The Atlantic Ocean off of the United States’ east coast has been the subject of much scrutiny recently, as Great White Shark sightings in the region have intensified.
Recently, one speargun fisherman saw the situation up close and personal off the coast of North Carolina’s Outer Bank, in a scene that was captured on video and is just now making national news headlines.
The man, David Scherrer of Virginia Beach, post video of the incident to YouTube.
It had been viewed nearly 30,000 times as of the writing of this article.
For fun’s sake, try and put yourself in the shoes of the fisherman as the shark begins swimming right toward him at the 25-second mark of the video.
Would you fire on the massive ocean predator, or take your chances trying to blend in?
Watch what happens and let us know what you think:
Scherrer was about 20 miles off of the coast when it happened.
The shark managed to work its way within one or two feet of the speargun before turning to its left and swimming in the other direction.
The man kept his gun pointed at the shark, anticipating an attack.
“Dove down to 50’, saw this white, thought it was cool at first.
“Then I started swimming up, (it) started chasing me, and wasn’t so cool anymore,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Two things going through my mind as it came at me. 1. Hold your ground/don’t panic. 2. Where do I stab this thing.”
The man also added that his “heart was racing” and what he witnessed was a “dream and a nightmare at the same time.”
Winter is typically the time when Great White Sharks migrate down the Atlantic Coast to warmer water spots off the coast of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico.
In this case, Scherrer happened to be right in their path.
“Normally when that happens, things end a bit more dramatically,” Scherrer said to the Virginia Pilot.
