Kayaker captures terrifying video of encounter with giant great white shark: 'That was intense'

The outdoor camera brand GoPro (@gopro) shared a TikTok of a kayaking fisher coming within feet of a stalking shark. 

What's happening?

In the video, posted in February, a dark shadow appears in the water where the fisher, Matt Wells, has a line out with live bait in the water. He exclaims, "Great white shark!" before promptly cutting the fishing line.

@gopro How would you react in this situation? 😳 Matt Wells kept his cool with a great white shark hot on his tail. #gopro #shark #gopropov #pov #sharkencounter #greatwhiteshark #fishing #newzealand ♬ original sound - GoPro

As the kayaker begins paddling away from the bait and the shark, he notices a dorsal fin continuing to follow close behind him in the water.

The video encapsulates a viscerally scary moment, as exemplified by nearly 10,000 stunned commenters. 

One person wrote, "I would've panicked so bad I would've fell in." 

Another said, "That was intense! Staying calm like Matt is next level."

Why is the shark interaction important?

Intense and even dangerous wildlife encounters like this one are inevitable when people plop themselves in the middle of animals' territory. Similar experiences have included a woman headbutted by a bison when she got too close in Yellowstone National Park, as well as another shark encounter by someone on a riverbank in Everglades National Park.

While the video can make the shark seem menacing, the overarching truth is that shark attacks are generally not common. The Florida Museum of Natural History published the statistics for 2024, which reveal that only 47 people were harmed in unprovoked shark attacks, and only four of those attacks resulted in fatalities.

According to the National Marine Fisheries Service (NOAA Fisheries), "Increasing ocean temperatures are likely to affect [sharks'] movement patterns." So these odd sightings, like the one Matt Wells had, are in part due to the planet heating up. 

The NOAA Fisheries continued, "Behavioral changes in top predators like these sharks could have cascading impacts on populations of other species and on the function and health of the ocean."

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What can I do to prevent shark encounters?

GoPro's TikTok acts as a reminder of the risk you take by inserting yourself in predators' natural habitats. In fact, staying at least 100 yards away from any carnivore is a good rule of thumb, as the BBC revealed.

An article by Tsunami Rangers, an ocean-oriented kayak group, offers easy guidelines for navigating shark encounters, such as avoiding shark attack areas, not going onto the water if you are actively bleeding, and traversing the ocean with a group.

Furthermore, by avoiding potentially dangerous encounters with wildlife, you are also protecting the animal. As the result of fending off or defending against an animal can ultimately result in harming it, it's in both your and the shark's (or other animal's) interest to stay away.

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