VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — March 27, 2014 — Cruising along on slick-calm Atlantic waters, Bill Pappas Jr. and some of his buddies marveled as they watched a pair of dolphins "bow ride" in front of them.
Pappas shot video last week as Kyle Shipp hung off the front of the boat and tried to touch the playful animals.
They had no clue of the danger that lurked below.
On their way to a new fishing location about 40 miles off Rudee Inlet, they spotted a pair of dolphins floating on the surface. Closer inspection revealed that the lower rear portion of each was missing – it had been bitten off by something with large, razor-sharp teeth.
"A shark, for sure," Pappas said. "I've caught hundreds of shark in my life, and I was pretty sure this was a great white by the size of the teeth marks. The chunks were bitten out completely."
As Shipp held one of the dolphins up for pictures, Pappas kept thinking: "Hurry up…. What if it's still around?
"I've never been scared out on the water before," he said. "But we were in a 19-foot boat, and this worried me a little bit."