'Bad Idea!' Man Leaps Into Sea to Swim With Shark, Then Regrets It
California resident Maxwell Fleming captured video of his friend jumping into the Pacific near the Channel Islands to take a swim with what they thought was a basking shark after they spotted it swimming close to their boat.
Fleming shared the footage on TikTok on September 19 that shows his friend Ryder jumping into the ocean to swim with the shark. After a few seconds, Ryder has misgivings and tries to make his way back to the boat.
Fleming too begins to panic and believes the shark might actually be a great white.
They later got to inspect it further and came to the conclusion that it was a basking shark after all.
Fleming told Storyful the video was taken on May 11, 2019, while the pair were spearfishing at the Channel Islands.
“We spotted a fin in the water, approached it slowly, and determined that it was a basking shark,” said Fleming. “Ryder and I were actually talking about wanting to swim with a basking shark a few days prior after we heard rumors about them being in the area this time of year.”
Fleming added that his mistake made for “some fun arguments in the comment section on the post.” Credit: Maxwell Fleming via Storyful
