Fat Paddler, minutes after the incident (courtesy of Sydney Harbour Kayaks)
It started out like any other paddle; arrived at The Spit before 7.00am, pushed out into glassy conditions at dawn and started to warm up my shoulders with some big paddle strokes. In front of me were two other paddlers in nice composite kayaks that I was trying to get a closer look at by powering up behind them. And then something caught my attention.
A dark shadow loomed up underneath the water between the two kayakers 15 metres in front. Then as I leaned forward trying to get a closer look, the water next to my boat at knee level burst forth and a SEAL (or sea-lion, couldn’t quite see) popped up and looked me square in the face.
Now as a paddler on Sydney harbour, I have a healthy fear of sharks. I can think of at least three serious shark attacks in Sydney last summer, one of which happened in the harbour itself. Anything, and I mean ANYTHING bigger than a shoe that comes up from beneath the water is likely to scare me senseless. So at this point, with the sound of JAWS playing in my mind, I very nearly soiled myself with fear.
But it seemed I wasn’t the only one. As the seal realised it was looking into the face of one of the planet’s meanest predators (not to mention one with a big appetite!) its eyes widened, it jumped almost completely out of the water away from the boat and dived back down under the water. And then it was gone.
I stopped and peered behind me waiting for him to surface (and for my heart to calm down) but I didn’t see him again. He simply disappeared. All I can say is I hope the sharks didn’t get him. 😉
I had a similar experience while paddling a rented boat in Seattle. I was paddling along aimlessly and one popped up right of the starboard side and I thought I was going to be eaten for sure. I was so startled then mesmerized that I couldn’t grab my camera in time for a shot.
Glad you made it out ok.
-James
I know exactly what you mean. There was no way I was thinking of reaching for the camera, I was WAY too shaken up!! 🙂
I was swimming in the surf the other evening where the water was a bit churned up, which lowered the visibility in the water a bit. I was doing it both because it was nice, and because I feel the same way about the water as you. We don’t have Great Whites that I am aware of, but fishermen have pulled 2 different 1000+ lb Hammerheads out of the water within a few miles of where I was swimming/wading.
Every time a clump of seaweed would brush lightly against my arm, the college kids on the beach 300 meters away would hear me squeal in terror at the Leviathan that was about to rend the flesh from my body (in my head).
LOL! Mate I grew up in Adelaide (South Australia) not far from where they filmed the live footage for JAWS. Lots of Great Whites, Bronze Whalers, and Giant Hammerheads. As a teenager I surfed, so I lived in constant fear of shadows below the surface, and seaweed scared me more times than anything else!!