Great White Shark Chases Foil Surfer for 10 Miles in Santa Barbara (Video)

Originally posted on SURFER | By Dashel Pierson | Last updated Apr 27, 2026 12:46 PM ET

“It’s going to be a very sharky summer,” the experts warn.

And in Southern California, even before the summer season begins, fueled by a marine heatwave in the Pacific Ocean, the shark activity has been unusually high. From great whites circling surfers in Newport Beach, one being caught off the Hermosa Beach Pier, and another shutting down a surf contest in Huntington Beach.

The latest encounter involves a foil surfer in the midst of a downwind trek from Santa Barbara to Carpinteria. But during the journey, a 10-to-11-foot great white shark began following one of the foilers – playing a game of “cat and mouse” – and not backing off.

@kai_lenny
Our friend Ron getting chased by a Great White Shark while going Downwind on his foil Good job on getting the shot Tavis! @GoPro
♬ original sound - Kai Lenny

Kai Lenny, waterman extraordinaire, posted footage from the incident above. As the foiler continues pumping in the open ocean, the familiar fin of the shark can be seen trailing not far behind. Thoughts that might be going through the foilers head during this encounter:

“Don’t fall, don’t fall. Please god, please don’t fall.”

The full clip was also posted on YouTube, with the following description of what happened:

“While in the middle of a 20 mile downwind foil run from UCSB to Carpinteria, Ron Takenda and I buzzed over a shark. This triggered an intense curiosity and the shark followed Ron closely for about 3 minutes. He turned left, it turned left. He sped up, it sped up. It was a full game of cat and mouse, but...with a 10-11ft shark.

“After what felt like an eternity for Ron, it finally peeled away in search of something else to play with. We continued the run and made the next 10 miles without falling.

“Ron performed amazingly under pressure and kept his cool for all of those minutes while being chased.

“It is a big ocean out there and a good reminder for how wild nature can be! Sharks are cool animals. If you treat them with respect, they will leave you alone. If you glide over them, they may become curious.”

Close call.

This article first appeared on SURFER and was syndicated with permission.

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