A 19-year-old kayaker recently opened up about being chased by a great white shark while kayaking off the coast of New Zealand. According to the New Zealand Herald, Matt Wells was fishing alone near Cape Reinga when he encountered the massive shark. He captured the whole incident on camera. The video showed the predator swishing its tail through the water as it hunted after the man’s kayak. Speaking to the outlet, the teen recounted the terrifying ordeal and shared his reflections on the “special” encounter.
“It was terrifying in the moment, but in reflection, I’m kind of thoughtfully gracious that I did get to have that experience,” Mr Wells told the outlet. “It’s not something many people will get in their life. You have to be grateful for that much, especially getting out of it completely unharmed with a good story to tell,” he continued.
Mr Wells said that he hoped to hook a big fish on his trip and the shark “wasn’t exactly the outcome I was looking for, that’s for sure”.
In the clip, he apologised to the viewers for his cursing while still attempting to evade the predator. He exclaimed, “Its main food source is marine mammals, and I’m a marine mammal right now!”
Mr Wells believes the shark was 453 kg and about 4.5 metres long. Speaking to Good Morning America, he said he had to paddle 2.5 miles back to shore to escape the apex predator. At one point, he even tried to distract the shark by throwing a bottle at it. But despite the attempt, the 19-year-old said the “very curious shark” kept “playing around with me” until he reached safety.
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Mr Wells said the encounter was “a really really cool thing to see, although it may not have seemed like that in the moment.” “My main worry was that the shark is inquisitive and that he might decide that ‘Hey, what’s this? Let’s give it a taste,’ ” he explained, per the outlet.
Mr Wells told New Zealand Herald that he phoned his family when he got to shore, and said they were also expecting him to get caught in an incident like this eventually.
The close encounter, however, has not stopped Mr Wells from returning to the water. He went back out the next day, and has been out several times since, he revealed. “I think it’s just broadened my appreciation for the ocean,” he told GMA. “It definitely got the adrenaline up, but it was quite the experience and I’m quite glad that I had it,” he added.
