The shark encounter begins with Partington floating inside a plexiglass box in the open ocean to observe great white sharks’ behaviors. The crew and Partington watch as a large great white shark arrives and circles the box. As the shark looms closer, Partington knocks on the glass to grab the shark’s attention.

As the great white looms from under the oceanic depths, it races towards the surface, crashing through the glass cage, hurtling Jimi Partington into the ocean. As the crew watches frantically, Partington clutches onto the now broken plexiglass shark cage and looks around to see where the 16-foot great white has gone. In a survival attempt, Partington makes a panicked swim back to the boat, narrowly escaping the great white shark breach. Miraculously neither Partington nor the shark were physically harmed.

In the aftermath of Partington’s shocking shark encounter, he faces the mental and physical toll, including symptoms of PTSD. A rare chance to follow an emotional journey to recovery, Great White Open Ocean highlights both the importance of respecting sharks and shark science everywhere.

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