PALM BEACH, Fla. — A diver captured quite a sight off the coast of Palm Beach County earlier this week: a massive great white shark.
Jim Cocci said he was diving on Tuesday at Breakers Reef near The Breakers hotel on Palm Beach, when the giant shark swam within feet of him.
WATCH VIDEO OF SHARK:
"All of a sudden, like an apparition, the broad side of this big shark just appeared, like a freight car," said Cocci.
Cocci said the female great white, which was about 15 to 20 feet long, passed by him three times and was very friendly.
"She wasn't looking to eat anybody or be nasty, she was just cruising along. Maybe had a full belly," said Cocci.
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The veteran diver believes the shark was pregnant.
"When you see the shark swimming away at the end, it's not because she’s going faster. It's because I ran out of steam," said Cocci.
Cocci said he's been diving for more than 50 years and this is the first great white he's ever encountered.
"I was too excited to be scared. I thought about scared later, too late. There was no aggression at all," said Cocci.
Cocci lives in Brevard County but comes down to West Palm Beach a few times a week to dive with Walker's Dive Charters.
"It was just serendipitous," said Cocci. "You don't plan on things like that to happen."
Last weekend, a Palm Beach Gardens wildlife photographer captured video of a hammerhead shark attacking a goliath grouper off Singer Island.
WATCH SHARK ATTACK VIDEO:
To learn more about Cocci's diving excursions, and to see his wildlife photography, click here.
