GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her "dream" research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands. GrrlScientist has written a blog about science since 4 August 2004 (the early years are archived 
tags: shark, elasmobranch, great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias, Image of the Day
This is the most amazing wildlife image I've ever seen. If you don't agree with me, then you have to show me what's more amazing than this!
Kayaking with a Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias.
Image: Thomas P. Peschak [purchase this image].
The photographer writes; To capture this image I tied myself to the tower of the research boat Lamnidae and leaned into the void, precariously hanging over the ocean while waiting patiently for a white shark to come along. I wanted to [take] a photograph that would tell the story of our research efforts to track white sharks using kayaks. When the first shark of the day came across our sea kayak it dove to the seabed and inspected it from below. I quickly trained my camera on the dark shadow which slowly transformed from diffuse shape into the sleek outline of a large great white. When the shark's dorsal fin broke the surface I thought I had the shot, but hesitated a fraction of a second and was rewarded with marine biologist Trey Snow in the kayak turning around to look behind him. I pressed the shutter and the rest was history. Throughout the day I shot many more images, most showing the kayak following the shark, but all lacked the power of that first image of the great white tracking the kayak.
Life Science
Humanities & Social Science
Comments
The guy is an idiot! l was fishing in a 30 foot fishing boat when a G.W. locked his/her jaws on the stern, shook the boat for several seconds. this happened off Hout bay Capetown in the 1960s. A kayak would stand no chance!
Posted by: colin syme | February 13, 2008 3:19 PM
...I had the shot, but hesitated a fraction of a second and was rewarded with marine biologist Trey Snow in the kayak turning around to look behind him. I pressed the shutter and the rest was history.
If it had been me in that kayak, he could have pressed the shutter again a second later and caught another historic moment: me breaking the World Kayak Speed Record.
Posted by: Bob | February 13, 2008 3:48 PM
Huh, I always thought this was a fake! Thanks for correcting me - the other photographs in the series are really neat too.
~ Nick
Posted by: Nick | February 13, 2008 6:41 PM
nick, like you, my initial thought was it was fake, until i started poking around on the internet. that's when i learned more about it and knew i had to share it with all of you, because it is just so amazing.
Posted by: "GrrlScientist" | February 13, 2008 6:50 PM
I know that I would rather be the one taking the picture, dangling in midair than being the one in the Kayak ;)
Posted by: Nicole | February 13, 2008 10:30 PM
If anyone ever needed to demonstrate the insanity of field biologists, this is all they need.
Bob
Posted by: Bob O'H | February 14, 2008 1:22 AM
Out in the Farallon Islands, off the coast of N. California, a researcher has conditioned great whites to strike surfboards mounted with video to record the fish rising from below. Apparently the shark thinks it's a seal. I've always though that was a recipe for disaster, if those sharks' ranges intersect with popular surfing spots. Oh well, the footage is very cool.
Re, the photo: If it were me paddling, they'd have to hose out that kayak afterwards.
Posted by: Tiff | February 15, 2008 1:39 PM
This photo was featured on I Can Has Cheezburger a while back with the caption, "A bigger boat... we needs it."
http://icanhascheezburger.com/2008/01/15/funny-pictures-a-bigger-boat-we-needs-it/
Posted by: Tina Rhea | February 20, 2008 7:25 PM