Sharks are often sighted in the Maroochy River — but rarely this big.
A huge crowd gathered late Monday afternoon as two fishermen took turns reeling in a bull shark that measured almost 3m.
They had been fishing on the corner of Bradman Ave and Yinni St, not far from where people swim, kids frolic and river lovers paddle an array of craft.
All of a sudden, one of their rods went wild and an imposing predator was on the hook.
Steve Bemrose told Sunshine Coast News he was walking past when he saw a rod “bending like crazy”.
“I thought it might have been a stingray,” he said.
“The two blokes fought it for 40 minutes. It was massive. The fish measured 2.9m. I’ve been fishing in this area since I was a kid and never seen a shark that big.”
Steve, 47, a former division one cricket captain with Yandina club who works in aged care support, said the crowd went from four people to dozens as the amazing scene unfolded.
He and another guy dragged it to where there was some sand.
“I’m 110kg and six foot one and this thing flicked me around like I was nothing,” he said.
“I took a video and then it rolled over on its side and slid back into the water.
“It was easily the biggest shark I’ve seen in the river. Most are around the metre range.”
Bull sharks are among the most dangerous sharks in the world, according to many experts.
This is because they’re an aggressive species and frequent waters where people often swim.
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Bull sharks are distinguished by their width-to-length ratio, which gives them a stout appearance.
The bull shark is not a picky eater. They eat mostly fish, but can also eat other shark species, marine mammals, birds and turtles.
Males grow to about 2m and females 3.3m and can weigh up to 230kg.
