A boating crew caught its second great white shark of the season on New Year's Eve off the coast of Hilton Head Island in South Carolina.
Outcast Sport Fishing Capt. Chip Michalove on Sunday posted a nearly 3-minute video of the encounter on YouTube.
A shark can be seen in the dark waters off Hilton Head Island, illuminated by a single light from above. Michalove wrote that the shark, a female, was tagged and released.
The tagging was done after hours in the dark on the water. In a post on Outcast Sport Fishing's Facebook page, the group said it set out Saturday morning, but had no luck finding any great white sharks until afternoon.
"Despite the poor visibility and pulling the boat like a sled for miles, everything went perfect and she swam off strong," the company said.
In an interview with the Island Packet, Michalove estimated that the shark, which measured 16 feet and weighed between 2,800 and 3,200 pounds, was "the biggest great white" he had ever tagged.
"Visibility was minimal. We just couldn't see the line as we were following the shark," he told the newspaper. "I'm not sure I ever want to try to handle an animal that large in the pitch black."
Michalove and the Outcast Sport Fishing crew caught a pair of great white sharks last month. One was tagged and estimated to be around 3,000 pounds.
About the Author
