Unsuspecting California Surfer Accidentally Touches Great White Shark Without Even Knowing

Well, what would be a horror story for some was a nerve-jangling reality for a group of unsuspecting surfers paddling in the waters of Southern California.

The footage shows great white sharks majestically swimming close to the shoreline, alongside a group of surfers who go about their activities, seemingly unbothered or unaware of the presence of the sharks despite them being so close, one surfer even touches a shark.

Amazingly, the surfers continue on completely unaffected by the presence of the sharks. It’s possible that they simply have no idea they were there, though that’s difficult to believe, given the water visibility.

The area is no stranger to shark activity and has, at times, needed to be closed when aggressive shark behavior has been observed, such as the time a group of sharks began eating a juvenile whale just offshore.

There are a number of factors that could account for this increased number of sharks, such as migration patterns of the sharks and, potentially, the availability of prey in the area.

Some appear to be particularly small, possibly juveniles, while others are clearly fully grown adults of up to 10 feet in length. This is good evidence of a healthy shark ecosystem that effectively supports the growth and development of shark populations.

One reason we’re able to get such a good look at the creatures in this video might be because of how warm the water in the area is. Warmer waters increase the amount of light that can penetrate the water, allowing greater visibility and, in this case, a perfect view of the sharks.

It’s far more likely that the surfers are simply used to the presence of sharks. It’s far from uncommon to find great white sharks in the waters of Southern California.

The truth is, sharks probably aren’t nearly as much of a threat to those in the water as we might think from media coverage, which can sometimes sensationalize rare attacks. When, in reality, sharks mostly leave swimmers alone.

In this video, it seems like the sharks really have no interest in the surfers. They weren’t intentionally seeking them out, but instead seemed to be swimming along the shoreline, perhaps a little curious about the presence of the humans, at most.

Reduced water visibility can make it harder for humans to see sharks, while sharks will have no problem knowing we’re there. We also lose much of our ability to detect sound underwater, again severely limiting our perception.

Many probably watch the video waiting for disaster to strike, but it instead highlights how we are simply a part of nature and we can happily coexist with other species, even when we’re out of our element.