WHITIANGA, New Zealand — A group on a chartered fishing boat reeled in a surprise when a mako shark leapt onto the boat.
Churchys Charter NZ skipper Ryan Churches told the New Zealand Herald that he and his crew were out with five customers looking for kingfish off the coast of Whitianga.
Video shared by Churchys Charter NZ on Facebook shows the wild encounter. As a fisherman is working to reel in a catch, a loud thump is audible. The camera then turns to reveal a large shark thrashing around and slapping its tail into the boat’s windscreen.
Churches described the incident as “bonkers” and told the Herald it was the first time he had ever seen a shark jump into a boat.
“It was crazy. 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,” Churches told the newspaper.
Churches estimated the shark was 330 pounds and 8 or 9 feet long, the Herald reported.
After thrashing for two minutes, the shark managed to get itself off the boat and back into the water, UPI reported.
“He got away safe,” Churches told the Herald. “There’s nothing much we could do. We can’t go up the front to go near it because they go absolutely bonkers. We dropped the anchor down a little bit because it seemed to be holding it in place [on the boat]. He went absolutely bonkers again and pushed himself through the bow rail and back into the water.”
Mako sharks are known for their speed and ability to jump out of the water, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.
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