Spearfishing Florida man records great white shark encounter

PORT CANAVERAL, Fla., May 8 (UPI) -- A man out spearfishing with friends off the coast of Port Canaveral, Fla., captured video of his underwater close encounter with a great white shark.

Zack Spurlock was spearfishing Saturday with Joe Penovich, owner of seafood restaurant Grills, and Penovich's 19-year-old daughter, Alli, when he spotted what appeared to be a 12-foot-long great white shark coming toward him.

"He came up and said, 'Hand me the GoPro, there's a great white shark on the bottom.' I said, 'Are you sure about this?'" Joe Penovich told WKMG-TV.

"I couldn't believe what I was watching," Penovich said. "My voice is cracking and shaking. This thing was enormous and it had no fear."

Spurlock said he lost track of the shark for a moment after retrieving the camera.

"My friend tosses me the GoPro and as I proceed to make my way back to the jug on the surface the shark makes a surprise appearance behind me," he said in the YouTube video's description. "I would have never seen the shark behind if it wasn't for my friends yelling at me to turn around! The water was crystal clear for here so its amazing to me how incredible these large creatures are at staying in your blind spot."

Spurlock said he was holding a spear and a sack of lionfish he speared for Penovich's restaurant, so he had trouble keeping the camera steady.

He said his shark close encounter was a rare thrill.

"Never felt so small in my life. God has made some incredible creatures to keep us humble," Spurlock said in an Instagram post.