Insane video as fisherman wrangles great white shark on beach. Photo / Bryner de Oliveira
Sudal told the Nantucket Current he realised it was a great white when he saw the spotted pectoral fin flash through a wave.
“[I] understood the gravity of the situation and had to get her released safely and quickly,” Sudal told the outlet.
“Amazing creature, humbled to be blessed with the opportunity to interact with one. Had a great crew helping with everything, she swam off strong, not something we will ever forget.”
The fisherman said it was the first time he has caught a great white on Nantucket after fishing there for 13 years.
“By no means was [I] targeting that white, you can’t control what picks up your bait,” he told Nantucket Current.
“I posted that video because I feel like I did everything right in that situation. Shark was in the surf, removed the hook and sent her back to sea in about 15 seconds.”
Great white sharks are among the largest ocean predators, growing from about 1.2m at birth to as much as 6.4m long and over 2500kg in weight, according to the Department of Conservation.
Great white sharks are listed as vulnerable globally and are fully protected in New Zealand under the Fisheries Act 1996 and Wildlife Act 1953, making it illegal to trade, harm or attempt to catch them.
Any accidentally captured must be released immediately if alive, or its intact body returned to sea if dead and unable to be inspected, with no parts kept.
Breaches of these rules carry penalties of up to $250,000 in fines and/or six months’ imprisonment.