#News - Kayak Angler's encounter with a large shark
A PERTH kayak fisherman has had a terrifying encounter with a large shark which came within
metres of his 4m craft in Cockburn Sound.
Michael Robertson was angling off Cockburn Sound on Wednesday when he realised a much bigger fish had started to follow his small craft.
Sticking his video camera underwater, he made out the ghostly shape of what he believes was a great white just metres behind him.
Mr Robertson, from South Fremantle, dunked his camera repeatedly to try to get a better look at the animal that he guessed was about 4m in length.
Speaking to his camera after he first sighted it, he said: “It’s just following me. A great white’s following me, man. It’s big, whatever it is.”
Nervously looking over his shoulder, Mr Robertson veered his kayak to the right, but another dip of the camera showed the shark moving even closer towards his back.
When he saw it had vanished, he said: “Now that I can’t see him, I’m worried. It’s pretty big.”
Michael said he had just lost a “good-sized pink snapper” when he realised the shark was closing on his kayak.
The video — which was uploaded to YouTube — suggests that he remained admirably calm during his close encounter.
Mr Robertson, 35, was about 4km out from the shore with workmate Campbell Ryan, and the pair had intentionally avoided another spot after hearing a 4m great white had recently been seen there.
“I’m pretty sure he gobbled the snapper I lost,” he told PerthNow.
“The kayak is 13ft long, and the shark was easily as long and a lot wider.
“I was thinking: ‘He could take a bite and take the whole front off if he wanted’.”
The pair quickly cut their lines and headed in, and Mr Ryan, also in a kayak, later told his mate he had seen a “bloody great fin” behind him.
Mr Robertson claimed some fellow fishermen disappeared even more quickly.
“There were a couple of guys near me in a little boat that must’ve seen it,” he said.
“We wanted them to come and try to scare it off but they were out of there.”