Page 1 of 1

GW attacks kayaker off CA coast ** updated with video footage **

Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2017 3:59 pm
by Endo
Friend sent me this link. I'm thankful we only have to potentially contend with large Tiger, Bull, and Hammerheads. I'm sure we get the occasional great white off the TX Gulf shores though.

Super scary.

http://diver.net/bbs/posts003/90558.shtml

VIDEO http://kdvr.com/2017/05/28/it-was-like- ... rk-attack/


______________________________

I have not posted on this board for years, but I thought some here might find this interesting. Below is a post I put on the Monterey board last night - typos and all...


It was a bit past 4:30 Saturday afternoon. I was in my kayak. I had paddled from the Breakwater ramp to Shell St PG and was on my way back. I was hit off the end of San Carlos Beach about 100 yards or so off the Monterey Bay Inn - probably over Metridium. So, I was near the end of a great paddle - I encountered dolphins off Point Cabrillo and a large group of very young harbor seals close in to Hopkins Station.

Suddenly, I heard a loud Bang as my kayak and I flew into the air. I landed outside my boat, look back to it and to my horror saw a large great white shark no more than three feet away had my kayak in its mouth. I could clearly see it's 2-inch teeth and it's black eye that looked lifeless.

I scrambled away from my boat as fast as I could and started kicking towards shore - really wishing that I was wearing fins! In between yelling "No God No" I was shocked at how many thoughts about how to survive ran through my head - don't splash, don't let your legs hang down, keep your eyes on the shark and swim away, don't act like a panicked seal. After Five minutes, maybe five years - it was hard to tell, I pulled out my Nautilus Lifeline and called in a mayday to the coast guard. They were having trouble hearing me. I spotted a sail boat and started frantically waving to them with my right arm as I operated the radio with my left hand.

While this was going on, the shark was using my boat as a chew toy. I saw it spin with the boat at least three times. It started pushing the boat towards me and then left the boat and headed for me. Suddenly it dove. I put my face in the water to see if it was under me, but I couldn't see anything.

I looked up and saw the sail boat approaching me. After some very quick explanations I said that I needed to get into the small boat. There was no ladder or transom. I had been in the water for about twenty minutes. I was wearing a 3-mil, but had forgotten my booties and was bear foot. My feet were numb and I was running on nothing but adrenaline. I could not get up into the boat or stand up on their motor. I asked them to call 911 and ask for coast guard assistance.

The coast guard showed up 5 minutes later and pulled me into their boat. All my gear was floating and was recovered. They took me back to the Breakwater..

In the parking lot I spoke with the people from the sailboat who came to my rescue. They were a young family who attended NPS. They were taking their young daughter out on her first sail. According to them, the shark was as big as my boat. I have a 14-ft kayak. Bite marks show that it had the whole girth of the boat in its mouth. My boat is covered with bite marks from end to end with multiple punctures. People told me that they could see the shark slapping the surface of the water with its fins as it mauled my boat.

I had always thought that great whites hit a target to test it and then backed off. This was a prolonged attack on the surface.

Re: GW attacks kayaker off CA coast

Posted: Mon Mar 20, 2017 10:22 pm
by titanic2
That's what I think is going to happen every time I go BTB, but thats so crazy I'm glad he made it out!

Re: GW attacks kayaker off CA coast

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2017 5:25 am
by kickingback
Wow, lucky man. He did not say what kind of kayak it was. If it had the whole girth in it's mouth and was only 14' long the kayak must have been a thin one. Sharks attack anything in the general area when it is feeding. The kayak must have looked like a seal or other large bait by size and color.
I would NOT like to see a GW take a Hobie PA14 girth in it's mouth! That would be a 20' shark for sure! My kayak is white/grey so I would think the color and size would make the shark think twice even in a feeding frenzy.
But I don't want to find out ever!
Now look at Prof. Salt's rig...He has the biggest balls of us all. His kayak is probably about the size and color of this guy's kayak...Keep an eye out Prof!!! LOL

Re: GW attacks kayaker off CA coast

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2017 6:39 am
by Prof. Salt
I always keep an eye out! We do have great whites, but have never seen an attack like that in the gulf. My close encounters have always ended when the shark saw me or ate my fish. Even when the kayak got slammed, the shark was intent on eating my fish.

Only once did I witness a prolonged and escalating encounter, and that tiger was the size of my kayak. I was overloaded and the fishbag was leaking... of course that part was my fault, and there was no way to dump the fish without escalating the situation. The shark kept approaching and leaving, but every time it would get closer... I had my gaff in my lap and had decided that when it bit the kayak I would try to slam it or gaff it in the eye in hopes of changing its mindset and getting it to leave. Normally I would never injure a shark on purpose, but this one was intent on eating my catch, which was in the attached fishbag. I would be in the water if that happened. Nope, not going in the water without a fight. Thankfully a pod of porpoise headed toward me (usually I hate seeing those thieves, but this time I wanted them around). As soon as they got close the shark left. The porpoise showed a similar interest in my fishy boat, but they didn't worry me as much.

Re: GW attacks kayaker off CA coast

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2017 8:20 am
by Endo

Re: GW attacks kayaker off CA coast

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2017 9:56 am
by Longliner
That's not an isolated incident. I remember spearfishing at Point Dume in Malibu, CA and just a few weeks prior, a young couple kayaking in seperate kayaks were just outside of the breakwater. The guy's kayak was attacked by a shark and he was never found. Weather it was a GW or not I can't remember but I'm betting it was. Mako's are another big shark in them waters

Re: GW attacks kayaker off CA coast

Posted: Tue Mar 21, 2017 12:56 pm
by Prof. Salt
Wow, those photos are sobering. I wouldn't want to be in (or on) the water with that shark. That wasn't mistaken identity, that was an attack on the kayak.

Re: GW attacks kayaker off CA coast

Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 8:56 am
by Endo
Updated with additional VIDEO footage just released:


http://kdvr.com/2017/05/28/it-was-like- ... rk-attack/

Re: GW attacks kayaker off CA coast ** updated with video footage **

Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2017 11:28 am
by gene1966
that's way I don't go btb!!!
not worth it.