WATCH | Fisherman in Hawaii captures dramatic video of harrowing encounter with tiger shark
Shark attack
Recently, the video of a kayak fisherman's harrowing encounter with a shark has surfaced online. The footage, captured by fisherman Scott Haraguchi's GoPro camera, showed how the giant fish attacked his kayak while he was sitting with his left foot swinging over the side.
In a conversation with local outlet KITV, Haraguchi said that he was fishing about a mile offshore from Kualoa in Windward Oahu and had just caught a fish when the incident occurred.
"I heard a whooshing sound that sounded like a boat heading towards me without the motor, and I looked up and I saw this big wide brown thing which my brain thought was a turtle, but then I got slammed by it and realised that it was a tiger shark," Haraguchi told the outlet.
He further added that he was able to kick the shark away from his kayak and did not sustain any injuries in the brief dramatic attack. He said that he did not realise the magnitude of what had happened until he got home safely and looked at the video. Despite the horrifying shark encounter, Haraguchi continued fishing.
'Not sure of what prompted shark attack': Haraguchi
Haraguchi said that he wasn't sure of what prompted the shark to attack his kayak but shortly after the encounter, he spotted an injured seal. He said that he believes the fish may have mistaken the kayak for the wounded animal.
"I believe the shark may have wounded the seal, and was waiting for it to die, and came back and mistook me for the seal," he said.
He said he was thankful and counting his blessings that he wasn't hurt.
"I realize that life is short, time is short on Earth, so make the most of it," he told the outlet.
Shark attacks in Hawaii
As per the figures from Hawaii's Division of Aquatic Resources (DAR), so far, there have been four shark attacks off the coast of the island in 2023.
In the month of April, a 58-year-old man sustained severe injuries after he was attacked while surfing off the coast near the island's capital, Honolulu.
(With inputs from agencies)
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