Dave Lamoureux's Great White Shark Encounter while Fishing for Tuna in a Kayak

Filed report July 2, 2011.

14 feet estimated, no weight estimation

John Chisholm, works for Dr Skomal
Mass Marine Fisheries
508-910-6329

Dr. Greg Skomal - Biologist

Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries at 508-965-4394

I was in my kayak fishing, when a shark, 30 yards directly off my bow, rose silently and vertically (20-25 degree angle) from below. The sea was like glass and there was no prior sighting or indication of the shark's presence. With only moderate aggression it bit into a small prey (30-60lb grey seal) that was oblivious to the shark's attack. It seemed to be an easy snack with zero struggle. Once the prey was crushed in the jaws, the shark's dorsal and tail rose to the surface. The shark then thrashed its head and tail only once shaking the prey. It then waited a second and then shook again once and then repeated for a total of 3 intermittent thrashes. It then slowly sank into the sea with a casual swimming motion. The entire attack was powerful yet noticeably less violent than I have ever seen on TV.

Dave Lamoureux's Account of the Shark Encounter:

The Great White Shark encounter on the morning of July 2, 2011 was my second out of my last 12 offshore excursions. It took place at 6am on a picturesque morning with the sun rising and the ocean as calm as glass. A very rare day off the outermost part of Cape Cod, MA. It was the kind of day one always hopes for but rarely encounters. This second White encounter was a more humbling experience than the first.

I never commented about the first encounter because I never personally saw the Great White. It was only after paddling three hours towing in an 80lb bleeding tuna and reaching shore that I even found out about a White Shark that was stalking me. I was approached and informed by a U.S. National Park Ranger that they had been watching my slow progress towards Race Point Beach from their station at the top of the four story dunes. They said they were also watching a White Shark's progress as it swam a zigzag pattern about 20 minutes behind me trying to track in on the tuna's blood trail. When told of the shark, my response was to immediately scan the water for the famed predator which I luckily beat to shore. Unfortunately, there was no sign of the monster anymore although I relished the experience from the safety of shore.

I recently realized, however, that if you find out about a Great White Shark after you are safe on land, it is quite a different experience than being overtly aware of its presence while alone, in a 12 foot plastic kayak, with odorous tuna bait, three quarters of a mile from shore and having to cross the Outer Cape's Great White Gauntlet to reach the safety of shore. The gauntlet is the first mile of ocean from the beach that runs the length of the roughly 60 miles from Chatham to Truro where the Great White's regularly cruise in their hunt for Grey Seals. Unfortunately and to my chagrin, these fearsome predators are appearing in greater numbers and earlier each year as explained to me by Dr Greg Skomal of the Mass Dept of Fish & Wildlife. His previous years estimate of 20 Great Whites being in the area at peak season made me realize that it breaks down to 1 White for every 3 miles of coastline.

On this past 4 th of July weekend, I attempted to cross a section of the Gauntlet since Great White's usually don't congregate off the Cape until August & September. To my surprise, I was blocked by a 14 foot Great White breaking the surface in a stealthy vertical attack on a young Gray Seal just 30 yards directly off my bow. My initial reaction was to watch the life and death struggle unfold with avid interest until the quick snack was gone. The attack, decimation and consumption took less than a minute. As the shark thrashed with ferocious power and his dorsal and tail continued to rise ever higher out of the water, the realization of the extent of my vulnerability to such an awesome 14-foot predator became paramount. At this point I gave up on any possibility of going fishing and just slowly and quietly as possible headed back to shore hoping that the shark was satiated. It was quite an experience encountering a White in a predatory mode yet not one that I would want to repeat in a kayak containing bait. And yes, I am going back out tuna fishing again, this weekend in fact. There is however, an added element of unease and risk since during my last 12 trips, I have had 2 encounters. In other words, statistically, I presently have a 20% chance of encountering another Great White.

What They're Saying...

“Commercial fishermen and fishing blogs have been critical of what they perceive as unnecessary risk -- but few discredit the endurance and perseverance that goes into it.”

- Zach Schonbrun, Yahoo!Sports

“Fishing, for Lamoureux, means clipping his rod to a harness on his chest and hanging on for dear life as the fish races off, pulling his kayak  at speeds up to 15 miles an hour. Just another big fish story? You be the judge.”

- Jerry Lanson, True/Slant

“Catching a 157-pound bluefin tuna is not an easy thing to do under the best of circumstances, and not just because the world's bluefin stocks are dangerously close to collapse. But catching a tuna from a kayak is almost impossible to imagine...”

- David Roth, Wall Street Journal