THIS is the heart-dropping moment a kayaker has to use his paddle as a weapon to ward off a hammerhead shark.
The local decided to act after seeing the beast circling him while he enjoyed a day out at sea in the tourist hotspot of La Palma, Canary Islands.
5
5
5
The shark was identified as a hammerhead – the same type experts believe killed a tourist after her leg was bitten off while sailing a British boat off the Canary Islands last week.
Footage shows the shark initially circling the kayak as the man behind the camera is heard heavily breathing – presumably out of sheer panic.
He soon picks up his paddle and waves it towards the creature in a bid to get the beast to turn around.
In a more desperate plea for the shark to leave him alone, the kayaker pushes and hits the beast with his paddle as the creature gets closer and closer.
The hammerhead does turn around – but then proceeds to circle round and come back.
Fears then grow with the man that the shark will attempt to topple the kayak and get him in the water.
The sportsman at the centre of the terrifying incident could be overheard warning the shark: “B*****d, get away”.
But after another hit, the terrifying creature thankfully disappears.
This latest incident occurred off the coast of Tazacorte – a municipality in the western part of the island – which is renowned for its incredible views by tourists.
Social media users attempted to play down the incident by insisting hammerhead sharks are normally not aggressive towards humans.
But the species has been linked to last Monday’s incident involving a 30-year-old German woman travelling on a pleasure craft called Dalliance Chichester.
The victim suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on a Spanish Air Force helicopter taking her to hospital after having her leg bitten off on September 17.
She was pronounced dead after arriving at Doctor Negrin Hospital in the Gran Canaria capital Las Palmas.
The woman is said to have had her leg bitten off by the shark as she was on a catamaran off the coast of Western Sahara.
The catamaran has been named as the British-flagged Dalliance Chichester, which had left the Canaries on September 14.
Spanish coastguards were said to have informed UK coastguards because of the origin of the catamaran.
Spanish coastguards reacted by alerting nearby vessels about the emergency.
One ended up approaching Dalliance Chichester to give other crew members medicine for the injured woman.
The injured woman boarded the Spanish Air Force helicopter just after 8pm.
Most hammerhead species are indeed considered harmless to humans and few attacks have been recorded.
Despite this, they are aggressive hunters and their size and fierceness make them potentially harmless.
They can grow up to a whopping 20ft in length and weigh up to around 71st.
Experts analysing last Monday’s fatal shark attack have ruled out the possibility it could be a tintorera or blue shark which are spotted every summer off mainland Spanish beaches.
What are hammerhead sharks & are they dangerous?
HAMMERHEAD sharks are a distinctive and fascinating group of sharks known for their unique hammer-shaped heads, called cephalofoils.
There are nine species of hammerhead sharks, with the most well-known being the great hammerhead, scalloped hammerhead, and smooth hammerhead.
Hammerhead sharks are generally not considered highly dangerous to humans. While they are large, powerful predators, they are not known to be aggressive toward people.
Documented attacks on humans by hammerhead sharks are extremely rare. When such incidents do occur, they are usually cases of mistaken identity or provoked situations.
Hammerheads are typically shy and avoid humans. They may show curiosity but are unlikely to display aggressive behaviour unless threatened or provoked.
Many divers and swimmers encounter hammerhead sharks without any issues. In fact, these encounters are often sought after by divers due to the sharks’ impressive appearance and the relatively low risk they pose.
Despite not being typically dangerous, caution should always be exercised around any large marine animal.
5
5