Watch Surfer's 'Close Encounter' with Great White at Sunset in California Water

Jade Eckardt
·2 min read
5

Great white sharks.

Surfer's monster under the bed. Or in the closet. Throughout a lifetime of surfing we've found peace by telling ourselves they're in the ocean, just not "right here."

But they are. Around 97% of the time, to be exact. In fact, researchers have proved great whites are often within around 10 feet of people, usually surfers, since they like to hangout in the lineup. Specifically, they discovered that sharks spend "the majority of their time within 100 yards of where the waves are breaking.” So we have something in common.

As usual, footage from ocean photographer and shark advocate Scott Fairchild, proves those reports to be true.

Fairchild posted the clip above a few days ago and captioned it:

"Close encounter with a Great White shark while surfing during sunset.

"Sunset, the lighting, the waves, surfing, sharks: it all looks so beautiful from high above. Did you know: If the water is salty, then it’s likely sharks are around."

The clip shows a good-sized great white shark swim towards, and then right by, a surfer sitting up on their board. It's hard to tell if the surfer sees the shark.

After the shark passes, the surfer paddles in and the drone zooms out, showing a gorgeous view of the lineup.

Fairchild is usually happy to chat in the comments section of his posts, and this one was no different. He answered some questions and shared some advice.

One viewer asked:

"I’m curious…. Say this guy was fully in the water would he be in much danger? I’m sure this sounds like a stupid question but the more I watch these the more I’m thinking a shark attacking you is uncommon?"

Fairchild responded:

"@cbtomkins personally, I would rather be in the water with a mask so that I can see them and let them know that I see them. Eye contact is always the best deterrent."

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