Southern California Fishermen Capture Encounter With Hammerhead Shark That Became Aggressive

VENTURA (CBS SF) -- A group of fisherman off the Southern California coast near Ventura survived swimming with a hammerhead shark, in a close encounter that was caught on video.

"We just stumbled onto something that very, very few people if anybody has ever seen and that's a hammerhead at Anacapa Island," Forrest Galante said on the video.

Galante and another fisherman decided to put bait in the water and then jump in. He said the 8-foot long hammerhead became more aggressive and tried to bite. The pair was able to get back on the boat after a few minutes.

"That was not the smartest idea we've ever had," Galante said.

Experts said hammerhead sightings in the area are rare, but because of a developing El Nino, more of them are swimming up from Baja California.