A sportfishing boat captain reported spotting what he said was a great white shark off Laguna Beach Wednesday afternoon, and he captured video of the encounter.
The 10-to-12-foot creature was seen around 1:30 p.m. aboard the Ocean Explorer, according to Capt. Larry Hartmann. He estimated the animal was 1,500 pounds.
Hartmann said he’d never seen anything like it before.
“I’ve been on the water since I’ve been 11 years old,” Hartmann said. “I’ve seen great whites, but never one that would just come up to the boat like this and just sort of act almost like a dolphin … just absolutely was curious, poking around.”
More than 90 passengers were aboard the vessel when the alleged great white shark was spotted about two miles off shore, Hartmann said. It was the largest of the species Hartmann said he’d ever seen in local waters.
The boat was operated by Davey’s Locker Sportfishing & Whale Watching out of Newport Beach harbor.
A long-distance swimmer was injured when he was bitten by a 7-foot great white shark off Manhattan Beach on July 5, prompting the City Council there to temporarily ban fishing from the pier.