Chip Michalove, the owner and operator of Outcast Fishing on Hilton Head Island in South Carolina, was on a fishing expedition along the coast with a group of customers when he realized a curious shark was stalking their boat.
"At about noon I saw a big shadow behind the boat, and I was surprised because I was so close in shore," Michalove, who has caught and released several great whites before, told the Myrtle Beach Online. "To only be out there for a couple hours and have one circle the boat was pretty rare."
Prior to the shark's grand entrance, Michalove told the outlet, he'd intended just for his customers to get the chance to catch and then release smaller fish such as sea bass, redfish or even a small shark.
"The shark came in. It would circle the boat a few times, and then it would leave," Michalove added. "Then it would come back. Every time we thought she was gone for good, she showed right back up."
Michalove, who described the shark as "real timid," noted that the entire stalking episode lasted roughly 45 minutes before the fearsome fish departed the area.
Though the fisherman did make repeated attempts to hook and tag the Jaws-like shark, it ultimately stayed too far away from him to be able to complete the task.
As for the customers aboard Michalove's boat, they were thrilled with the experience.
"They were absolutely blown away," Michalove told the publication. "They said, ‘How in the world are we going to be able to top this?' They were so excited, they were speechless by the end of the day."
According to Michalove, sharks during this time of year are typically looking for dead whales to feast on, which is likely what his boat was mistaken for.
