Scientists and oceanographers say great white sharks are a rarity in Florida. In related news: A fourth great white shark has been spotted in Florida waters since January.
In this case, it was right in our backyard.
See also:
- Great White Sharks Spotted in Florida Waters
- Fishermen Catch Great White Shark Off Florida Coast (VIDEO)
On Tuesday morning, a charter fishing boat caught itself a monster of a great white off the waters of Fort Lauderdale.
The charter boat, Hooked Up, captained by the awesomely named Taco Perez, was fishing about 180 feet off the Port Everglades Inlet when the anglers snagged themselves what felt like a helluva giant-ass fish.
(*spoiler alert* -- it wasn't just an ordinary fish.)
And for those of you wondering, 180 feet off Port Everglades Inlet is really like a mile off the beach. So, happy swimming!
On the charter were three college students, who had caught themselves a sailfish, a dolphin (no, not that kind of dolphin), and some kingfish, before Moby Dick decided to show up.
At first, the Hooked Up crew thought the fishermen had caught a bull shark, which would have been pretty awesome on its own.
But as they reeled it in, they soon realized this was no bull shark that swallowed their butterflied bonito on a kite line whole. They also soon realized they were gonna need a bigger boat.
What they caught was a massive, 1,000 pounder, stretching out at 13.5 feet.
Captain Taco says he's been fishing these waters since 1969, and this was only the second great white he and his partner had spotted -- the first one back in 2010.
Not wanting to piss off the great white shark's friends in fear of retribution, the charter cut the line and released it (also because it's illegal to catch a great white in Florida).
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