Mako Shark Attacks Fisherman: First Hand Account

The recent increase in mako shark attacks got me thinking about something that happened to me as a child. I witnessed a mako shark attack up close and personal. I was only six years old when my Grandpa took me out for my first charter boat fishing trip. We were to be fishing for sharks. I had been fascinated by sharks because of a book that I had gotten for my birthday. I had no idea of the true power of sharks, but that would soon change. Before the day was over, I would learn first hand what happens when a mako shark attacks.

Once we reached our destination, we watched as the crew of the boat started to chum the water with blood and fish guts. This was sure to draw in the sharks they assured us. True to their word, we began to see shark fins slicing the water occasionally around the boat. The sharks were small, and seemed more graceful than dangerous to my innocent eyes.

Sitting on the edge of the boat looking down at these sharks, I remember being completely fascinated by the incredible speed of these modern day dinosaurs. One minute you would see them, and the next they were gone. It was an incredible sight.

There were only a handful of people on the trip. No more than seven people counting myself were fishing, and the other three or four people were crewman. We had plenty of room to spread out and fish. Nobody was actually catching any real sharks, however. We would see the other folks occasionally pull in a small shark, but never any really large sharks.

Eventually, I gave up fishing and just watched the occasional shark fin appear over the edge of the boat instead. The day dragged on uneventful, and it was soon time to bring all the rods back aboard and head back.

Just as we were pulling our poles out of the water, the man next to me let out a yell. I looked over at him, and his pole was literally doubled over. This guy had a serious shark on the line. The entire boat gathered around to give the man advice and cheer him on. It was so exciting!

After what seemed like hours, the man finally got the shark up beside the boat. Looking down over the side of the boat, I saw the biggest shark I had ever seen in my life.

It was very mean looking with jagged teeth that seemed like they were attached on the outside of its mouth. It had a really tall dorsal fin, and a very powerful looking body. It looked to be the size of a great white through my six year old eyes, but in reality was probably around six-seven feet long.

I remember one of the crewmen saying that it was a mako shark. He said that the mako was one of the fastest, meanest sharks in the ocean and that he should release it. The man insisted on keeping it, and made a big stink about it and the crewman agreed to help him bring the mako shark in.

The crewman reached over with a hook of some kind and stabbed it into the mako shark. He had instructed all of us to stay on the other side of the boat while they landed the mako shark. I was able to have a clear view of the shark as they pulled it on board as I had positioned myself at the rear of the boat.

Just as the mako shark was pulled on board, it began thrashing about. It twisted back over itself and as it did this, its mouth was positioned right against the fisherman’s leg. In a moment the shark bit down and took a chunk of flesh out of his bare calf. The sight was one that I will never forget as long as I live. The mako shark attack was so fast that the man never knew what hit him.

The man survived but had to be rushed to the hospital for blood loss by the time we reached shore. The mako shark was killed almost immediately after the bite as the crew beat it senseless. I remember watching the mako shark bounce around on the deck of the ship helplessly and feeling sorry for it. Even then, I recognized that the mako shark attack was not the shark being evil. It was pulled from the ocean and fighting for it’s life.

I imagine the fisherman would have cut the mako shark loose if he had known that it would take off part of his leg. In the end, the shark died and the man lost part of a major appendage. I have learned to have a very healthy respect for sharks now. I will always remember the power and quickness of that mako shark attack.

The most horrifying part is that the mako shark was a baby. I can not even imagine a full grown mako shark attacking you in the wide open ocean. The baby mako literally took out the guys calf in a single bite! It still sends shivers down my spine to think about the day I saw a mako shark attack.