{"id":974554,"date":"2026-08-02T00:12:34","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T00:12:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/974554\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T00:12:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T00:12:34","slug":"a-tiger-shark-rammed-a-kayaker-heres-how-he-survived","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/974554\/","title":{"rendered":"A Tiger Shark Rammed a Kayaker. Here\u2019s How He Survived."},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The post <a data-ylk=\"slk:A Tiger Shark Rammed a Kayaker. Here&#039;s How He Survived.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/a-z-animals.com\/articles\/a-tiger-shark-rammed-a-kayaker-heres-how-he-survived\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">A Tiger Shark Rammed a Kayaker. Here&#8217;s How He Survived.<\/a> appeared first on <a data-ylk=\"slk:A-Z Animals;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/a-z-animals.com?utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_source=rss_feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_content=1601306\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">A-Z Animals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Kayaking off the shore of Hawaii sounds like a day in paradise, but one fisherman saw things a bit differently when a <a data-ylk=\"slk:tiger shark;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/a-z-animals.com\/animals\/tiger-shark\/?utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_source=rss_feed&amp;utm_medium=in_content&amp;utm_content=1601306\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">tiger shark<\/a> rammed his kayak, turning an enjoyable day on the water into a nightmare.<\/p>\n<p>Tiger Shark Rams Kayaker in Hawaii<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">In May 2023, a fisherman named Scott Haraguchi was fishing from his kayak off the shore of Oahu, Hawaii. Suddenly, a figure appeared and rapidly approached the kayak. The creature was a tiger shark.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Tiger Shark from below, with Surface and Boat above. Tiger Beach, Bahamas\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/a_z_animals_articles_598\/0a7c97eca28d1f5798cf93e0a13081e8.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A tiger shark in Hawaii gave a fisherman quite a scare when it rammed his kayak.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9Daniel Lamborn\/Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">&#8220;Tiger shark!&#8221; Haraguchi exclaimed. &#8220;Tiger shark rammed me!&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Haraguchi used his foot to kick the tiger shark off the kayak. He was unharmed in the encounter.<\/p>\n<p>How Common is it for a Tiger Shark to Ram a Kayak?<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Over the past 10 years, there have been <a data-ylk=\"slk:25 reported shark incidents that involved kayaks globally;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/view.officeapps.live.com\/op\/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sharkattackfile.net%2Fspreadsheets%2FGSAF5.xls&amp;wdOrigin=BROWSELINK\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">25 reported shark incidents that involved kayaks globally<\/a>. Of these, two were fatal. Two more kayakers were injured, although one was a provoked attack. The remainder were not injured at all.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The majority of the incidents involved <a data-ylk=\"slk:white sharks;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/a-z-animals.com\/blog\/white-shark\/?utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_source=rss_feed&amp;utm_medium=in_content&amp;utm_content=1601306\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">white sharks<\/a>, though six of the encounters were with tiger sharks.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Tiger shark swimming around Fuvahmulah 5\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"639\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/a_z_animals_articles_598\/b8363aaf1649dade4540fe6074fa349d.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Tiger sharks infrequently ram kayaks out of mistaken identity or scent of fresh fish being caught.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9Reefframe_David\/Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Tiger sharks and other species known to ram kayaks typically do so because they believe the kayak is an injured animal, or because they are drawn in by fishing related activities. They are not targeting humans. To <a data-ylk=\"slk:reduce the chances of being involved in a kayak-related shark encounter;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/cwseducation.ucdavis.edu\/class\/56\/sea-kayaking-shark-infested-waters\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">reduce the chances of being involved in a kayak-related shark encounter<\/a>, fishermen who have learned the hard way recommend waiting to clean fish when back on shore.<\/p>\n<p>Where Tiger Sharks Are Found<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Tiger sharks prefer warm, tropical waters like bays, coastlines, or estuaries. This means that some regions of the United States are more prone to tiger sharks than others.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier) in side profile over sand. Fuvahmulah, Maldives, March\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"641\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/a_z_animals_articles_598\/c535603eec2a37b52b12f7a7de4e3ead.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Tiger sharks are most often seen off the coast of Florida, Hawaii, and North Carolina in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9bearacreative\/Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The <a data-ylk=\"slk:states with the most tiger sharks;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/iere.org\/what-states-have-tiger-sharks\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">states with the most tiger sharks<\/a> include:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 safari:ml-6 list-disc\"\/>\n<li class=\"ml-4 safari:ml-6 list-disc\"\/>\n<li class=\"ml-4 safari:ml-6 list-disc\"\/><\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Seasonally, tiger sharks can be seen in places like Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Massachusetts.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">If kayaking in any of these states, know that the likelihood of encountering a tiger shark is higher than it is in other states.