Wild video shows great white shark following kayaker in Half Moon Bay

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Tuesday, August 13, 2024
Video shows great white shark following kayaker in Half Moon Bay
A Bay Area science teacher shot video of what he thinks was a great white shark about 13 or 14 feet long following him out on the water.

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. -- This story deserves the "Jaws" theme music. A science teacher from Oakland says he was out fishing with his buddy in Half Moon Bay last week when he noticed a huge fin trailing behind his friend's kayak.

Ian Walters shot video of what he thinks was a great white shark about 13 or 14 feet long following them out on the water.

MORE: Monterey Bay seeing 'unusual' surge in juvenile white sharks

"We watched it kind of go back around and start following me," said Walter. "And we just tried to keep each other calm and not give any reason for a reaction from the shark, and just led it toward some seals and eventually it let us go."

Walters told ABC7 the shark didn't do anything threatening -- it just seemed curious.

He says all he heard was a gentle bubbling under the calm waters.

Ever the science teacher, Walters told us it was a "magical moment" that's left him with a feeling of wonder.

MORE: Researchers taking deep dive into why sharks are migrating from Southern to Northern California

Researchers are looking at why young sharks are moving hundreds of miles north of Southern California to the waters off Monterey Bay.
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