The great white breached the water behind an unsuspecting boogie boarder during an early morning outing in Newport Beach

Shark Week 2026 is starting with a bang.

A great white shark was captured leaping out of the water behind a boogie boarder off the coast of Southern California on Saturday, July 25, just ahead of the start of Shark Week 2026.

Soaren Stevenson told KTLA 5 News that he was filming his brother-in-law boogie boarding near Lifeguard Tower 40 in Newport Beach at around 6:30 a.m. when the shark suddenly emerged from the water in the distance.

“We were praying on the beach, and we were like, ‘Hopefully a miracle happens. That’d be super-cool [if] a miracle happens,’” Stevenson told Fox News.

At first, Stevenson wasn’t even sure what he had captured. It wasn’t until he zoomed in on the footage that he realized what had jumped from the water, he told the outlet.

“I was like, ‘That’s not even a dolphin — that’s a shark,’” Stevenson said.

No one else on the beach appeared to notice the shark — including his brother-in-law, who was still out in the water, according to Stevenson.

“He definitely didn’t know how close it was,” Stevenson said of his brother-in-law.

“It’s kind of surreal to think that the shark is in the same waters as my [brother-in-law], and he didn’t even know it,” Stevenson told Fox News. “It just makes me realize that when you go out there to surf, you can come way closer to such a beast than you ever think you [would].”

Still, the close encounter hasn’t changed how Stevenson feels about getting back in the ocean.

“I don’t think they want to eat us,” he said, adding that the experience would not deter him from going into the water, according to Fox News.

While the shark’s leap may have looked dramatic, it was likely breaching to scratch an itch or simply “for fun,” Christopher Lowe, a professor of marine biology and director of the Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab, told KTLA.

Despite their fearsome reputation, incidents in which sharks bite humans are “extremely rare” in California, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Since 1950, fewer than 250 shark incidents involving multiple species have been documented in the state, the vast majority of which involved white sharks. Fewer than 20 were fatal, and all of the fatalities likely involved white sharks, according to the agency.

The department defines a shark incident as a documented case in which a shark approaches and touches a person in the water or makes contact with a surfboard, kayak, paddleboard or similar object. Shark sightings where no contact occurs are not included.

The agency also encourages the use of the term “incident” rather than “attack,” noting that scientists generally agree most white shark incidents involving humans are not predatory attempts. Instead, sharks may be investigating unfamiliar objects or mistake people for their usual prey, including seals and sea lions, according to the department.

While shark incidents are more often reported in late summer and fall, officials say that’s largely because more people are in the water during peak beach season.

The department recommends avoiding swimming in areas where sharks have been observed or where white sharks have been seen feeding.

Source: https://people.com/great-white-shark-leaps-behind-boogie-boarder-off-california-beach-12030476