Whoa: A great white shark was caught jumping straight out of the water really close to a bunch of surfers and we can’t stop watching

Whoa: A great white shark was caught jumping straight out of the water really close to a bunch of surfers and we can’t stop watching

Although fall is fast approaching elsewhere, Californians are still enjoying the perks of living in a perpetual summer. Warm beaches, ice cream, sand between your toes, and sharks. Wait, what?

jawes

That’s right. Sharks. Sure, they may be okay from a distance, like when you’re separated by glass or viewing them on television, but encountering a shark in person isn’t an ideal situation. Especially not when it comes out of nowhere while you’re SURFING.

Surfer Nick Masturzo told SurfLine about the incident that occurred at Ocean Beach, San Francisco just before 9 am.

“I saw it straight on,” Masturzo said. “And when I saw that white belly go up and the super defined white of pectoral fins, I knew what it was. I told everyone around me and went in. It was funny, some people were saying, ‘That’s not cool,’ but I would never say, ‘Shark’ on a small day to try to clear the water. If it was six-to-eight-foot, maybe.”

Though most were quick to clear the water, nearly 30 surfers stayed in the water despite the warning. Great White? No big deal, apparently.

But, to be fair, there’s never been a reported shark attack in the area and an incident such as this hasn’t occurred since 2005. So, what was the big guy doing there?

Shark Research Committee member Ralph Collier speculates that,

“it could be a form of communication between members of the species signifying dominance within a group,” he told Surfline, “similar to the ‘jousting’ between male elk and/or deer. [But] we simply do not know.”

It’s important to remember, however, that no matter how scary sharks are, they maligned creatures and some are even in danger of extinction thanks to hunting, climate change, and other factors. But you know, they could be mostly harmless just a liiiiiiiitle farther from shore.

Regardless of what the shark was doing there, the video is definitely worth the watch! See the full account below:

The post Whoa: A great white shark was caught jumping straight out of the water really close to a bunch of surfers and we can’t stop watching appeared first on HelloGiggles.