Watch a Great White Shark Cruise by SUP Surfer Twice in San Diego

Jade Eckardt
·2 min read
3

They say life is all about balance. That might be truest when it comes to shark news and footage, for a surfer's peace of mind anyway.

We've seen an abundance of drone footage lately, offering the world a look into the (mostly) peaceful coexistence of sharks and surfers. It's beautiful and fascinating, but still a little freaky. And last week, shark encounters of the other kind made the news, with reported attacks in Kauai and California.

So today, we're starting the week with a new clip of a great white shark and stand-up paddler peaceful encounter.

The shark clip above was shot by ocean photographer and shark advocate Scott Fairchild. He captioned the post:

"Juvenile Great White came over to explore this paddler on a murky day. As usual, when head-on, it broke off to get away.

"But as always, it came back for another look. Clearly more comfortable the second time, although oddly from head-on again. Which the paddler did not like and left the area."

In the video, the shark swims towards the stand-up paddler and swims away when it's just about nose to nose. In the second clip it's back again before they go their seperatge ways.

One viewer asked Fairchild:

"Why don't they like head-on contact? Social anxiety? Likes the booty?"

He replied: "For their own safety and to surprise its prey"

Another viewer entered the convo, sharing his own theory:

"For the same reason you won't ever see a jaguar in the jungle: These ambush predators want to control the interaction by staying out of potential prey's or threat's sight. Tigers too will almost never attack prey animals front on - being seen is a disadvantage and increases risk of injury, and even a small injury could stunt their ability to hunt on."

***

Don't miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Instagram, and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.

Whether you're a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.