A group of fishermen got more than they paid for when they experienced quite a shock as a massive mako shark leaped out of the water and landed on their boat. A video of the unforgettable moment is currently making waves online.
The fishing group, fishing in the waters of New Zealand, had their lines in the water reportedly targeting kingfish when, all of a sudden, the bait was taken by a shortfin mako. The mako happens to be the world’s fastest shark, capable of reaching speeds of up to 46 mph, Storyful reported.
“We were fighting it normally, and it was jumping around,” explained Churches, who cautioned the customers to move out of the way should it leap into the boat.
Ryan Churches, captain of Churchys Charters NZ, issued his warning just in time saying, “It just so happened that about 30 seconds later, it jumped on the top of the boat,” the skipper exclaimed. “We were all watching the rod and the line was going out to the side of the boat, and it changed direction suddenly … it just happened to jump at the same time and we got a hell of a fright.”
“A mako just jumped on our boat, boys!” the captain exclaimed.
The shark, which Churches estimated to weigh around 330 pounds and measure 8- to 9 feet long, remained on the bow of the boat for the remainder of the clip.
Concerned as to what his next move should be, the Captain explained, “I was thinking, ‘What the f – – k do we do?’ We can’t go up the front to go near it because they go absolutely bonkers.”
The answer came shortly after when the shark managed to wriggle free on its own and return to the water unharmed.
“We dropped the anchor down a little bit because it seemed to be holding it in place [on the boat],” said Churches. “He went absolutely bonkers again and pushed himself through the bow rail and slid back into the water.”
