When searching for ways to describe a horrifying encounter with a great white shark, one could do much worse than the old standby "fucking gnarly." Those are the words of 22-year-old Tyler McQuillen, currently cruising into headlines thanks to his GoPro footage of a harrowing run-in with a shark off the coast of Santa Barbara.
While catching up on some spearfishing in Santa Barbara Sept. 1, McQuillen toldABC News he came face-to-face with a very real shark that he initially thought was all part of some elaborate prank. "I thought it was my friend playing a joke," McQuillen said. With his GoPro firmly mounted to his speargun, viewers get a firsthand look at how quickly this dude realizes a shark attack is no joke at all.
The first bump from our shark pal sends McQuillen's spear floating, knocking his flipper off and disorienting him. As McQuillen is seen retrieving the spear and fending off the shark during his second encounter, viewers are invited to feel that brief moment of relief alongside him. "The second time [the shark] came around, I thought he was finished," McQuillen said. But the shark ultimately came back for more, only to be met with the spear once again.
This impromptu shark meeting left McQuillen with 2 broken toes, Inside Editionreports. Bummer. But when McQuillen is fully healed and off the crutches next month, he's actually planning to return to the ocean.
According to the Shark Week impresarios over at Discovery Channel, there are a number of things to keep in mind when trying one's damnedest to avoid a shark attack. In addition to ignoring the allure of the night swim, experts recommend that ocean-bound humans keep an eye on the swimming patterns of nearby fish, and perhaps most importantly, think like a shark.
