Gonna need a bigger boat…
Mako sharks are one of the fastest in the ocean. They are known for their agility and speed, and can reach speeds of up to 60 miles per hour. Makos can be found in all of the world’s oceans and are known to be a highly migratory species.
Another impressive skill is its ability to jump out of the water. This is known as breaching, and it is a behavior that is most often seen in mako sharks. These sharks are able to jump several feet out of the water and can land with great force. Some experts believe that mako sharks breach to dislodge parasites from their skin, while others think that it may be a hunting technique.
There have been several documented cases of mako sharks jumping into boats. This can be a dangerous situation for both the shark and the people on the boat. Mako sharks can weigh up to 1,000 pounds and can cause serious damage if they land on a boat or hit someone.
It’s also difficult to get them back in the water without injuring yourself or the shark.
And just because it happens doesn’t mean it won’t make you sh*t your pants.
Video footage from Churchys Charters NZ shows a large Mako shark leaping from the water, and landing on the front of the boat:
“Crazy moment when this Mako Shark jumped onto the front of the boat! Definitely heart racing!”
Luckily, they said the shark was able to make its way back into the water:
“It was on the boat for more than two minutes but then it lowered itself back in the water safely – it wasn’t hurt so it was a happy outcome for everyone.
My heart was racing – I had to sit down for a bit. Everyone was stunned. Then we took a few minutes, and then we just got back into fishing.”Â
Good thing no one was up there.
Mako Shark Sends Massachusetts Fishermen Running
We’ve seen a number of incidents involving fish jumping into boats, and injuring passengers on board here recently.
There was the 73-year-old woman who got impaled by a sailfish while on a fishing boat off the coast of Florida, the 400-pound spotted eagle ray that jumped into an Alabama family’s boat and hurt one of the passengers, and even a massive humpback whale recently jumped out of the water in Massachusetts and nearly landed right on top of a fishing boat.
Needless to say, these incidents can occur when you least expect it, and can result in severe injury.
And here we have another example.
A group of saltwater fishermen were fishing off the coast of Massachusetts, when all of a sudden, a mako shark they had just hooked flew out of the water, and landed in the boat.
You can see the fisherman fighting the Mako once he hooked it, as the rod is inside a fighting belt. It appears the shark couldn’t fight any longer, and came flying from up from the water and right back in.
You can hear everybody say:
“Oh sh*t!”Â
Yeah, I probably would be too…
However, the fisherman continues to fight, and as the Mako is coming in fast, it comes flying up in the air once again, but this time it lands in the back of the boat.
The fishermen on board then scatter as quickly as possible, but luckily enough, nobody was injured during the wild event.
According to NOAA Fisheries, the federal government recently banned keeping Atlantic shortfin Makos back in July, so the fishermen couldn’t kill it.
The site states that anglers must release any Mako they catch:
“Whether the shark is dead or alive at haulback.”
