A fisherman in Florida accidentally pulled a 12-foot-long hammerhead shark into the sea and then dragged it back into the sea, displaying “steel balls.” Footage of the jaw-dropping encounter is currently trending online.
Brandon Griffin, 23, told PEN News, “I rolled it up as fast as I could, unhooked it from the water and swam through the waves to get it properly Put back into the sea.”
The South Florida mechanic often shares his fishing experiences on his Youtube page @brandongriffin.
On his latest adventure, Griffin was fishing on a “secluded beach” in the Panhandle when he accidentally hooked a Titan.
“I accidentally caught this hammerhead shark and it ate my bait,” he explained, estimating the creature to be about 12 feet long.
Since great hammerhead sharks rarely survive being hooked—not to mention that landing or possessing them in Florida waters is illegal under state law—the Floridian knew he had to free the beast as quickly as possible.
Hammerhead sharks are extremely fragile and any fighting time longer than 45 minutes will affect their health,” Griffin declared. If I think something eating my bait might be a hammerhead, I will make every effort to get it into the water as quickly as possible to ensure the hammerhead is released and swims away safely. “
Footage captured by friend and fisherman Gage Whitten shows the Floridian reeling the shark into shallow water after an epic tug-of-war.
Griffin and Wheaton then shockingly waded into the surf, grabbing the sides of the behemoth like a kayak and escorting it into deep water.
At the end of the film, the hammerhead shark swims into the high seas, and the two friends cheer for what appears to be a successful release.
According to Griffin, the entire battle took about 22 minutes from hooking the beast to releasing it.
Needless to say, social media was in awe of their steely hammerhead recovery efforts.
Absolute balls of steel, one commenter wrote under the photo of the beast, while another exclaimed that it was the most epic photo I’ve ever seen. “
I’m definitely not that brave myself, but man it’s beautiful,” commented a third.
Others, however, accused anglers of risking their lives unnecessarily.
One social media comedian quipped: “This is why women live longer than us.” Another bluntly said: “He must want to die.”
In fact, it might seem reckless to enter the water with a great hammerhead shark, the largest of all hammerhead sharks, which can grow up to 18 feet long and weigh more than 500 pounds.
However, Griffin claimed he was being cautious.
“Always have two people in the water to help you release it, he advises. Keep your hands away from the bottom of the hammerhead’s mouth.”
The Florida fisherman added to make sure the shark doesn’t come back and knock you down, which he claims happened to him on one occasion.
Overall, fishermen feel hammerhead sharks are unfairly maligned because of their “large size.”
“I helped release quite a few hammerhead sharks, and they were really harmless,” Griffin declared. I don’t worry about hammerhead sharks, not even in the wild. “
He added: “I’m more scared to think about what followed this shark, such as a very large bull shark or tiger shark.
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Image Source : nypost.com