New York Post
A Florida fisherman showcased “balls of steel” after walking a 12-foot great hammerhead shark back into the sea after reeling it in by accident. Footage of the “Jaws”-dropping encounter is currently making waves online.
“I reeled it in as fast as I could, de-hooked it in the water and gave it a proper release back into the ocean by swimming it past the surf,” Brandon Griffin, 23, told PEN News.
The South Florida mechanic frequently shares his angling exploits to his Youtube page, @brandongriffin.
During his latest adventure, Griffin had been shark fishing at a “secluded beach” in the Panhandle when he inadvertently hooked a titan.
“I accidentally caught this hammerhead shark – it ate my bait,” he explained, estimating that the critter measured around 12 feet long.
As great hammerheads rarely survive being hooked — not to mention are illegal to land or possess off Florida waters, per state law — the Floridian knew he had to release the beast as soon as possible.
“Hammerheads are very fragile and anything over a 45 minute fight time is concerning to their health,” Griffin declared. “If I even have a thought that whatever ate my bait could be a hammerhead, I do whatever it takes to get it in as fast as I can to ensure the hammerhead is released and swims off safely.”
Footage filmed by friend and fellow fisherman Gage Wheaton shows the Floridian reeling the shark into shallow water following an epic tug-of-war.
Then, Griffin and Wheaton shockingly wade into the surf zone, grab onto either side of the behemoth like a kayak, and escort it out into deep water.
The clip concludes with the hammerhead swimming off into the open ocean as the two pals whoop and holler over the seemingly successful release.
All told, the total fight took around 22 minutes from hooking the beast to setting it free, per Griffin.
Needless to say, social media was in awe over their steel-nerved hammerhead rehabilitation efforts.
“Absolute balls of steel,” wrote one commenter under a pic of the beast, while another exclaimed “the most epic pic I’ve ever seen.”
“I’m definitely not that brave myself but man, it’s beautiful,” commented a third.
However, others accused the angler of unnecessarily risking his life.
“That right there is why women live longer than us,” quipped one social media comedian. Another blunttly stated: “He must have a death wish.”
Indeed, it might seem foolhardy to get into the water with a great hammerhead, which is the largest of all hammerhead species, growing up to 18 feet long and weighing over 500 pounds.
However, Griffin claims he was exercising extreme caution.
“Always have two people in the water helping you release it,” he advised. “Keep hands away from the mouth that’s located on the bottom of hammerheads.”
The Florida fisherman added to make sure that the shark doesn’t swim back and knock you off your feet, which he claimed happened to him on one occasion.
In general, the fisherman feels as if great hammerheads are unfairly maligned because of “how big they are.”
“I’ve helped released quite a few hammerheads and they really don’t mean any harm,” Griffin declared. “I’m not worried about hammerheads, not even in the wild.”
He added, “I’m more scared of thinking what has followed this shark in, such as a very large bull shark or a tiger shark.”
This was originally published on The New York Post
