The swimmer knew at least one shark was nearby. But six? Photo: YouTube//Screenshot
Most people are at least a little bit frightened of great white sharks. If you surf a lot or if you listen to researchers, you know that the chances of being attacked by one are extremely low. Still, “low” is not “zero” when it comes to chances, so it makes sense that we’d all have a bit of unease around swimming near them. But not the swimmer in this video.
Shot by Carlos Gauna, who runs an immensely popular YouTube channel called The Malibu Artist, it shows a swimmer in Southern California, where juvenile great whites abound this time of year.
“Juvenile white sharks regularly use warm, shallow nearshore waters as nursery habitat,” Gauna explained. “Although most encounters pass without incident, these are still powerful, wild predators capable of changing speed and direction in a fraction of a second.”
The swimmer was out a few hundred yards when it became evident that there were not just one but six great whites in the immediate vicinity. While it’s unlikely the swimmer knew to begin with how many there were, he definitely was aware of at least one, but didn’t seem to care in the slightest.
Even after a lifeguard paddled out to him, likely to explain that he was, in fact, surrounded by curious great white sharks, he chose to continue his relaxing dip in the ocean. And he emerged unscathed… but with a hell of a story to tell and the footage to prove it.
“These scenes reveal how frequently great white sharks and people may share the same stretch of ocean without ever realizing it,” Gauna said. “Most of the sharks found close to shore are juveniles, but very large adult white sharks also travel through Southern California waters and occasionally pass surprisingly close to the beach. With that in mind, don’t get too comfortable, I do see adult 13-15 footers weekly as well.”
