Surfing with Sharks

Some pictures taken in San Diego last weekend may be a little bit shocking for those with a fear of sharks. They show surfers waiting to catch a wave just a few feet away from what scientists agree is a 12 foot great white.

Lifeguards at the beach originally dismissed the sighting as a duck-diving surfer, but as these photographs were studied more closely it became apparent that it was a shark after all.

While great white sharks can certainly be dangerous to humans, fatalities from shark attacks are extremely rare and great whites do not purposefully hunt humans for food.

Since 1670 there have only been 43 fatal shark attacks in the United States. Surfers and swimmers are statistically more likely to be struck by lightning or win the lottery than be attacked by a great white shark.

All photos via.