“It felt like you were in a movie.” A massive great white circles a 30-foot Virginia Beach fishing boat.
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A Virginia Beach fishing charter crew got an up-close look at one of the ocean’s most feared predators this week when a nearly 15-foot great white shark surfaced alongside their boat more than 26 miles offshore.
The encounter happened Monday while the crew of Wreck Dawg Sport Fishing was operating near the offshore wind project east of Virginia Beach. Kenny Davis, a first mate with the charter company, said the shark appeared unexpectedly from behind one of the wind turbines.
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“He came up on the blind side of one of the turbines, and when I first saw him, I thought I was seeing things,” Davis said.
The shark, which the crew estimates was about 15 feet long, circled near the 30-foot fishing vessel, giving everyone on board a rare view of the apex predator.
“You could almost hear the person next to you breathing,” Davis said. “Everybody was in awe. It was one of those moments where it felt like you were in a movie.”
Davis said he quickly alerted charter owner Bradley Gray, who initially doubted the sighting.
“A big wake came up, and Kenny heard it,” Gray said. “We looked over, and Kenny said, ‘That’s a great white.’ I said, ‘Nah, man, you’re seeing things.’ Then sure enough, he swam right by the boat.”
Gray said the shark appeared to be nearly half the length of the vessel.
While the encounter was exciting, Davis said it also served as a reminder of the shark’s place at the top of the marine food chain.
“If I were to fall in that water, I’m not at the top of the food chain anymore,” he said. “I can’t outsmart that shark. That’s where respect comes in.”
The sighting quickly drew attention online, with many commenters saying they had spent years on the water without ever seeing a great white shark at such close range.
For Davis, the experience was one he will not soon forget.
“Another reason why we pray, I guess, is to see things like that,” he said. “It was a true blessing. I don’t know how else to explain it.”
According to Ocearch, a nonprofit organization that tracks and researches sharks, several tagged great white sharks have recently been moving north near the Outer Banks and Virginia Beach as part of their seasonal migration pattern.