A paddleboarder has shared his thrillingly close encounter with a shark while out alone on the water.
Jared Harju was enjoying a relaxed morning outing, when he noticed the large fish swimming directly toward his board.
The 49-year-old says he remained calm as the beast passed beneath him, capturing the chilling moment on camera.
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No one was injured and Jared said that after a while, the shark appeared to lose interest and swim away – although it stayed in the vicinity for around an hour.
He shared a clip of the moment to TikTok, which has gathered 8,200 views.
“I was paddling at sunrise like I do whenever possible, on my favourite beach where there are usually marine animals, smaller sharks, manatees, rays – but this day was different,” Jared, who works in telecommunications, told What’s The Jam.
“I saw the large dorsal fin from about 10 meters away and knew it was the shark I’ve been waiting to see for years in clear water.
“It approached several times and [I] ended up paddling with it for probably an hour.”
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The shark was a hammerhead – easily recognised by its distinctive, hammer-shaped head and wide-set eyes, giving it excellent vision.
The species uses specialised sensors to detect electrical signals from animals hidden in the sand.
Interestingly, hammerheads are generally shy around humans and are most often found in warm coastal waters.
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Jared, from Miami in Florida, US, said: “At first I was nervous, as this is the biggest shark I’ve paddled with and there are very few people on the beach that early.
“But once it made its first two passes at me, I knew it wasn’t interested – so I kept my cool and got in a couple of good clips.
“In my experience over the year, sharks are not the monsters we made them out to be.
“They try to avoid us, they are predators and need to be respected but not feared.”
In the clip shared to social media, the shark can be seen moving towards Jared on his paddleboard, before swerving the other way.
The large fish then continues to swim nearby, just off Haulover Beach in Miami.
The video was filmed in Miami on 9 June 2022 but posted to TikTok on Sunday (18 Jan).
