Video: 5 Terrifying Man-on-shark Kayak Encounters
Daniel Xu 03.27.15
Whether on the line or stealing your fish, sharks add an element of excitement—and danger—to any kayak fishing trip. Unless you’re fishing specifically for shark, you generally don’t want to see one poke their head out of the water. And especially not when you’re reaching over the side for that tuna you’ve been fighting for the last half hour.
So, if you’re already not paranoid enough, here’s five videos that will make you want to keep your legs inside at all times.
1. Chompy the shark
Isaac Brumaghim is a former Hawaiian canoe racer and the founder of the kayak fishing club Aquahunters. Although already well known on the islands of Hawaii, Isaac exploded onto the world stage earlier in 2013 when a video of the kayak angler and a shark went viral. At the time he was fishing from his 16-foot kayak roughly two miles from Oahu, Hawaii. Isaac had just landed a nice-sized mackerel tuna when he had a close encounter with the shark he affectionately nicknamed “Chompy.”
“The kawakawa [tuna] jumps and the shark jumped after him, and misses him like a scene from The Matrix,” Isaac told OutdoorHub previously. “The shark was so aggressive I knew if I brought the tuna aboard it would swing right around and bite my kayak. The kawakawa is about 20 pounds and it’s trying to get loose. At that point I thought about my gaffing it but then I see the shark, out of my peripheral vision, coming right at me. Its hits the underside of my kayak and takes the kawakawa. That was it. I ended up just laughing because I looked at the camera and I knew I had it recorded.”
2. Shark towing service
What is the cheapest way to motorize a kayak? For 22-year-old Adam Fisk, all it took was for one shark to take his bait.
According to the Tampa Bay Times, a hammerhead took Fisk from where he was fishing in Florida’s Boynton Inlet to somewhere near Lake Worth, a 15-minute drive on the highway. Fisk said that the fish—and his kayak—approached speeds of 30 miles per hour on the trip.
“I figured if my line was holding up I would get the best video I could, just to show my friends,” the angler said. “I never thought I would get this far.”
Fisk is a veteran angler who is currently studying for a career in wildlife conservation. He wrangled with sharks before, but this hammerhead was too much for the angler to land in his kayak. Fisk cut the fish loose about two hours into the fight and estimates that it measured around 11 feet in length.
3. When sharks get too greedy
Jason Downs was fishing last year off Navarre Beach in Florida when he had a close encounter with a belligerent bull shark. Not content to just pass by, the shark stole his dinner as well. According to GrindTV, Downs had hooked a 12-pound grouper when the shark decided it was its dinner instead, and took a meaty bite out of the angler’s catch.
That was not the end of the story however. Although not shown on the video, Downs says he ended up hooking the shark as well. It dragged him for about 15 minutes before he cut it loose.
4. Right from your hands
While fishing for kingfish in New Zealand, legendary kayak fisherman Jim Sammons meets a shark up close and personal as the hungry predator rips a 40-pound yellowtail right from his hands.
Now however, Jim says he has a secret weapon.
“When we’re fishing sharky waters I now have a Shark Shield, which is an electronic deterrent and I can say firsthand it does work.” Jim told OutdoorHub. “Now when we go to land fish, I remember to turn it on so I don’t have to deal with sharks. I’ve had sharks who grabbed fish right out of my hand, but I’m not in northern California or other places where they would be more of a worry.”
5. You know when it’s time to leave
This unfortunate angler gets a fright when a shark rises from the depths to take his tuna, nearly dropping his rod in the process. The insistent shark seems to want all of the fish, and almost follows the tuna’s head right onto the kayak.
