to be near one like that,” he added. “The apex of the apex predators. It wasn’t aggressive at all. The experience was mostly surreal.”
This article by Dave Golder was first published by Advnture on 13 August 2024. Lead Image: Imagine if you saw one of these fins pop up next to your kayak… (Image credit: Getty Images / Education Images).
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