Video: Kayakers have close encounter with 14-foot shark near Half Moon Bay
A couple of Bay Area kayakers had an unnerving close encounter with a large shark while fishing in Half Moon Bay last week that was captured on video.
Ian Walters works as a teacher at Oakland's Head-Royce School. He was filming his friend as they were out kayaking and fishing off Pillar Point Harbor north of Half Moon Bay and by famed big-wave surf spot Mavericks Beach last Tuesday when a shark started following his friend.
"You all right?" Walters is heard asking as he sees the sharks dorsal fin cutting through the water about 15 feet behind is friend's kayak.
"Yeah, I'm just gonna start moving in," his friend says in the video.
"I'm gonna follow you, ok?" Walters replies.
Speaking in an interview, Walters said realizes how lucky they were the shark didn't attack, but felt the experience was more surreal than scary.
"It followed my buddy for a couple minutes. We moved closer together and then we watched it circle back around and start following me," remembered Walters. "And we kind of led it off towards some seals and looked over our shoulders for another hour or two and everything was fine."
Walters shared his video with shark enthusiasts on the Internet. Commenters said the shark was likely a great white based on its size, which was about 14 feet long.
"I never thought in a million years I would get to experience one close up, you know?" said Walters. "I feel lucky to have done that and done that with a friend who could keep me calm and I could keep him calm. We tried to not bug it."
He says it may be a while before they go out kayaking again, but he definitely has a tale to share with his sixth-grade students.