Kayakers attacked by great white shark off California
Three kayakers were attacked by a shark off the coast of California on Friday.
The group issued distress calls on Friday and were rescued by two fishermen who found one of the kayakers clinging to his boat in Santa Barbara.
According to The Weather Network, the shark, believed to be a great white, had punched several holes in the kayak. If the fishermen had not arrived, it could have sunk.
The kayakers thanked Lou and Charles Christman.
"This thing, his jaws were probably... this is probably a 16- to 18-foot shark, it was a big one," Charles Christman told KCOY/KEYT.
"I saw a splash... a few feet out of the water, and thought, 'Wow, that's kind of weird,'" said Lou Christman.
The men were pulled onto the fishermen's boat and their kayaks were towed back to shore.
CBS Local reports that officials closed the Santa Barbara County beach after the attack.
In 2012, an American man's first experience in a kayak turned out to be more dramatic than he expected when a great white shark appeared in the water right behind him.
Walter Szulc Jr was paddling his canoe just off Nauset Beach near Cape Cod when swimmers spotted a shark's fin in the water.
At first, Walter failed to notice other swimmers running out of the water - and didn't hear them shouting "shark, shark!" to warn him that a shark was on his tail.
But the moment he looked behind him and saw the shark's fin was captured on camera by a bystander - and he paddled quickly and safely to shore.
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