Two holes in the bottom of Simon Shepheard's stand-up paddle board are evidence of a close encounter with a sharp-toothed fish.
The seasoned surfer was at Sandy Bay, on the Tutukaka Coast, on Monday morning when something from the deep rattled, then sank its teeth into the bottom of his board.
"I looked back and saw a tail thrashing behind my board. The board was shaking wildly and I could hear this gnawing on the bottom of the board," Shepheard said.
"Straightaway I thought it was a shark but it was a blackout with so much algae in the water. I can't imagine any other fish than a shark doing that but I couldn't definitely identify it.
"You could feel the strength. The gnawing sound was unnerving."