“Top 5 Craziest Things I Saw Freediving In Oregon & Washington This Year”

If there’s one thing about Vlad Siryk, it’s that he was born to explore the ocean. In fact, he’s known online as Big Water Guy. This fact is backed up by the very content he posts on social media. Most of his posts involves him freediving into all sorts of aquatic settings. And as someone who lives in the Pacific Northwest of the United States, he certainly has a lot of nature to explore.

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In fact, 2024 proved to be quite a spectacular year for Vlad. He had so many unforgettable experiences this year, he decided to rank his top five moments. While all five are incredible, he really did save the most shocking for last… check them out in the stunning video below!

When Vlad wasn’t swimming with tons of salmon or keeping the ocean clean by removing trash, he was inching closer and closer to the “man in the gray suit.” If you’re unfamiliar with lingo used by divers and surfers, this probably sounds odd. But rest assured, Vlad did not see an actual human man in a grey suit in the ocean. He did, however, see a great white shark.

“This was by far the biggest shark I’ve ever seen,” Vlad shares. “I could not believe how girthy it was and how fast it moved.”

Calling sharks “men in grey suits” may sound silly, but it’s for a good reason. This nickname is used to alert folks of nearby sharks. Why? Turns out, this tends to be less alarming than hearing, “shark!”

This must be especially useful in areas where seeing a great white shark is especially rare. And that’s certainly the case for divers like Vlad who live in the PNW. While these sharks are known to be in the area at times, it’s rare for them to be spotted, especially this close.

“I’ve seen my fair share of sharks around the world of various kinds,” Vlad says, “but seeing this great white come up to my face like that out of no where was an experience that’ll live rent free in my head for a long time.”

You can find the source of this story’s featured image here!