One look into the gaping maw of a great white shark suddenly puts the stuff of life into perspective as never before. It happened on a fishing trip to the Channel Islands …

We were fishing at San Miguel Island on a rare calm comfortable day and the fishing was easy. We were using light tackle, which made it a fun challenge to fight 4-8 lb. reds, chunky chucklehead, and raging “lingasaur” (lingcod).

A little blood was trickling from the scuppers of my charter boat. It was apparently enough, along with the wriggling fish in the water, to attract a great white shark.

A passenger was bringing up a fat 7-lb. vermilion rockfish (red snapper) on a light bass rod and small reel.

He hollered, “Color,” which meant it was near the surface and ready for the gaff or net. I was right there with a gaff.

We both leaned over the gunn’l to see the fish and time our actions. We could see the fish alright, right at the surface, but we were also looking into the gaping maw of a white shark coming up from below to take that big rockfish, which seemed to shrink in size compared to the mouth of the toothy shark.

I’ll never forget the image of those ragged rows of razor chompers ominously ringing that mouth which was open to the max and ready for a bite.

Instinctively, my passenger stepped back away from the rail while I instantly swung the gaff and lifted the fish out of the path of the shark.

The great white, which I’d estimate to be 12 feet long, closed its mouth on nothing and silently slunk away. It probably didn’t go far, and I had a sense it was waiting and watching for another opportunity, just deep enough that we couldn’t see it.

At that moment I was really glad that movies like, “Jaws” dramatically overstate any tendency a shark has to hold a grudge. I didn’t want that shark to be mad at me!

Upon reflection, that primordial moment when I was looking into the big, toothy, prime predator’s mouth served to put everything in life into perspective and gave me clarity. It was a moment of truth.

I came away from that moment smiling, knowing, in that moment of facing how fragile life can be, I recognized that I was satisfied with my life. It was one of the most profound moments ever.

By the way … you know what we call a great white shark out on the water?
We call it The Landlord. On the day of our sighting, it was just trying to collect rent.