Fisherman Knocked Off Balance by Shark's Tail Whip

A New Zealander received a real slap in the face from an unlikely source during a fishing trip on January 21, as a copper shark at the end of his line whipped its tail and knocked him off balance.

Craig Sheriff was attempting to retrieve an expensive lure belonging to his friend Dave Lyons, who recorded the footage, at the time of the incident.

The fisherman told Storyful that he had caught a kingfish prior to the incident, but it was eaten by the shark as he attempted to reel it in.

“Normally we just cut away, but Dave’s lure was $55 so we really wanted to try and get it back,” Sheriff told local media.

He added, “It took about 20 minutes to get it up to the surface and when we got it up that’s when the slap happened.”

Alas for the fishermen, the shark broke the line and escaped with the lure. Credit: Craig Sheriff via Storyful