2.4 metre shark jumps into boat

A 170kg shark jumped onto the boat of a group of Texas fishermen while they were out snapper fishing in the Gulf of Mexico earlier this week.

According to 29-year-old Jason Kresse, he and two other crew members were dumping fish guts into the water when they heard a loud noise towards the back of his 25-foot-boat.

"When we got done pulling our anchor we heard two big splashes to the right of us, about 30 metres away, and next thing you know I hear something hit the back of my boat," Kresse told The Today Show.

The splashes and loud noise they heard came from an 2.4m, 170kg mako shark that jumped, unprovoked, from the water and landed right on their boat.

Kresse and his crew members, who did not have a permit for catching sharks, said they couldn't get close enough to the shark to save it, as it was aggressively flailing about. The shark ended up dying several hours later.

Kresse immediately contacted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, who says the fishermen are not at fault as the shark's death was purely accidental.

The shark is currently on display at Captain Mark's Seafood in Freeport, Texas but Kresse says he plans to have it mounted.

"A fish that size jumping into your boat, that's unbelievable," Kresse said.

- AGENCIES