Here’s a scary video that was taken off the coast of Australia.
A group of anglers were fishing for marlin near the “Land Down Under,” and they were successful – but it nearly came at a cost. One man narrowly avoided being impaled by a flailing marlin, and it was all caught on camera. Black Pete Quality Tackle shared the video online, and they also revealed the story behind the incredibly close call:
“We went fishing off Sydney on Short Marine’s beautiful 41 foot Valhalla – what a weapon of a boat. The story goes, James Thomas was on his first striped marlin, which was giving us quite the show.
The fish was erratic, constantly changing direction and speed. As it came boat side, Chad ‘Junior Squid’ Wheeler was on the leader while his dad, Steve ‘Senior Squid’ Wheeler, stood at the front of the boat, filming what he thought was a safe spot.”
If that’s not some foreshadowing, I don’t know what is.
As you might imagine, the place where Steve “Senior Squid” Wheeler was standing and capturing the marlin that was battling for its life in the ocean was not a safe place. The man quickly and accidentally got right into the middle of the action.
And it was dangerously close, as the caption further explained:
“Suddenly, the marlin changed direction and launched straight toward us. I stepped back, anticipating what might happen. Steve, however, was focused on his phone, trying to capture the moment.
Then it happened: the marlin jumped straight at Steve, its bill piercing his phone cover and knocking the phone onto the deck while sending his wallet-phone holder flying into the water.”
The moment when the marlin’s bill comes into contact with the man’s phone is stuff that action movie directors dream of. It was high stakes. It was pure chaos. It was the fine line between life and death.
According to the story, the phone was knocked down into the boat, and Steve’s wallet case splashed down into the sea. However, the safety and well-being of the cellular device. Fishing for billfish can be incredibly dangerous, and being impaled is never out of the question.
That’s what the anglers were worried about:
“Steve stood there with a torn, bloodstained shirt and a, ‘What the f**k just happened” expression. I checked on him, and although shaken, he was okay.
When he lifted his shirt, we all braced for the worst, knowing how dangerous marlin bills can be. Thankfully, it was just a small scrape on his chest. Hence the saying, dodged a bill.”
Sheesh… as you’ll see in the video below, walking away from that with just a small scrape is a minor miracle. Could’ve easily taken a bill to the throat.
Black Pete Quality Tackle was happy to share the clip, mainly because it allowed for them to share some safety precautions that other fisherman should practice if they are going after billfish like marlin:
“I’ve seen plenty of videos where fish jump into boats, narrowly missing people, and this was definitely one of those moments. It makes you think how much worse things could’ve been.
Never underestimate a marlin at the side of the boat. Things can change in a split second. If a bill pierces you, it’s no joke – so always stay sharp and keep your wits about you.”
