On August 16, a swimmer off the California coastline ran into something most swimmers would prefer not to run into: a great white shark. Amazingly, the whole encounter was caught on camera by Carlos Gauna, a shark conservationist and photographer who spends a lot of his time flying a drone over the ocean looking for interesting things.
At this time of year in California, there’s no shortage of juvenile great whites. As they age, they generally head out into deeper waters, but the young ones are drawn to the shallower areas by stingrays and the relative warmth of the water. According to Carlos, a.k.a The Malibu Artist, the swimmer reacted almost how he should have. Almost.
“The man is clearly surprised at first glance and reacts accordingly, by not panicking and keeping eye contact,” he wrote. “However, some of the following behavior is questionable.”
Carlos is a man who knows a lot about sharks, so he thoughtfully added a few tips about what to do and what not to do if you happen across a great white while swimming.
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