A great white shark jumped into a boat in Australia on May 27.
Terry Selwood was fishing in his normal sweet spot off the coast of Evans Head in New South Wales.
The 73-year-old has been fishing the same area for over 50 years and had a few pieces of bait on a line deep under his boat.
Then out of no where a great white shark shot out of the water.
“I caught a blur of something coming over the boat … and the pectoral fin of the shark hit me on the forearm and knocked me down on the ground to my hands and knees,” Shelwood told the Australian Broadcasting Network.
The roughly 7-foot long (2.7 m), 440-pound (200 kg) shark had leapt into the 15-foot (4.5 m) long boat that is only around 5 feet wide (1.4 m).
“There I was on all fours and he’s looking at me and I’m looking at him and then he started to do the dance around and shake and I couldn’t get out quick enough onto the gunnel,” he said.
Shelwood was bleeding from where the shark’s fin had hit his right forearm and he knew he needed assistance. The retired construction worker grabbed his radio and called for help.
Marine rescue volunteers at Evans Head responded to the call and carried Shelwood back to the dock where he was then taken to the hospital for treatment. The group then went back to recover his boat, which was now only occupied by the shark.
The reason for the breach is unclear. Great white sharks will breach to attack prey, however on this day conditions were clear. Another possibility may be that the shark was being pursued by a much larger shark and was attempting to escape.
Shelwood hasn’t been fazed by the incident. “It won’t deter me from fishing, no way in the world,” he said.
“But really, it’s not a great story, it’s just a mundane thing that just happened and it’s over and done with, but something that I’ll remember.
“But we’re all well and now I’ll just get on with life and repair the damage he made to my boat.” he added.
There have been a total of 45* shark attack bites in 2017, 5 of which were fatal*; 19 were reported in the US, with 14 occurring in Florida and one in Hawaii. Nine occurred in Australia, one of which was fatal and one with no injury. Three unconfirmed worldwide and not included in the total count
All locations have been marked on the 2017 Shark Attack Bites Tracking Map.
*Two may be scavenge
