The brush with ‘Jaws’ 50 years ago came just months after the Steven Spielberg classic was released in cinemas.
This 15ft basking shark became stuck in a hang net operated by Bridport fishermen Derk Heard, David Park and Lawrence Kirk in 1976.
The shark was landed on the beach near Seatown.
The 1.5 ton creature died in its struggle to get out of the 60 yards of netting. The catch came as Jaws-themed headlines started cropping up in the area.
Mr Park said: “My heart stopped when I saw the tail come out of the water.”
A small outboard motor was not powerful enough to move the shark to shore, so the men took to their oars and hauled the shark 200 yards to the beach… rowing in a tiny glass fibre dinghy.
Sightings of sharks in the area were reported in 1976 (Image: NQ)
It was reported: “The carcass would have provided a vast amount of pet food but the men were unable to find anyone interested in taking it and were forced to tow it back into the sea.”
The story made the front page of the Dorset Evening Echo (Image: NQ)
A ‘shark warning’ soon followed in Weymouth after another sighting of a 15ft shark 100 yards out to sea at Bowleaze Cove.
The 1976 shark warning in the Dorset Evening Echo (Image: NQ)
The shark was seen by the crew of a naval helicopter who reported it to coastguards.
A spokesman for the police said: “It was probably only a basking shark but we passed the word along to bathers that it was in the vicinity.
“We don’t get many maneaters in this part of the world of course but because of its size we did tell people to be careful.”
Funnily enough, these incidents happened the year after the original Jaws movie was released in cinemas!