Video: California Surfer Oblivious to Run-In With Great White Shark

The footage lends credence to a study published earlier this year that found swimmers encounter sharks more than they realize.

Despite the fact that humans are generally terrified of sharks, we're only just starting to learn how closely they come to us in the ocean. And in yet another video to make the rounds on the internet this year, a great white shark is seen swimming practically right underneath a surfer in San Diego, who seems completely unaware of its presence.

The footage was taken by marine life drone photographer and videographer, Scott Fairchild, who posted the clip to his Instagram account this week.

"Great White youngster hunting rays in a few feet of water," Fairchild wrote. "As usual, when a wave comes through they’ll turn back out. And in this case, Into a surfer."

"Surfer never did see it," he added.

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Earlier this year, researchers at Shark Lab, a biology unit of the California State University, Long Beach, published findings of a study that used drones to learn the habits of juvenile white sharks along the Southern California coastline. Central San Diego County was one of two hotspots identified by the researchers from about 1,500 drone flights spanning two years, along with southern Santa Barbara County.

Not only were sharks were observed swimming near humans on 97 percent of the days the two locations were surveyed, but they also often came within 50 yards of wave breaks. 

And while the sharks were seen in closest proximity to surfers and stand-up paddle boarders, not a single shark bite was reported in the beached surveyed during the duration of the study. Chris Lowe, a marine biology professor and director of the Shark Lab, said the team was surprised to see so many daily encounters without any bites.

"It’s not just about sharks, it’s about people," Lowe explained. "This study may change people’s perception of the risk sharks pose to people that share the ocean with them."

Be that as it may, few among us would probably want—or want to know if—a shark was swimming that close to us.