Great White Attack

[Smthtnnr]

Originally Posted by The pelican

Best kayak fishing story ever! Although I'm sure you didn't feel that way at the time. So glad you lived to tell the tale and hopefulyl fish another day.

In June I had a close up encounter with a curious GWS in LJ. About 14-15 feet and it didn't actually make contact with my yak. It just cruised up to me, checked me out and thought about taking a little taste for a few seconds. I didn't move and it lost interest. Definitely not an ambush/attack. Just a curious shark. A couple takeaways - Those things are girthy and the eyes are way bigger than I realized! Shark week is awesome but they look so much fatter up close and personal.

A buddy told me a story about being thrown out of his yak in LJ a few years ago by a white. It made a run at him from below, and must have turned at the last minute when it realized he wasn't a seal. Again, the shark didn't make contact with his kayak but a big animal moving so fast displaces a lot of water. This guy got thrown up into the air and out of his yak by just the rush of water from the shark turning under him to avoid him at the last minute. I believe his story, as he's not the type to make something like that up and he spends a ton of time on the water.

I can only imagine how terrifying it was to get attacked like that and how high you must have flown out of the water. 19-20 feet is HUGE!

Haha I remember that day! That was gnarly... didn't even have to see it to get my blood pumping.