Watch Great White Shark Swim With Stand-Up Paddler in San Diego
The old adage, "live and let live," is apropos to most of the shark and surfer footage that's been surfacing.
The magic of drones has revealed that sharks and humans coexist so much more than we thought, approximately 97% of the time according to California State University's Shark Lab. These sneak peeks into the ocean are spreading awareness, and hopefully helping surfers quell feelings of fear and trepidation in the water.
Today's daily dose of shark footage shows another great white cruising peacefully by a stand-up paddler in San Diego.
The clip above was shot by ocean photographer and shark advocate, Scott Fairchild.
He captioned the post:
"I don’t know who this guy is, but I’m sure he was surprised when a Great White shark came to the surface, followed him for a minute and then just passed him by."
The video shows a stand-up paddler moving parallel to a great white swimming slightly ahead of him, minding its own business.
Fairchild was part of the conversation in the clip's comments.
One commenter asked:
"Have you ever seen a paddle boarder fall in the water while a shark was near? I do see how the sharks are calm while people are paddle boarding, but because they come really close it seems you definitely have to be an excellent paddle boarder and not fall to not create a splash that catches their interest."
Fairchild replied:
I have, and lots of surfers, crashing, catching waves, starting to paddle, etc. Sharks can be startled too. So initially the crash, surfing over them, catching a wave, etc. startles them, and they bolt for a lack of better expression. But they always circle back to see what it was. Self-preservation comes first and then curiosity kicks in. Luckily, they recognize we are not a part of their diet and move on."
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