Kayaker encounters 12-foot great white shark off California coast

A California fisherman named David Slavich came face to face with a 12-foot great white shark on 25 October while kayaking in Half Moon Bay, the New York Post reported. He recorded the incident on his phone as the creature approached his 12.5-foot kayak. [1]

According to the New York Post, Slavich ended up close enough to look the shark directly in the eyes. He noted that a paddleboarder had warned him about the shark earlier in the day. [1]

A kayak is a small, narrow, human-powered watercraft that is typically propelled using a long, double-bladed paddle. The word comes from the Inuktitut word qajaq. [2]

Close encounters with these predators have occurred recently in nearby waters. As FTMQ News reported earlier, a woman on a fishing boat narrowly avoided injury in October after reaching out to pet a great white shark, which caused the animal to thrash and lunge toward her. [3]