Viral video shows the "astonishing" moment a shark jumped on board a fishing boat off the coast of Maine
Shark tagging isn't a new venture for Sea Ventures Charters in Maine. But last month, those on board the company's fishing boat had a "once-in-a-lifetime experience" – when a large mako shark jumped out of the water and plopped right on the deck.
A now-viral video shows the moment it happened on August 27 and sent those on board the 38-foot "Lady Anne" scrambling.
Sea Ventures Charters posted about the experience on Facebook, saying it had been a "lovely day" tagging and releasing sharks. That's when "a big mako took the bait," the company said.
At first, those on board were just watching the shark jump in and out of the water as it was being reeled in, but on its last jump, it spiraled and thrashed its way on board, knocking over one person and sending the other scrambling up the steps to the upper deck.
Warning: the following video contains explicit language.
August 27, 2022: Midcoast Maine: On board FV Lady Anne … this happened. A lovely day shark fishing with two beautiful blue sharks tagged and released when a big mako took the bait. Everyone was enjoying the acrobatics of the mako when …. (Watch video clip). A once-in-a-lifetime experience! Thankfully, no one on board was injured! Astonishingly, the mako was measured, tagged, nudged toward the transom door and released. Dave and Cameron did an incredible job keeping people (and the mako) safe. We want to acknowledge Chris Kingsbury and his band of boys for their cool heads, assistance, and this awesome video.
Posted by Sea Ventures Charters on Sunday, August 28, 2022
Despite the chaos, Sea Ventures Charters said it was "a once-in-a-lifetime experience" and that nobody was injured. Eventually, they were able to measure, tag and release the "astonishing" shark, which the group later commented was a "handsome male."
The company, which specializes in sport fishing trips, says on its website that its shark fishing trips involve measuring, photographing, tagging and releasing sharks as part of the National Marine Fisheries Apex Predator Tagging Program. The group said it has tagged hundreds of sharks since 1984, most of which are blue sharks that get up to 12 feet and 400 pounds and makos between 200 and 800 pounds.
According to NOAA, makos can get up to 13 feet and have "below target" population levels due to overfishing. Fishermen are not allowed to keep them if caught.