INQUISITR.COM / News & Politics

Mako Shark Jumps 12 Feet Out Of Water As Fishermen Flee

By Dustin Wicksell
Published on: 09:05 PST, Aug 5, 2015

Video has emerged of a mako shark bursting from the sea and startling a group of anglers, throwing itself out of the water as it attempts to escape their line.

The clip was recorded off the coast of California, according to the Telegraph, and it shows a group of anglers as they unexpectedly square off against a large mako shark. As the footage begins, the shark can be seen bursting out of the sea as it fights against one of the fishermen, who appears to have just hooked the animal. Excitedly, the man turns to his companions, telling them to move their boat away from the shark. His reasoning quickly becomes clear, as the mako’s second jump reveals it to be dangerously close to the vessel.

[Warning: Adult Language]

The anglers are able to move their boat out of the path of the thrashing shark, though the animal continues in its attempts to free itself. As the cameraman continues to film, the shark breaches the surface of the ocean several times, at one point reaching a height of 12 feet above the waves. Eventually, the mako succeeds in its efforts, as the fishermen admit that the shark has managed to escape.

Makos are considered to be the fastest of all shark species, attaining speeds of up to 22 mph. One mako shark was even clocked at 43 mph according to Discovery, more than twice as fast as the quickest human runners. Easily identified by their distinctive teeth, mako sharks are aggressive hunters which are found in temperate waters worldwide. The sharks are also considered a prized sportfish, and makos are often in demand for their meat, fins, and hide. Entire tournaments are devoted exclusively to fishing for mako sharks, including one recently held off the east coast, as the Asbury Park Press reports.

Last month, researchers tagged several sharks at a no-kill tournament that was held off Montauk. As the Inquisitr previously reported, one of the sharks tagged during the event was a mako, named in honor of Carl Darenberg, Jr. who founded the tournament in 2013. The animal now carries a tag that once belonged to another mako shark, Cate Ells, which was killed by a commercial fisherman earlier in the summer. Though some fans of Ocearch expressed dismay at the shark’s death, the organization’s founder, Chris Fischer, noted on Twitter that mako sharks aren’t a protected species.

[Image: Jukin via the Telegraph]

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