David Woodward has been surfing long enough that he does not worry too much about sharks either. In fact, in this video Woodward confesses that he has already seen four juvenile great white sharks just in the past two years, and none of them ever bothered the surfer. So, excited to try out his new GoPro camera, Woodward headed out into the ocean waters of Southern California alone. Within a few minutes, however, he discovered that he was being stalked by a great white shark! The video opens with Woodward paddling on his longboard with the shoreline behind him. The experienced surfer appears calm and collected, even when he sees a great white shark swimming just 10 feet in front of him. But suddenly the shark decides to change direction, heading straight for the surfer! Alone on his longboard, Woodward is completely exposed and vulnerable. However, even as the shark swims toward the surfer, he does not panic. Instead, he changes direction by quickly sweeping his arms backwards through the water. As he spins his board toward the shore, a dark shape appears in the water just over Woodward’s shoulder. The video briefly switches into slow motion, and we can clearly see a large shark swimming along the wave just behind the surfer. Fortunately, Woodward sees the shark as well, but he remains calm as he quickly paddles toward the shoreline. The video ends with Woodward climbing onto the safety of the beach. The surfer looks directly into the camera with astonishment and relief, confessing that this was the closest he has ever come to a shark in the water. After posting the video, experts and surfers have commended Woodward for how he handled his encounter with the shark. In particular, the fact that he remained calm and never panicked throughout the entire experience. His only mistake was going out into the water alone that day (you should never surf alone! Sharks are much less likely to attack when there are multiple people in the water). Fortunately, however, both shark and human went their separate ways without any damage done. Ready for more shark encounters? Check out the videos below! See A Surfer Narrowly Survive A Shark Attack During Competition – Surfing huge waves is dangerous enough. Imagine being this close to a shark attack! See The 21-Foot Shark That May Be The Largest Great White Shark on Record – Great white sharks are enormous predators, and this one may be the biggest ever. See The World’s Only Shark Infested Golf Course – Seeing sharks in the ocean is scary enough, imagine spotting 9 foot long sharks at a golf course! Meet an Incredible Woman Who Has Removed 300 Hooks from Shark Mouths – Watch this incredible “shark whisperer” as she gets close enough to pet sharks and remove fishhooks from their mouths!
