Ron Takeda and Tavis Boise were a few kilometers off the coast of Santa Barbara when they noticed a large shadow following them in the water.
“Tavis, is that a dolphin?” Takeda asked as he stood on his special surfboard that propels him through the waves. However, Boise immediately realized that something was wrong – experience told them that dolphins should not be a matter of recognition.
They soon realized that they were being followed by a large shark, most likely a great white shark, which was keeping pace with Takeda as he moved at a speed of about 16 kilometers per hour.
Boise filmed the whole situation, and the video shows the shark following Takeda for almost a minute. At one point he is heard shouting: “Don’t fall!” and then, “Oh my God, it’s coming at you!”
The shark continued to follow Takeda for about five minutes before giving up, it said The Guardian.
Surfers had set off for a ride along the coast at the University of California, Santa Barbara earlier in the day, waiting for favorable winds.
At one point, Takeda felt movement behind him and saw a large body about four meters long following him persistently. Both admitted that they had seen sharks before, but never in such a long and intense chase.
The video soon went viral, and experts from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration confirmed that it was probably a great white shark.
Although the situation was terrifying, the surfers later described the event as a “curious encounter”, noting that the animal did not attack or touch them. They plan to return to the sea soon.
