‘Shark Rider’: Australian Fisherman Leaps Onto Hammerhead’s Back
A fishing boat captain who has proclaimed himself Western Australia’s “shark rider” astonished his charter recently as he dove overboard, leaping onto the back of a 3-meter-long hammerhead.
Aaron Moir has been labeled an idiot with no respect for wildlife by his critics, according to the Australian News, yet the 25-year-old skipper asserts that riding a shark is simply a bit of fun. During a recent charter in the Montebello Islands, 100km north of Exmouth, Moir found an opportunity to try the stunt on a large hammerhead shark.
The moment WA’s self proclaimed ‘shark rider’ leaps onto the back of a 3m hammerhead shark http://t.co/bUN5TmHcyF pic.twitter.com/qMtjnjBe4e
— PerthNow (@perthnow) November 19, 2014
After the shark was lured to the back of his boat, guests filmed Moir leaping overboard and onto the hammerhead’s back. According to Moir, he lasted for just five seconds on top of the shark, before the predator began to thrash in the water, tossing him off and swimming away.
“I was thinking, ‘Right, it’s hammer time.’ Bang — I just jumped on.”
“I tell you what though, their skin is as rough as sandpaper. I couldn’t wear undies for three days because it ripped my thighs to shreds.”
“The guests all had a laugh. They call me the shark rider.”
According to Moir, the shark was unharmed and returned to the boat just moments later. He asserted that the hammerhead was the “sixth or seventh” shark he has ridden while working for a charter company in Western Australia. Though he understood that some people would think his actions stupid, Moir was undeterred.
“It’s just a bit of fun. I’m here for a good time, not a long time,” he said.
“The sharks get a bit of a fright for a second but that’s it.”
WA ‘shark rider’ Aaron Moir says riding a hammerhead shark was ‘just a bit of fun’ http://t.co/D3a33olANh pic.twitter.com/7cg1cGa80S
— Carlos Gavina (@CGShark) November 19, 2014
Recently, a group of boaters in Australia filmed themselves daring one of their friends to jump on top of a passing tiger shark. After several minutes of prodding, the man leapt from the boat, landing directly on top of the shark, as the Inquisitr reported.
According to Perth Now, West Australians for Shark Conservation spokesman Ross Weir asserts that a culture exists among young men in Western Australia who antagonize local wildlife for attention.
“It’s idiocy, it’s dangerous and it shows a total disregard and lack of respect for nature,” Weir said.
“A hammerhead can still take a leg or a foot off. He should go and buy a motorbike instead.”
Moir says that he now plans to try his stunt on a tiger shark, and one day, he hopes to attempt to ride a great white shark.
[Images via Perth Now]
