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Giant great white shark bites boat in Gulf of Mexico

Tampa Bay boat captain says shark circled boat for more than 2 hours

Encounter with a great white shark in Gulf of Mexico. (Photo by Erika Almond via WFTS-TV)

A Florida fishing captain with a boat named “Offshore Therapy” saw something less than therapeutic on her recent fishing trip: a great white shark.

Erika Almond and several friends were fishing in approximately 200 feet of water about 65 miles south-southwest of Tampa Bay when an extremely large great white shark approached the boat and tried to bite it, according to Fox 13.

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Almond shared photos and video of the encounter on her Facebook page saying, “Seriously one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had offshore! We had a 14-16 foot great white shark circle our boat, bite the motors and the boat, and roll on its back for about two to three hours! 65 miles offshore in the Gulf. No words.”

Video shows the shark gets near the boat and makes multiple attempts to bite the motor.

Seriously one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had offshore! We had a 14-16 foot Great White shark circle our boat,...

Posted by Erika Almond on Friday, January 22, 2021

According to Almond, the shark did this for about two or three hours as it circled her boat, even rolling onto its back.

In one of the photos, one of Almond’s friends is seen reaching out to touch the shark.

“The white sharks are migrating right now to Florida’s warmer waters and their population is definitely growing, which is good for the ocean,” Dr. Robert Hueter, director of the Center for Shark Research at MOTE told Fox 13.