ENCOUNTER WITH A GREAT WHITE
Adventure Magazine|April 2020
Anyone who knows our editor well, knows he has a knack of telling a great tale. So when he called in a panic to say he'd just been chased by a Great White, I must admit, I sort of didn't really believe him. But when I saw him an hour later and he was still shaking, I began to think that this may have been true. I'll let Steve tell the story and you can decide for yourself...
Steve Dickinson
ENCOUNTER WITH A GREAT  WHITE
Yes, I know they are always there. Yes, I know there has never been an East Coast fatal shark attack in the North Island.

BUT – while fishing off Stanmore Bay Point (not long before the lockdown), a popular area just as the tide turned, I was ‘investigated’ by a 2.5+ meter great white. I don’t have a fear of sharks, I have dived with them extensively in Tahiti and Fiji and even photographed Great Whites in Tasmania, but I do have a deep respect for them and the role they play.

I have seen bigger sharks but from a boat not in a kayak. In a kayak you are really exposed, and very close to their level.

I heard him before I saw him. I saw him approach from the right-hand side. At which point I slashed at him with my rod accompanied by a range of expletives – made no difference. It was like being approached by a couch; his length was less intimidating than his girth.

This story is from the April 2020 edition of Adventure Magazine.

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This story is from the April 2020 edition of Adventure Magazine.

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