This Man Was Attacked By A Great White Shark That Cut His Boat In Two

In Australia, a man miraculously survived a terrifying encounter with a great white shark that cut his kayak in half.

Credit: zetter/iStock

John Vincent was quietly cruising in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, around 6 a.m. Wednesday, August 17, when he encountered one of the planet's most famous predators up close. The retired accountant was accompanied by two other paddlers when a great white shark attacked, tearing the kayak apart in a split second.

“The six-meter canoe was literally cut in half. The water bubbled, then it calmed down in seconds, everything happened very quickly” explained John about this incident which could clearly have cost him his life. Fortunately, a passing boat not far from there was able to rescue John who had fallen into the water. The latter was not injured and does not appear to have been disturbed. Indeed, since this misadventure, he has already taken to the sea on a canoe loaned by one of his friends.

But while John is obviously not traumatized by this story, it is clear that this unexpected encounter with the shark could have turned out much worse. Local yacht club president John Wait said it was not 'It's only a matter of time before something like this happens' , due to the large number of sharks present off the coast of the region. And he adds: “They are there in impressive proportions at the moment. To reassure local divers and sailors, their population is expected to drop in the coming weeks as significant numbers of great white sharks will soon follow the whales on their annual migration.'

Credit: Roy Doutreband

Credit: Roy Doutreband

A sneak attack

New South Wales state officials have been called to speak to the paddlers involved in the encounter and examine the remains of the canoe, which are currently stored at the yacht club. They confirmed that a large white, about three meters long, was most likely the source of the offensive .

A spokesperson said: “It was reported that the man was kayaking between Pig Island and Coffs Harbor when something hit the back of the kayak. Shark biologists spoke to the man and reviewed photos of the kayak and damage to determine if a shark was involved. The animal was not seen by any of the three kayakers present in the area, but the bite marks and the profile of the kayak indicate that it is a white shark. »