Great white shark leaps from ocean and into fisherman’s boat
- 7 years ago
EVANS HEAD, AUSTRALIA — A great white shark leapt on board a man’s boat in Australia last month.
Terry Selwood, aged 73, told ABC News that he was fishing around 1 kilometer from the coast near Evans Head in northern Australia when the 200-kilogram fish leapt over 1 meter out of the water and into his boat.
The shark’s pectoral fin cut Selwood’s forearm while it was mid-air. “He came right over the top of the motor and then dropped onto the floor,” Selwood told ABC News.
George Burgess, director of shark research at Florida Museum of Natural History Museum explained to Live Science that sharks would only jump onto a boat in three scenarios.
“It's either caught by the angler, it follows a hooked fish to the surface and its momentum has it jump out of the water onto the boat, or a 9-foot shark in the ocean at random jumps up and lands in the boat," Burgess said. He added the first two reasons were more likely than the last.
Another possibility is that the boat was passing while the shark was striking it’s prey, Live Science reported, citing Burgess.
The shark died during the ordeal and was forklifted from Selwood’s boat, reported National Geographic.
Terry Selwood, aged 73, told ABC News that he was fishing around 1 kilometer from the coast near Evans Head in northern Australia when the 200-kilogram fish leapt over 1 meter out of the water and into his boat.
The shark’s pectoral fin cut Selwood’s forearm while it was mid-air. “He came right over the top of the motor and then dropped onto the floor,” Selwood told ABC News.
George Burgess, director of shark research at Florida Museum of Natural History Museum explained to Live Science that sharks would only jump onto a boat in three scenarios.
“It's either caught by the angler, it follows a hooked fish to the surface and its momentum has it jump out of the water onto the boat, or a 9-foot shark in the ocean at random jumps up and lands in the boat," Burgess said. He added the first two reasons were more likely than the last.
Another possibility is that the boat was passing while the shark was striking it’s prey, Live Science reported, citing Burgess.
The shark died during the ordeal and was forklifted from Selwood’s boat, reported National Geographic.