Bull Shark Swims Under Kayak

Florida Man Encounters Bull Shark While Kayak Fishing

Journalist Drew Petrimoulx was kayak fishing in Tampa Bay, Florida, when he encountered a bull shark that he captured on video as it swims underneath his kayak. With over 289k views and over 4,000 comments, the video sparked tons of questions and comments from concerned viewers. In a follow-up comment, Petrimoulx commented that he knew he was "near a known bull shark breeding ground” and therefore wasn’t too caught off guard when he came across the terrifying creature.

Original video is below, please note there are curse words in the audio.

Identifying a Bull Shark

After some questioning of whether the shark was truly a bull shark, Petrimoulx posted a second video that gives a better glimpse into the size of the shark as well as of its mouth and tail. According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, bull sharks are indeed "Common apex predator that inhabits estuarine, nearshore and offshore waters of both the Gulf and Atlantic coasts of Florida." The commission also states that the maximum size of a bull shark is about 11 feet and that they are estimated to live at least 24 years.