Advertisement

Shark Drags Man In Kayak For Half A Mile

Shark Drags Man In Kayak For Half A Mile

A man fishing from a kayak was dragged for half a mile after hooking a 6ft shark in a scene "just like Jaws".

Rupert Kirkwood had been deep-sea fishing for hours without a bite when he felt a "great tug" on the line about a mile off the Devon coast.

His catch, which turned out to be a 65lb (29.5kg) tope shark, promptly turned tail, dragging his tiny craft along behind it.

Mr Kirkwood, 51, said: "These creatures are known to do a run and it is just like Jaws - the line flew off the reel for what seemed like about 10 seconds.

"I tightened up the drag and swung the rod around and it started pulling me along - eventually I reeled it in and carefully lifted it out by its pectoral fin and tail."

"It was thrilling to catch something that big," he told the Western Morning News.

Mr Kirkwood released the unharmed shark back to the water near Ilfracombe after calculating its weight by measuring its length and girth.

The conservationist and vet, from Holsworthy, Devon, has used a small kayak to fish for around 10 years and has caught two other tope sharks this month.

The tope shark, or school shark, can grow to more than 6ft (1.8m) in length and weigh more than 100lb (45kg). The species is listed as vulnerable and considered harmless to humans.

They are found all around the world and generally live further out to sea.