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Kayakers' shark encounter at Half Moon Bay caught on video

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Updated  August 13, 2024 11:52am PDT
San Mateo County
KTVU FOX 2

Kayakers' close encounter with shark at Half Moon Bay caught on video

An Oakland man's first kayak fishing trip at Half Moon Bay is an unforgettable experience. He and a friend encounter a shark and he shot video of the experience.

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. - An Oakland man had a close encounter with a shark while kayak fishing in Half Moon Bay.

Ian Walters said it happened last week while he and a friend were fishing for halibut and lingcod. He shared with KTVU video he shot of the encounter.

Their first time kayak fishing at Half Moon Bay on Tuesday morning turned out to be an unforgettable experience for Walters.

A shark started following him and a friend.  

"It's disconcerting because it's a new experience for me, not so much that the shark was doing anything scary," said Walters.  

He and his friend were each in a kayak of their own.

Walters said he saw the shark start following his friend for about two minutes.

Then it started following Walters, but he said the animal was never aggressive.

"The crazy thing was, the dorsal would move, and the tail would move much later so you would get a sense of the size of the animal. It's big, but I felt lucky and it was a special experience more than anything else," said Walters.

They were about three-quarters of a mile from Pillar Point Harbor.  

Walters said he was nervous, but it helped that he was with a friend and they remained calm.

"Everyone grows up thinking the great white sharks are this mindless killing machine, but they play this really important role and generally they don't have any interest in killing anyone," said Walters.  

He suspected that the fish he and his friend had caught may have attracted the shark to follow them.

Walters said when the shark saw some sea lions, it lost interest in their kayaks.  

When asked if he would go to Half Moon Bay to kayak fish again, he replied with a laugh, "Yeah, I think so.  Maybe not for a minute. Maybe with a kayak or two. Maybe three."

Walters said he teaches history and science to sixth graders in Oakland. He will definitely have a story to share with his students when school starts next Monday.

Amber Lee is a reporter with KTVU. Email Amber at Amber.Lee@Fox.com or text/leave message at 510-599-3922. Follow her on Facebook @AmberKTVU,  Instagram @AmberKTVU  or Twitter @AmberKTVU