Basking sharks sometimes roam the Pacific Ocean, large and striking but considered almost harmless, as they feed on plankton.
Ryder DeVoe, a 21-year-old fisherman, was sailing with several friends near the Encinitas Thing in California last week when they spotted a shark in the water.
DeVoe dove to swim close to the animal, while his friend Max Stokes filmed it, and quickly panicked, when he noticed that the animal was actually a great white shark.
The incident occurred near the coastal city of Encinitas, in San Diego County, California (United States).
Images shared on social media show that the group seems to be having fun, even as Ryder yells, “Ah!
I touched it! ”.
The video was shared on the Tik Tok and Reddit networks, where it garnered a slew of comments, many mocking the mistake and others praising the group's ability to stay calm.
Although basking sharks and white sharks can be mistaken for each other, according to a publication from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the white's dorsal fin is a sharp-edged triangle.
While that of the pilgrim is slightly rounded.
Another difference is that basking sharks can range from brown to gray to black, and are uniform in color.
In addition, they have very large and visible gills that surround their head, while those of the white shark are not as visible.