A family fishing trip turned into one of “the coolest days on the water” for Katie Sheehan when instead of nabbing a marlin, her father accidentally caught a mako shark.
Sheehan was out on the water with her father Chris and brother-in-law Calvin on Thursday looking to catch some tuna or marlin. The group were out past the Manukau Bar, in a 100m depth when Chris’ line started to drag rapidly out from the boat.
Thinking this was it, the group readied themselves for a marlin - but to their surprise, out of the water leapt a mako shark - over and over again. The shark was pirouetting on the line trying to free itself - something that Sheehan told the Herald is typical for them.
“Hooking a mako is not uncommon, and to be honest they’re f***ing nightmares because they flip and spin and do all sorts of crazy things … but you need to remember, we’re the ones disrupting them! We’re in their area, we’re in their home,” she said.
“If you thought you had your dinner ready and then it had a big hook in it, you’d probably get angry too.”