Posted on 04/25/2004 5:16:34 PM PDT by yankeedame
5m shark jumps onto boat
From correspondents in Wellington, New Zealand
April 23, 2004
A 5 1/2-metre Great White shark terrified three anglers when it lunged from the water and sank its teeth into the side of their small fishing boat, the skipper said.
The shark was bigger than the boat it attacked / File
Gary Dodunski said the shark, which was bigger than his boat, charged as fishing mate Shane Goble tried to land a fish he had on his line off the city of New Plymouth on North Island's west coast.
Said Goble: "When I tried to lift my fish aboard, the shark launched itself out of the water and onto the side of the boat."
The force of the striking shark pushed the vessel 2m sideways when it hit, Dodunski told National Radio.
His daughter, Michelle Dodunski, said the shark was within centimetres of her face as it grabbed the 5m boat in its jaws.
"It rolled its eye back and sat there for a while, and then splashed back into the water," she said.
"It scared the hell out of me - I was shaking like a leaf," she added.
The boat, Live'N Hope, has deep scratches on its side from the shark's lower teeth.
Gary Dodunski said the trio first spotted "this big fin" circling their boat as they fished. The predator would occasionally "stop and look at us", he said.
The attack began as he tried to land a fish, "but the shark just accelerated in and ate it," Goble said. "Then it grabbed Michelle's fish, but spat it out."
A shaken skipper said the trio jerked at the anchor rope, started the motor and raced away from the fishing spot.
The attack hasn't put them off fishing though his daughter "will probably turn (fishing trip offers) down for a while - she eyeballed the fellow", he said.
It is the second attack involving a Great White shark off New Plymouth in recent weeks. Earlier, one of the sharks tore a seal to pieces in front of a boatload of tourists who were on a sightseeing trip at a nearby marine reserve.
Experts say it is highly likely both incidents involved the same shark, which are known to be territorial.
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research principal scientist Dr. Malcolm Francis said it was likely the shark would stay in the area's waters.
"They can become residential for months at a time, particularly if there is a seal colony in the area," he said.
New Plymouth is a regional city 355km north of the capital, Wellington.
The Associated Press
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.