Matt Wells, 19, recorded a video of his encounter off the coast of Cape Reinga, showing the shark swishing its tail through the water as it hunts his kayak. Video / Matt Wells
A young kayaker out fishing alone near Cape Rēinga resorted to praying for his safety as a shark as big as his boat relentlessly trailed him along the remote coastline.
Matt Wells, 19, recorded an expletive-laden video of his encounter, showing the predator swishing its tail through the water as it hunts after his kayak.
Wells spoke exclusively to the Herald, recounting the ordeal and sharing his reflections on the “special” encounter.
The shark’s dorsal fin can be seen advancing towards Wells in a straight line as its caudal fin (on the tail) swishes left to right behind it, propelling the apex predator ever closer. Photo / Matt Wells
“F**k me, there’s a huge great white behind me. F**k me,” a terrified Wells can be heard saying in the video.
“He’s still behind me, he’s just following me. If I get eaten, it’s not going to be much fun. How do I get him to leave me alone? He’s still right behind me.”
Wells first noticed the shark after the live bait on his line appeared nervous in the water. He saw a “large swirl” behind his kayak and hit record on his camera.
When he saw the massive animal: “Great white! Great white! Great white shark!
The shark’s dorsal fin can be seen advancing towards Wells in a straight line as its caudal fin (on the tail) swishes left to right behind it, propelling the apex predator ever closer.
Wells begins praying to Tangaroa, the god of the sea in Māori creation traditions, after his close encounter on the remote Cape Rēinga coastline. Photo / Matt Wells
“It was bound to happen eventually,” Wells, who has been kayak fishing since he was 6, told the Herald.
“It was terrifying in the moment, but in reflection, I’m kind of thoughtfully gracious that I did get to have that experience.
“It’s not something many people will get in their life,” he said.
“You have to be grateful for that much, especially getting out of it completely unharmed with a good story to tell.”
Wells said he hoped to hook a big fish on his trip, and the shark “wasn’t exactly the outcome I was looking for, that’s for sure”.
In the video, he apologised to his viewers for his cursing, “but I am s**tting bricks right now. When a great white gets to that size, its main food source is marine mammals, and I am a marine mammal right now”.
He then begins praying to Tangaroa, the god of the sea in Māori creation traditions.
“This is the risk you take when you are kayak fishing. You are going into a big animal’s domain and you are stepping into his house.”
He said he believed the shark was 1000lb (453kg) and about 4.5m long.
Wells, a self-described “kayak fishing addict”, posts videos of his adventures on social media platforms Instagram and YouTube.
He said he phoned his family when he got to shore, and said they were also expecting him to get caught in an incident like this eventually.
And ultimately, Wells asked the public to respect the risks of kayak fishing and acknowledge “these are big animals and you’re going into their home”.
“They deserve respect, but it shouldn’t be a barrier to stop people from getting out there and doing what they want to do, exploring the world,” he said.
“We’ve got a beautiful place and the last thing I want is to shed a bad light on the sport.”
He met the shark in the waters around Cape Rēinga during his stay at the Spirits Bay campsite.
The Department of Conservation says New Zealand is “recognised as one of the world’s hot spots for white sharks”.
The great white shark has a propensity to feed on large prey and investigate objects floating at the surface of the water by biting them.
“Their large size, habit of feeding ... and propensity to investigate objects ... by biting them makes shark attack a potential risk for anyone swimming, diving, surfing or operating a small vessel such as a kayak.”
See the full video below. WARNING: Contains graphic language.
Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.
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