Great white Shark Monterey bay 12/21/13

I'm pretty tired from fishing today and yesterday and today more so because I had a very close encounter with a Great White Shark
I am fading fast now after cleaning all my gear/cleaning fish and getting some food-oh and from telling this story to everyone over and over all day ..from folks on the water...to folks as I was loading up...to my brother and friends in other states on the phone and from my motorcycle buddies on FB and a long thread going there now...so I just stole this  small intro to the story off my facebook page for now...

So today while kayak fishing ...paddle out trolling a big lure....maybe a mile before I get to my spot...stop to reel in my lure and switch my poles to my bait set up rod.....hear some splashing behind me over the radio which is cranked up playing cranberries zombie on a 80's station.....splashing is pretty loud...stop reeling and crook my neck to see behind me...5 feet behind me is a 14-16 foot great white shark on top of the water thrashing it tail and just flexing back and forth like it is eating a seal...no blood...just a huge swell and splash...and then it's gone....I got the f#$% out of there and paddled in...HUGE...HUGE!!!! unreal...huge

copy and pasted from my FB account -below are some of my replies to folks comments

radioed some folks to put the word out and went in.....a motor boat guy came over and offered for me to climb in and tow the yak back but I declined and we talked and he just kept me company for a few then I paddled back in...never even fished at my spot there...went to the kelp and fished

 hard to fall asleep tonight...every sea lion that jumped the rest of the day scared the living shit outta me...cranberries suck!!!-
I had actually got into the song as I was heading out and cranked it up right before this happened...lol

my hands were shaking SO bad as I fumbled for my radio to call humanity which was frolicking in the surf and eating fish and chips and paying the parking boxes etc ,within a mile of me

 oh for sure Phil...riveted was the word..I did not even reach for my paddle..I reached for my radio but it was  like 30-seconds later...no blood pool, when this shark came up and it was both fins all the way out of the water and just arcing to the left and right like a big machine....this video I found is close in size and splash amounts...but my shark sighting had the whole shark on top not just the head

 it was too surreal to be afraid...like when a fast deer runs in front of your car at night...so quick...later you get scared but at the time thoughts like.."man look at the size of it's horns" or "wow that is browner than I thought they would be" is more the norm...a mile down the road you think "wow that deer could have killed me " etc...same thing here...i was thinking...why are there two fins?? (tail and dorsal)..."how come dolphins are mating right next to me " ...or the best was the thought"wow!!! the great white shark has little notches out it's big fin all the way along it"??? like this internet pic shows...it was all very slow motion and so out of my realm of experience that I was stunned and sat still looking in wonder...no real fear at first

this is what the dorsal fin looked like...it was so out of place in my realm of experience that I just sat in wonder looking at it

Dude!  Thats F'ed up!!!
Glad you weren't lunch for the landloard!!

That's quite a welcome post!
Dang..... Must a been awesome to be able to experience that so close first hand! And live to tell about it....


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You had a sneaky furbag following you waiting to take your fish, he forgot about the land lord... Paid the rent for you Glad you are ok and what a rush to see one close up NOT attached to your Yak

where was this? Glad to hear everything's good.

that was my thought later in the day also( it just re-plays in my head over and over and then replays more) ..or a ling /bigger fish following my 8" clear/glow kallins grub on a red 3/4 oz hammer as I brought it in the last 20 or so feet - then getting rushed and passing the lure to get away from a behind chase and ending its escape run right behind my kayak...I still had to reel in 20-40' of line when this was over...or a harbor seal playing peek a boo which they do a lot like 2 feet in your blind spot....but there was no blood....no seagulls...just me and water and no chunks or grit etc....just the wind and swell and back to as it was.....it was a once in a lifetime event...but I have been out three days most weeks as I only work a 4 day week...since getting the yak addict bug...I have rarely missed one of my days off to fish...I had thought a week or so back..."man all these hours otw , you are gonna meet the mayor" but never EVER thought I really would...I am guilty also of watching many youtube  GWS and reading everything I could find on yak and GWS meet ups....it was a big IF...and now it is a big fuck no not me...please...please...please not fucking me ever again....

WoW and what a go-pro moment that would have made.

the event was at What I call the second yellow can ...it is the yellow can before the yellow can off the hotel..it is in about 65 f.o.w and it was right at the can as that is where I stopped to reel in the trolling lure and switch to my other bait pole...mayybe a mile from the wharf 2 end heading north towards the hotel...and maybe 1/2 mile off shore the tin shack and the wood condos...it is very close to where a bunch of you guys were in circle mid morning of the sept 15th tourney

my brother and just about everyone else said same thing ..."go pro dude!!"...but think about it..any hobby where you need a go pro on the back of your head to see later what was coming to get you...i mean...really????

Glad you're OK.  Thanks for sharing your experience trianglelaguna.

Well you could get a mirror to see what is eating you.

GoPro's not for recording behind you and checking later!  You turned and saw the shark, right?  I think the idea is that you could've turned with a camera...   

Sounds exciting.

Glad you are ok! Saw a GWS out there by the green can last year salmon fishing. It was cruising checking us out....

anyone wanna meet up and hit the water...it's 7 a.m now..i'm heading back out there this morning....got some nice rocks around the kelp just east of the aquarium and guy next to me got a huge ling and cabby...big big cabby in the same spot....I lost a cabby at the yak and a ling on the troll in also at the boat....left my net in the car.....net today and going sand dabs first and then gonna drop the dabs in the kelp....if anyone shows up i'm on channel 69 and would go out to the cans again...but not day 1 alone...maybe though...need to get back on the horse kind of...

two thoughts this morning on yesterdays deal
1. it had 0% to do with me and I just happened to be there..the shark had no interest in my yak and just did what sharks do with me there regardless
2. The flip side of #1 is that the Shark was trailing me and may have been for some time until I had stopped all of sudden to reel in and surprised the shark which then flapped on top of the water in some posturing type display..... but mainly that I was being followed in my blind spot ...like a house cat sneaking on it's belly while tweety bird plays in the yard unaware of whats next....
leaving the house at 8-8:30 going to wharf 2 to launch
....lot of vermillion and rocks and ling by the cans last time I was able to fish without terror