A Canadian fisherman had an astonishing encounter when he found himself battling a massive Great White Shark in open waters, as reported by CTV News.
The heart-pounding moment was captured on video by the fisherman, Rick Austin, as he attempted to reel in what he initially thought was a striped bass. Excitement turned to shock when he realized the creature on his line was no ordinary catch.
“Wow, she’s pretty big. Yeah, she’s pretty big,” Austin exclaimed. “What the f—k was that?”
To his amazement, the video showed the great white shark briefly maneuvering near his boat, leaving him in awe of its sheer size. Despite his efforts, Austin struggled to reel in the powerful predator, thinking it might be a porpoise. Eventually, he had to let the creature break free, stunned by the encounter.
However, biologists from the New England Aquarium and the Department of Integrative Biology at the University of Guelph later confirmed that he had indeed caught a great white shark, not a porpoise, as he initially suspected.
According to scientists, the shark measured between six to eight feet in length and weighed an impressive 200 to 250 pounds. Comparatively, porpoises, which are legally protected in Canadian waters, can weigh up to 168 pounds and reach about six feet in length.
Nova Scotia is known for its frequent great white shark sightings, and it’s considered a breeding site for the species. Tagging efforts have increased in the area in recent years, leading to valuable insights into the migration patterns of these majestic creatures.
In 2020, researchers tagged the largest great white shark ever spotted off Nova Scotia, measuring over 17 feet in length. Nicknamed “Nukumi,” this “queen of the ocean” weighed an astonishing 3,541 pounds, making her the biggest recorded in the northwest Atlantic, according to OCEARCH.
The team collected samples from Nukumi and fitted her with tracking tags before releasing her back into the ocean to continue her journey.