Two Sunshine Coast fishermen are reflecting on an “unbelievable” encounter with a large great white shark, after it circled them for half an hour before biting their boat.
Jayden Grace and Joe Cook were off the coast of Mooloolaba on Sunday, when the estimated 5m beast took an interest in their 4.6m tinny.
Mr Grace, who filmed the occasion, recounted the experience to Sunshine Coast News.
“We were just casually bottom bouncing and I’ve just seen this big, black shadow at the front of the boat,” he said.
“I seriously thought it was a baby whale, until we got a good look at it and it was a monster great white.
“I fish out there pretty much every weekend and I’ve seen a lot of sharks there, but I’ve never seen a great white there.
“It was exciting more than anything. It was unbelievable to see a great white that big, that’s for sure.
“It was the same size as my boat, if not bigger.
“I’m pretty sure it was pregnant but I’m no shark expert.”
They were fishing about 10km offshore, not far from Murphy’s Reef, when the shark made its presence felt.
“We were probably there for 30 minutes to an hour and it stuck around,” Mr Grace said.
“It did slow circles around the boat and then it kind of had a taste test.”
Mr Grace filmed the moment it crashed into the vessel.
“It just bit my boat, it just bit my boat,” he yelled in his video. “I think it’s time to leave.”
He said the shark was probably curious.
“The boat was making some noise – with the sounder ping and electric motor and live bait well – so it was probably trying to figure it out. I reckon it was trying to suss out what we were,” he said.
“I’d be lying if I wasn’t worried a little bit, but it was a great experience. It was bloody awesome.”
They even caught a fish while the shark was circling.
“Cooky noticed all the cobia around the shark, so he dropped a pilly (pilchard) and one grabbed it straight away,” Mr Grace said.
“The shark wasn’t interested in the cobia at all. It was more interested in the boat.”
When asked if he’d get a bigger boat, he said “there’s no fun in that”.
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