After reading this story, you may begin to question whether the great white shark from Jaws was fake or not. We're beginning to have our doubts.
Outcast Sport Fishing Charter Captain Chip Michalove and a friend were fishing a few miles out from South Carolina's Hilton Head coast Feb. 19 when they struck shark pay dirt. The pair hooked into two fish in five minutes, with the second being a true heavyweight contender.
Here's the story Chip posted to his Facebook page:
"16ft Great White shark tagged and released yesterday. We shoved off a little late, and nearly turned around as the sea got choppy with cold spray hitting us in the face. Since I hadn't fished in weeks due to rough seas and a cold, it was just good to be on the water.
Fortunately, it settled nicely around 1pm. It was just myself, and good friend Patrick who's been with me a dozen times. A little after 3pm, we hooked up to our first white shark. I couldn't tell if it was a male or female, but it took the bait right by the port side motor and looked to be about 9-10 feet long. Perfect size for the two of us. After a 15 min battle, it spit the hook. Aggravating.
The next thing that happened is something I've never seen with a great white shark. In less than 10 mins after losing the 9-10 footer, we connect to a behemoth, an entirely different shark. She smoked the reel and we're off. After a few heavy runs, I realized we're over-matched. The day i took nonchalant just got crazy.
We were fortunate, good friend Michael Perry was out fishing with his family a few miles away and was happy to hop on and assist in tagging this fish. What a difference that made, thanks buddy! No reviving this shark was necessary. Her tail never quit wagging, and with zero panic, like she was out for a stroll with the kids. Wouldn't surprise me one bit if she was still here. What I've noticed is, the less stressed they are, the more likely they are to stay in the location they're caught. She's the largest one I've seen this year."
Here's the initial hookup, as captured on cell phone footage.
And here are some clips of the rod-bending battle.
An acoustic tag was placed on the shark's fin, which will allow Massachusetts' Atlantic White Shark Conservancy to track its movements.
Can't you hear the Jaws music playing?
