Kayaker comes within inches of 12-foot great white shark in terrifying encounter

California fisherman David Slavich came within inches of a great white shark while kayaking off Half Moon Bay on 25 October. The encounter matters because it shows how unexpectedly close a large shark can come to people on the water, even when it is not behaving aggressively.

Slavich, whose kayak was 12.5 feet long, said a paddleboarder had mentioned a shark sighting earlier, but he had not expected to meet one himself. After hearing a sudden sound, he saw the shark’s fin and silhouette, then its eye close to his; once it passed, he pulled in his fishing rig and prepared for impact. He said he now plans not to fish alone and believes the shark was curious rather than trying to eat him.