AN uMhlanga resident fishing off the coast of Salt Rock had a close encounter with a four metre great white shark on Sunday. Rudy McNeill said he and a friend were fishing 20 kilometres offshore when they spotted the unmistakable shape of the shark which tested their nerves by repeatedly circling their boat.

“We were fishing for bottom fish at a known spot just off the coast of Salt Rock. There was another boat just 15 metres away from us and the guys on the boat got all excited and said there was a Zambezi shark coming to our bait. It’s only as the shark crested the water that I could see it was unmistakably a great white. We were just in awe, it’s such an awesome sight. I never thought I’d ever see one in Salt Rock.

“He was about four metres long and just circled the bait we had in the water. He went around the bait about 10 times before he eventually took it. He was very inquisitive. We eventually moved on but it was something to behold,” the former Northwood School pupil said.

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