GWS @ Monterey

Got chased and circled by a 10'-12' GWS on Sun 3/29 around noon between hotel and the coastguard @ 45'.  Be careful when you are fishing at that area.  Do not dangle your catch by the kayak.  Bring a shark shield if you have one.

The shark is probably telling his friends about how he saw the wierdest friggin' green thing floating around today.

Great picture, you got steady nerves. Thanks for sharing.

Really nice job getting the photos - it's turned out to be extremely challenging to get that done (or video) for nearly all of us who have encountered large sharks while on kayaks in the ocean.

I'm glad you're not recovering from the somewhat common experience of having it bite your kayak and toss you into the water, like quite a few people in this community have lived through.

I took the liberty of editing one of your shots and tried to pop the contrast a bit.  Really nice shots, bro. 

yum yum yellow kayak...glad your safe like eric says ..cool shots

After having been HIT by a great white this past August, I spoke to a few great shark experts.  They all agreed that the ones that you see are never the ones that you need to worry about attacking you, they are observing you and interested in you but have already determined you are not their prey. The attacks always come completely by surprise with the shark charging straight up from the bottom at 20 to 25 mph, that is their standard attack mode.  Still unnerving as hell tho!

Awesome and unsettling pictures thanks for sharing.

Further pushing back my desires to spearfish....

Damn, I was just planning a Monterey trip for Saturday, still not wanting to revisit the 16'er Dave and I met in SC.

From the pics it looks shorter than the kayak - maybe a little bigger than the one in my HMB visit over a year ago. My immediate thought at that time was "Okay, it's shorter than the kayak". Probably 10'.
Here is a pic of Mabel and Bruce from SC. It felt like facing T-rex.
It looks smaller in the photo than it seemed in real life.

Are you color blind?  It's not yellow, it's "papaya!"   

Are you color blind?  It's not yellow, it's "papaya!"   

    

out of date / touch with updated color schemes

Why are we surprised or alarmed when a white shark (whether it was a “great” white shark and not just a regular white shark is arguable) is seen in its home?

We are the intruders. IMO, if there is a spot they are congregating or are known to frequent, it seems prudent to avoid those places lest a curious fish wants to investigate. After decades on the water I have thankfully not been part of such an investigation.

I have had a Mako pass between me and a kayak buddy, give us “the eye” in shallow water. I was bleeding a verm off the side of my kayak about 100 yards from the drive-by Darius got at The Cove. I had multiple large swirls appear behind my yak at Ocean Cove the day before Gary was launched out of his Hobie. It’s their home, spend enough time there and in due time, will be seen/encountered.


Use a shark shield, don’t dangle bleeding fish or your feet excessively. Fish in a group. (Nothing against soloists, but there is strength in numbers) Don’t hang out next to pinniped haul-outs. Be extra careful, watchful, at dawn, dusk and/or river mouths.

Damn, I was just planning a Monterey trip for Saturday, still not wanting to revisit the 16'er Dave and I met in SC.

From the pics it looks shorter than the kayak - maybe a little bigger than the one in my HMB visit over a year ago. My immediate thought at that time was "Okay, it's shorter than the kayak". Probably 10'.
Here is a pic of Mabel and Bruce from SC. It felt like facing T-rex.
It looks smaller in the photo than it seemed in real life.

C'mon, Joe you don't need to go out to South Rock to find rockfish in Santa Cruz!!

Great job getting those photos.
Glad you’re ok 👍

so what did you catch and bleed to attract that thing in?
Shark report is cool and all. How about a side of inspirational fishing report 

Why are we surprised or alarmed when a white shark (whether it was a “great” white shark and not just a regular white shark is arguable) is seen in its home?

We are the intruders.

I see this exact type of comment all the time on FB comment boards any time someone posts an encounter with a shark.
Nobody who fishes or spends time in the water is "surprised" that there are sharks in the ocean. And nobody is implying that the sharks are the intruders.

But seeing one is still a thrill, and always exciting, and definitely something to warn others of. I'd post pictures of a great white, too.