A shark surprised a group of fishermen in New Zealand when it leaped onto their boat, video shows.
Ryan Churches, the owner of Churchy’s Charter NZ, took a group fishing off the coast of Whitianga on Saturday, Nov. 5, the skipper told the New Zealand Herald. Something snagged the fishermen’s bait and they began fighting the creature.
Moments later, “we got a hell of a fright,” Churches told the New Zealand Herald.
A Mako shark launched itself onto the front of their boat, video shows. The shark landed with a loud thump and thrashed wildly about, hitting the window and scaring the fishermen on the other side of the glass.
Churchy’s Charter shared a video of the “crazy moment” on Sunday, Nov. 6 on Facebook.
The shark was about 8 feet long and weighed about 330 pounds, Churches told the New Zealand Herald. As it struggled to get back to the water, the fishermen became increasingly worried they might need to help free the shark, the skipper said.
After a few minutes of thrashing, the shark managed to wiggle itself back into the water, Stuff reported.
Mako sharks are considered an “aggressive predator” known for jumping out of the water to extreme heights when hunting, according to Oceana. The species is the fastest shark and one of the fastest fish. Mako sharks can reach 12 feet in length and 1,200 pounds in weight.
Whitianga is about 70 miles east of Auckland on New Zealand’s North Island.
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