<\/p>\n<p>What To Do If You Encounter a Tiger Shark from a Kayak<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Tiger sharks have a wide range of prey animals, but they are not interested in eating people. Attacks generally stem from mistaken identity or provocation. But there are key things to do should an encounter with a tiger shark occur when out on the water.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">As with the kayaker in the YouTube video, people report tiger sharks (and other sharks, for that matter) appearing seemingly out of nowhere. If you spot a shark, stop paddling immediately. The <a data-ylk=\"slk:splashing can mimic that of an injured animal;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/planetsharkdivers.com\/will-a-shark-attack-a-kayak\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">splashing can mimic that of an injured animal<\/a>, which will only encourage a tiger shark to come closer to investigate.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"female tiger shark in fuvahmulah in the maldives during scuba diving and freediving\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"641\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/a_z_animals_articles_598\/90a85e30d957868a8cca2afbec56820e.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Stop paddling immediately when a tiger shark is swimming near a kayak.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9Stefan Fan\/Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Should the shark ram, <a data-ylk=\"slk:remain in the kayak;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.watersportswhiz.com\/kayaks-and-sharks\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">remain in the kayak<\/a>. Leaving it in an attempt to swim to shore will only make the kayaker more vulnerable. If the shark is aggressive, push it away from the kayak with the paddle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Finally, <a data-ylk=\"slk:if you have any deterrents on board the kayak, use them;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/thetidehunt.com\/articles\/shark-deterrents-guide-water-safety\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">if you have any deterrents on board the kayak, use them<\/a>. Things like shark spray and heavy objects may be enough to deter the predator.<\/p>\n<p>Does Kayak Color Matter?<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Some people believe that kayaks of a certain color are less attractive to sharks, but this is not the case.<\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"Couple kayaking together. Beautiful young couple kayaking on lake together and smiling at sunset\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"960\" height=\"640\" decoding=\"async\" data-nimg=\"1\" class=\"rounded-lg\" style=\"color:transparent\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/a_z_animals_articles_598\/43ad461be89fb04ee8c2b36868418a1c.jpeg\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Sharks could not care less about the color of the kayak.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9Rock and Wasp\/Shutterstock.com<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">According to a 2022 <a data-ylk=\"slk:study;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/journals\/marine-science\/articles\/10.3389\/fmars.2022.1020187\/full\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">study<\/a>, which collected data from 1950 to 2021, sharks do not care what color a kayak is. The incidents involving sharks and kayaks are as follows:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"mb-4\">\n<li class=\"ml-4 safari:ml-6 list-disc\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Blue kayaks:<\/strong> Five incidents<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 safari:ml-6 list-disc\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Green kayaks:<\/strong> Four incidents<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 safari:ml-6 list-disc\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Red or orange kayaks:<\/strong> Three incidents<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 safari:ml-6 list-disc\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Yellow kayaks:<\/strong> Two incidents<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 safari:ml-6 list-disc\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>White kayaks:<\/strong> Two incidents<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<li class=\"ml-4 safari:ml-6 list-disc\">\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\"><strong>Black kayaks:<\/strong> One incident<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">Because sharks are colorblind, contrast may play a bigger role in whether sharks investigate or ram a kayak than color. Knowing how to stay safe during an incident with a shark matters more than color selection.<\/p>\n<p class=\"mb-4 text-lg md:leading-8 break-words\">The post <a data-ylk=\"slk:A Tiger Shark Rammed a Kayaker. Here&#039;s How He Survived.;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/a-z-animals.com\/articles\/a-tiger-shark-rammed-a-kayaker-heres-how-he-survived\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">A Tiger Shark Rammed a Kayaker. Here&#8217;s How He Survived.<\/a> appeared first on <a data-ylk=\"slk:A-Z Animals;elm:context_link;itc:0;sec:content-canvas;\" data-yga=\"{&quot;yLinkElement&quot;:&quot;link&quot;,&quot;yLinkElementType&quot;:&quot;article_link&quot;}\" href=\"https:\/\/a-z-animals.com?utm_campaign=feed&amp;utm_source=rss_feed&amp;utm_medium=feed&amp;utm_content=1601306\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\" target=\"_blank\">A-Z Animals<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The post A Tiger Shark Rammed a Kayaker. Here&#8217;s How He Survived. appeared first on A-Z Animals. Kayaking&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":974555,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[27],"tags":[391088,159,391089,45855,67,132,68,837],"class_list":["post-974554","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wildlife","tag-kayaker","tag-science","tag-scott-haraguchi","tag-tiger-shark","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-wildlife"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/117023024794618975","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/974554","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=974554"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/974554\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/974555"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=974554"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=974554"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=974554"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}