Fisherman films 'super aggressive' hammerhead shark head-butting his kayak

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Mark McCracken, 33, was fishing about a half-mile off the coast of Santa Barbara on Saturday when a hammerhead shark appeared
The shark proceeded to circle McCracken's yellow kayak for 15 minutes, head-butting and possibly biting the boat
Once McCracken got back to shore, he says the shark continued to dart back and forth in about three feet of water, waiting for him to return
Hammerheads don't usually stray close to shore, but have been spotted more frequently in southern California lately because of a warm current

Published: 11:08 EST, 22 September 2015 | Updated: 15:32 EST, 22 September 2015

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A California man who planned a relaxing day of fishing got more than he bargained for when a hammerhead shark started attacking his kayak in open water.

Mark McCracken, 33, took his yellow kayak to Gaviota State Beach in Santa Barbara on Saturday, and was trolling for Bonito about a half-mile from shore when the hammerhead appeared and started circling his boat.

The construction worker brought his GoPro camera out on to the water with him and started recording when the hammerhead turned violent - head-butting and possibly biting his boat.

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He definitely needs a bigger boat: A fisherman in Santa Barbara, California filmed his tense confrontation with a hammerhead shark over the weekend

Fin: The aggressive shark proceeded to circle him and then started head-butting the kayak - sending the boat rocking back and forth precariously

On the hunt: McCracken, 33, had a GoPro camera on him at the time and filmed the shark attack in the open water

For the next 15 minutes, McCracken fought the hammerhead off with an oar, but the shark was relentless and continued to hit the boat, which rocked back and forth precariously.

McCracken was surprisingly collected during the confrontation, smiling and laughing as he pushed the restless hammerhead away.

And when he later posted video of the shark attack on Instagram, he paired it with the song 'Why Can't We Be Friends?'

Eventually, McCracken rowed back to shore to escape the shark and says the hammerhead continued to swim back and forth along the shore waiting for him to return.

Fight on the high seas: McCracken eventually decided to return to shore, but says the hammerhead stalked him all the way back

Out of the usual: A warm current has been bringing hammerhead sharks closer to shore off the coast of southern California recently

Experienced fisherman: McCracken pictured above in his yellow kayak with a Sea Bass he caught seven weeks ago off the coast of Hollister Ranch, California

'I had to hit him over 20 times before he finally gave me some space but still stalked me for a half mile all the way back to shore,' McCracken wrote on Instagram.

'Even after I was on shore, he paced back and forth in about 3 feet of water like he was just waiting for me to come back out. Pretty bizarre and crazy experience to say the least.'

While hammerhead sharks don't usually swim close to shore, there have been more sightings in southern California in the past month due to a warm weather current.

Three of the 10 hammerhead shark species are considered dangerous to humans - and two of those three are found in the waters off California.

In 2013, there were 33 attacks on humans by hammerhead sharks, but no fatalities.