Surfer’s terrifying close call being circled by monster shark near Shelly Beach, Coffs Harbour
A surfer recalls the moment he was surrounded by a huge great white shark near a popular tourist beach weeks before the start of summer
Kye Wilkinson, 23, felt a disturbing push from the depths last week during an afternoon surf at Shelly Beach in Coffs Harbor on the NSW north coast.
He had no idea the 3-4 meter long shark was lurking beneath him until the predator suddenly swam right beneath him.
‘I had finished paddling and was sitting on my board for about two to three minutes when I felt something hit the bottom of my board; I looked below me and saw a big black shadow,” Mr Wilkinson said news.com.au.
“I froze for a moment because I didn’t really know how to paddle.”
Wilkinson then regained his composure and turned on his GoPro to capture the monster shark as he made his way to a larger group of surfers in the nearby water to warn them of the lurking danger.
“It circled around and [went] back under me as I paddled there,” he previously said Nine.
The surfers stayed close together and appeared bigger to the shark before charging toward shore
A 4-5 meter long great white shark gave surfers the fright of their lives near a beach in Coffs Harbor
‘I’m sitting there talking [when] it came back a third time.’
On the GoPro footage he can be heard talking about his encounter.
“Holy s***,” one of the surfers replied.
“Stay together guys, stay together, no paddling!” another surfer shouted.
The shark lingered around the group for quite some time before they could make the wild run to shore.
It is not the first time Mr Wilkinson has encountered a great white shark while surfing.
Kye Wilkinson, 23, felt the shark before he saw it as he swam under his surfboard
‘You see them every now and then, but they usually fly away quite quickly. “I’ve never had one this close before and it was very scary to have it circle around three times,” he said a week after the incident.
Mr Wilkinson appreciated the camaraderie of the other surfers during the ordeal.
The surfers huddled on the shore and watched the video from Mr Wilkinson’s GoPro.
“We didn’t realize how big it was until we actually saw it in the footage,” he said.