Whenever you go out into the ocean you are taking a risk. After all, you are stepping into the marine animal's domains so you need to be prepared to encounter them. This is especially true when you are kayaking fishing in a shark hotspot like New Zealand. This footage captures an insanely tense moment when a young fisherman encounters a massive shark while on his kayak.
Fisherman Encounters Massive Great White Shark While Kayak Fishing
I have to admit, that if I were ever to go fishing in the open ocean I would definitely not be doing it on a kayak. I would want a boat that would be bigger than any apex predator that could be swimming my way. I guarantee you that Matt Wells, the 19-year-old angler, probably was thinking the same thing after this terrifying encounter. Initially, the younger fisherman seemed to be having the time of his life.
He was out on the water, enjoying his day, when he decided to try out some live bait. After a few moments, the live bait seemed to get frantic. Wells correctly assumed that that meant there was a larger fish nearby. However, I don't think he anticipated just how large that fish would be. Moments after the live bait became frantic this fisherman encounters a massive shark. Not just any shark, but the feared great white shark.
Seeing that fin emerge out of the water and head straight towards the kayak, it was like a scene right out of the movie Jaws. Wells quickly released the live bait, cutting the line, hoping that it would deter the shark's interest in him. Unfortunately that was not the case.
The Chase Ensues
Unfortunately for Matt, the great white shark find him and his kayak much more interesting than the small fish. The video footage shows that after the fisherman encounters the shark, the great white followed him for six whole minutes. The entire time, Wells kept his composure and began paddling towards shore. Although, his adrenaline did let some profanities slip out....understandably so. After all, the great white was bigger than his kayak.
Wells took the approach of speaking to his viewers and the shark simultaneously. ""F**k me there's a huge great white behind me. F**k me, he's following me. Leave me alone," he began. Then he continued "F**k, if I get eaten, that's not going to be much fun. He's still right on my tail. Please don't attack me bro."
Luckily for wells, the shark did not attack him. Although those six minutes were undoubtedly the longest in his life. He stated, "When a great white gets to that size its main food source is marine mammals, and I'm a marine mammal right now." Eventually, Wells made it safely to shore where he took some time to calm down. Despite his terrifying experience, wells admits that he does not blame the shark for anything. He states, "You are going into a big animal's domain and you are stepping into their house. So you have to be respectful and you have to understand that that's sort of the risk you take."
Although he understands the risk I am sure that this fisherman hopes he never encounters another great white shark again.
