There are big catches and then there’s this. A group of North Carolina fishermen recently caught a great white shark, which they wrestled with for more than half an hour. It was all documented in a truly wild video.
In a Facebook post, one of the men, Luke Beard, noted that the catch was the first of its kind in Hatteras history.
“White sharks are mysterious, and beautiful animals. The fight was about 35min. We released this fish as fast as possible. She swam off perfectly, super green,” Beard wrote. “Jason Rosenfeld and I have been working on getting this done for a long time. We picked the day and made the first drop with the new rod we just built for this exact purpose.”
Beard estimated that the shark was 12 to 13 feet and guessed that it weighed up to 1,800 pounds.
Men Express Awe Over Shark Catch and Release
In an interview with the local Fox affiliate, Beard marveled over the experience.
“I’m still on cloud nine,” he said. “I probably will be for the rest of my life.”
Jason Rosenfeld, Beard’s best friend who was also part of the catch, was equally moved by the big moment.
“Every kid loves dinosaurs and great white sharks,” he said. “The idea of having the opportunity to interact with this unbelievable creature, it gives me chills even thinking about it. It was unbelievable to say the least.”
Following the shark fight, both the men said that keeping the animal safe and safely releasing it is always their “biggest priority.”
“I was about in tears after we released that fish,” Beard said. “You never know if you’re ever going to be able to do that in your lifetime.”
Catching and releasing sharks is a legal practice. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration notes on its website that individuals with permits may “intentionally fish for white sharks with rod and reel gear as long as they release the shark immediately without removing the shark from the water and without further harming the shark.”
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