A group of Western Australian sea kayakers has come face-to-face with a five-metre great white shark for the second time in four days.
The group gathered their rafts for safety as a sea predator circled them for 15 minutes yesterday, while a rescue helicopter and nearby boats hastened to assist.
Last night, they were pinching themselves that they lived to tell the tale – twice.
After setting off yesterday morning from Hillarys Dog Beach in Perth’s north, about 10am, the monster approached and lurked beneath the surface.
Allen Halsy was the first to spot the apex predator approaching.
“I just glanced sideways and saw something. The shark came in rapidly with its fin visible, heading straight for the back of their boat,” he recounted to 9News.
The same kayaking club had been paddling on Saturday when a nearly identical situation arose, with another great white circling them in a similar location.
“It was a different shark this time; it was tagged and seemed a bit smaller. I thought, ‘Oh no, not again,'” said fellow kayaker Richard Lailey to 9News.
Lailey said they didn’t really know what the shark’s intentions were.
“He carried on circling us and circling us and he swam under us a few times as well,” he said.
It’s an incredibly rare event many will never experience in a lifetime, let alone twice in four days.
“In those small, flimsy kayaks, you’re at a very low water level. When the shark approaches, you could almost touch it,” Halsy explained.
A shark warning was still in place for the state’s northern beaches last night from Scarborough to Ocean Reef.
Since Saturday, there have been 11 tagged sharks and sightings between Ocean Reef and Waterman’s Bay. Experts advise caution, noting that vessels like kayaks provide minimal protection.
It’s not the first time in WA great whites have taken an interest in paddlers.
In 1997, Brian Sierakowski and John Hanrahan encountered a shark that attacked their surf ski off Cottesloe Beach.
Martin Kane’s water craft was torn apart in Mullaloo by a great white in 2012.
Yesterday’s kayakers said they were completely undeterred by the two close encounters and planned to get back on the water this weekend.
“These experiences come in threes, so I’ll see you down here at the weekend,” Lailey said.
