Plenty of kayak fishermen and women have been surprised to paddle up on a big fish unexpectedly from time to time. However, that type of experience takes on a whole different feeling when the fish is as big as the boat you're sitting in, and it's one of the ocean's top predators. ABC 7 News shared some jaw-dropping footage out of Port Augusta, South Australia of an angler's run-in with a great white shark. It appears the angler is simply trying to paddle into position when the camera, which is likely strapped to the angler's head, pans over to the right.
At that exact instant, a large and unmistakable great white shark emerges from the depths and takes a quick swipe at the kayaker's paddle. We suspect some expletives may have been edited out of this footage because this is a pants-soiling moment if we've ever seen one. Unbelievably, the huge shark then swims just under the kayak while the paddler films, giving us a good look at the size of this massive predator.
We couldn't help but giggle at one of the top comments since the video posted. It simply reads: "For Sale: green kayak—good condition, small brown stain." We're not exactly sure how this angler kept his cool in this scenario. Personally, I'd be making a mad, paddling dash for the nearest land. The scariest part of this video might be the close proximity that the kayak and the angler are to land and what appears to be a pier or sea wall of some kind. Great whites that venture that close to shore are certainly cause for concern.
It just goes to show, you never know what may be lurking in the depths below your vessel. It is not very likely the shark wanted to attack a human in a kayak. This was more of curiosity swipe at the splashing of the paddle than anything else. On that second pass, it seems rather obvious the shark had figured out the kayak and person were not on the menu. Still, an encounter like this with the ocean's greatest predator would be more than enough for us to keep the kayak in the garage for a while!
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