Heart-Pounding Footage Shows Great White Shark Pursuing Foil Surfer off California Coast
Harrowing footage shows a foil surfer being pursued by a great white shark for miles along the California coast.
Ron Takeda and Tavis Boise were on a 20-mile downwind foil run between UC Santa Barbara and Carpinteria on Saturday when a shark approached Takeda and began trailing him within inches of his feet. Hydrofoil boards are surfboard-like devices fitted with underwater wings that generate lift, allowing riders to glide above the water and travel long distances with reduced drag.
A video posted on YouTube shows Boise holding a selfie stick and filming their foil run, with Takeda following behind. During the run, a 10 to 11-foot-long great white shark began tracking Takeda closely, appearing to engage in what Boise later described as a “cat and mouse” pursuit. The footage captures the moment the surfers realize the danger, with Boise shouting warnings to his friend: “Don’t fall,” and “Don’t stop. Go, go, go!”
According to the caption accompanying the YouTube video, the shark followed Takeda for several minutes during the incident.
“While in the middle of a 20-mile downwind foil run from UCSB to Carpinteria, Ron Takenda and I buzzed over a shark. This triggered an intense curiosity, and the shark followed Ron closely for about 3 minutes. He turned left, it turned left. He sped up, it sped up. It was a full game of cat and mouse, but with a 10-11ft shark,” Boise writes in the caption of the YouTube video.
“After what felt like an eternity for Ron, it finally peeled away in search of something else to play with. We continued the run and made the next 10 miles without falling.”
Boise adds: “It is a big ocean out there and a good reminder for how wild nature can be! Sharks are cool animals. If you treat them with respect, they will leave you alone. If you glide over them, they may become curious.”
Takeda also describes the encounter on Facebook, saying the shark was at times directly beneath his board.
“I was getting a little concerned because it was working hard to chase me, it was relentless, and chased for a long time,” Takeda writes on social media. “I heard it thrashing behind me throughout this whole video, plus many minutes past the video.”
The incident comes as experts warn of increased shark activity off the California coast, with unusually warm ocean temperatures and the possible development of El Niño conditions drawing marine life closer to shore.
