Venice Beach, CA, fishermen encounter great white shark

There may not have been any ominous music playing while the setting sun created a colorful backdrop on this steamy day, but the real-life scene off the coast in Venice Beach, CA, was still a heart-pounding one for a couple of fishermen.

Reminiscent of director Steven Spielburg's 1975 film adaptation, "Jaws," a great white shark took a bite out of a boat after negotiating circles around the 18-footer.

And the August 9 close encounter was caught on home video. [CLICK TO WATCH]

Angler Nico Schwarcz told KTLA the shark, believed to have been larger than the fishing vessel, swam up to his friend's boat and began a slow and calculated circuit around it.

Venice Beach
33.981075286865 ; -118.46953582764

"It was definitely a big enough shark to knock the boat over," Schwarcz told the local news station."

After the shark exhibited some apparent signs of aggression by chomping down on the boat's motor, Schwarcz and company high-tailed it back to shore.

Since protection laws were enacted in 1994, the carnivorous animal has been flourishing in the calm waters of the Pacific Ocean, near Los Angeles.

According to a recent study, California great whites have also migrated to an area between Baja California and Hawaii known as White Shark Café to spend at least 100 days before returning to Baja.

Experts say the great white shark does not prey on humans. It prefers to dine on fish, other sharks, dolphins, porpoises, whales, seals, sea lions, sea turtles, sea otters, and seabirds.

However, officials say great whites have also been known to consume objects they are unable to digest -- like parts of a boat.

SharonBush@me.com

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, LA County Environmental News Examiner

Sharon Raiford Bush is a multi-award-winning journalist who has produced for ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX and BET. She is best known for being the first African-American female weather anchor of prime time news. She is also recognized as executive-producing the inaugural National Blues Music Awards show...

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