Hammerhead Shark Slams Foil Surfer then Circles Him in Terrifying Standoff (Video)

Shark attacks, in general, are quite rare.

You’ve heard the statistics, like recently from actor Chris Hemsworth, who mused: “I heard one that more people die in America by shaking a vending machine, trying to get chocolate or whatever, out of it.” Valid? Perhaps.

Whether that’s true or not, who knows. But sharks and humans interacting, particularly in a violent way, is extremely infrequent. And when it does happen, it’s usually from the big three – great whites, bulls, and tigers. Hammerhead sharks, on the other hand, that’s tremendously uncommon. And yet, check out this foil surfer’s encounter below.

The video comes from Adam Baber, foil surfing with one of those electric pulleys, in some undisclosed location. It shows the shark getting in Baber’s path, maybe bumping his board, then knocking him off his board. What follows is a terrifying situation in which the shark circles Baber, and a few moments of uncertainty as the shark debates its next move.

“Today a Hammerhead attacked my foil, knocked me off my board and then circled back on me eventually and thankfully changing his mind,” Baber wrote. “Sorry for my screaming I thought I was done for.”

Whether or not this would be considered an “attack” is up for debate, as many pointed out in the comments. Still, a scary experience nonetheless.

As for the statistics on hammerhead sharks, the International Shark Attack File reports there have been 18 unprovoked attacks and zero deaths from the species. Compare that to great whites, which have 292 attacks and 59 deaths.

According to National Geographic, here’s a snippet about their behavior:

“Most hammerhead species are fairly small and are considered harmless to humans. However, the great hammerhead's enormous size and fierceness make it potentially dangerous, though few attacks have been recorded.”