Talk about an offshore fishing trip going south in a hurry.
According to the Zululand Observer, a father, 42, and son, 19, were fishing offshore near KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, when a shark attacked their fishing boat Saturday morning. When the shark bit the boat, it actually punctured one of their pontoons, requiring the anglers to call for help.
An NSRI crew responded to the call, though it would ultimately be for naught.
"En route to the incident the father and his son reported that they have made it safely to shore after eventually getting their motor started and they required no further assistance. A private boat had launched and rendered assistance," Richards Bay Station Commander Norman Rautenbach said in a statement.
The bite was nothing small, either, as it was about 18.5 inches wide and 11.8 inches tall, which means this could've been much worse had circumstances been different.
If the father and son didn't have an ability to call for help or the luck to get their motor running again, the boat could've been the least of their worries.
A post from the Facebook page, Fishing Mtunzini, included the following recollection from the father.
"We were sitting fishing of the same side of the boat when we saw a big fin coming past, we had seen Zambies before and thought nothing would come of it. Then my phone rang and as I answered it I felt the boat shake and drooped my phone on the deck by the time I retrieved my phone it was gone, the shark must have circled the boat and attacked for behind us. I told my son to forget the anchor just cut the rope and let's get out of here, when we were approaching the mouth I went to check my fuel when the engine flooded and we could not restart it for about 45min then we got going again and came through the mouth."
This isn't the first time we've heard reports of sharks attacking boats; it actually happens fairly often, and not just in South African waters.
For example, check out this video footage BlackTipH posted on YouTube last year:
Shark attacks happen all the time, so it's best to always be extra cautious and avoid a terrifying situation like this.
NEXT: HILTON HEAD MAN HOOKS UP WITH 15-FOOT, 2,600-POUND GREAT WHITE SHARK
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