(KRON) -- A fisherman captured video of a close encounter with a great white shark while kayak fishing off the coast of Half Moon Bay on a Sunday.
David Slavich was uninjured during the encounter as the shark swam past his kayak without attacking.
Slavich was fishing in the ocean when he found himself close to the predator. Prior to the sighting, a paddleboarder in the area had warned Slavich about a great white shark nearby.
Slavich, who was not having much luck catching fish at the time, typically keeps his phone accessible to film his daily catch, allowing him to record the encounter on camera.
Slavich recalled hearing a sound in the water before spotting the shark nearby. “I hear this woosh, and I look over my shoulder, and I see this massive, massive silhouette and the distinctive fin. This is not a killer whale, this is not a dolphin, this is a great white,” Slavich said. He added, “Oh my god, oh my god theres a great white shark oh my god.”
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A fisherman captured video of a close encounter with a great white shark while kayak fishing off the coast of Half Moon Bay on a Sunday. (Credit: David Slavich)
Before the sighting, Slavich doubted he would spot the predator despite the prior warning. “What are the odds that I'm going to run into the shark that he ran into...” Slavich said.
Moments later, the shark drew directly alongside his kayak.
“There is this giant eyeball locking with my eyeballs, and it was one of the most surreal moments I've ever had in my life,” Slavich added.
As the shark approached, Slavich moved quickly to clear his fishing equipment from the water.
"It's fight-or-flight mode that you go into mostly. I was like I got to get my rig off the water; I don't want this thing pulling on my line. So I get my rig up super-fast; you see that in the video and then I just kind of brace myself for impact. I didn't know what was going to happen,” Slavich said.
The shark ultimately swam past without attacking. Slavich reflected on the behavior of great whites while acknowledging the danger involved.
“I think my encounter really just proves that they are not interested in eating people, that they are pretty curious...didn't mean my heart wasn't beating through my chest because they can explore my leg a bit and I won't necessarily survive that exploration,” Slavich said.
Following the close encounter, Slavich's wife, Andrea Slavich, weighed in on his future fishing trips.
When asked if she would let him go kayak fishing again, Andrea Slavich expressed her disapproval unless his gear changes.
“No!! Not unless you get a boat,” Andrea Slavich said.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KRON4. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KRON4 staff before being published.
