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Great white shark lunges at veteran who leaned over a boat off Georgia to pet it 'like the family dog'

A great white shark lunged at veteran crew member Jen's arm as she reached over the side of a boat to stroke it during a tagging trip off Tybee Island, Georgia.
A great white shark lunged at veteran crew member Jen's arm as she reached over the side of a boat to stroke it during a tagging trip off Tybee Island, Georgia.

Veteran Jen, on a free fishing trip with Savannah non-profit Knot Lucky Fishing off Tybee Island, Georgia, reached down from the boat and stroked a great white shark's head during a tagging operation — only for the animal to thrash and lunge straight at her. Founder Jimmy Armel, a former Ranger, insisted Jen was never in real danger because the crew had the shark fully under control throughout the tagging process.

The moment was captured on video: 'One second Jen is laying her hand on a wild white shark like it's the family dog, and the next that shark lunges toward her.'

Knot Lucky names each tagged shark after a fallen Ranger or service member, collecting migration data — the lunging shark could not be tagged due to safety concerns.

The shark's mouth hit the boat rather than Jen's hand, but the organisation noted: 'Everybody on the boat felt that one in their chest.'

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