Orlando Bloom Paddleboards with Great White Shark (Video)

“It’s not rare to see a paddleboarder cruising next to a seemingly non-bothered white shark,” Gauna narrates in the clip above at the 2:50 mark. “One of my favorite encounters involved film star Orlando Bloom, who found himself paddling alongside a curious 8-to-9-foot great white. As he told me afterwards, the shark was nearly invisible to him until he was right next to it. This demonstrates just how effective the countershading on a white shark can be. In this clip, the shark was right under his board, but he could not see it.”

From the drone eye in the sky, on the other hand, the UK actor was literally right on top of the juvenile great white, little did he know.

As always, Gauna drops a bit of knowledge in the clip as well – dispelling myths about great whites as bloodthirsty maneaters, and imploring humans to act safely and respectfully. Gauna added:

“Despite their size and reputation, white sharks rarely show aggression towards paddleboarders. Just as humans make mistakes every day – sharks, even if they know what a human is, can still misidentify us if the conditions are right. Paddleboarding offers an incredible opportunity to witness great white sharks in their natural habitat. But with that, comes a responsibility to understand and respect their behavior. We share their world; it’s up to us to coexist safely.”