Kayaker drops fishing rod as great white passes inches away

Fisherman David Slavich encountered a great white shark while kayaking off Half Moon Bay, California, on Sunday. Video shows the shark approaching to within a few inches of his kayak before swimming past without attacking; the encounter highlights the risks of fishing from a small craft near wildlife.

Slavich said he heard a splash and recognised the shark’s fin, then quickly reeled in and dropped his fishing rod so it would not pull on the line. A paddleboarder had warned him about a nearby shark earlier, but Slavich did not expect to see it himself. He described the encounter as frightening but said it reinforced his view that the shark was curious rather than seeking to eat people; his wife joked that future fishing trips would require a boat.