Golf legend Greg Norman, nicknamed “The Great White Shark,” caught a shark during a fishing expedition. But when a giant Hammerhead shark came along and ate the shark, that’s when the real struggle began.
During an episode on the extreme fishing show, BlacktipH, Norman 64, joined the show’s producer, Joshua Jorgensen, to catch some blacktip sharks in Florida. When the two set out on Tuesday, April 2, they were only expecting to have some fun catching blacktip sharks; Instead, they captured a monster hammerhead shark.
“One of the most incredible things about nature is to expect the unexpected,” Norman said in the YouTube video, which already has over a million views.
Would you get in with this 1,300lb hammerhead? Greg Norman would! Check out the full video below????
Posted by Greg Norman on Tuesday, April 2, 2019
Jorgensen used a drone to survey the massive school of blacktip sharks surrounding their boat. However, they noticed something big enter the frame. A massive hammerhead shark had decided to hunt some blacktip shark as well.
“I’ve never seen that … But to see a hammerhead chasing a blacktip was kind of unique,” Norman said.
Not long after spotting the hammerhead, the two realized one of their lines had caught a blacktip. But they weren’t the only ones to have noticed; the hammerhead started moving in.
“All of a sudden this giant hammerhead came flying in on the blacktip. It was the most incredible scene I’d ever witnessed,” Norman said.
Reef sharks have their predators too ! Look at this amazing new observation of a great hammerhead shark predating on a large blacktip shark (C. limbatus) in the South pass of Fakarava (photo :Nino) pic.twitter.com/KATWC1udLy
— Johann MOURIER (@SharkMourier) March 30, 2019
Drone footage in the video showed the giant hammerhead shark slowly following the 80-pound hooked blacktip shark. After some time, the hammerhead approached, took a bite out of the shark, and then swam away. But then the hammerhead returned and swallowed the blacktip shark whole.
“He comes back around, picks it up again, all the sudden just swallows this 80-pound shark and took off,” Jorgensen said. “It’s a monster!”
Norman took control of the reel, buckled into his fishing harness, and readied himself for the fight. The hammerhead tried to escape and pulled hundreds of yards of fishing line from the reel. When Norman asked the captain of the boat, Flash, about any progress, the captain told him the hammerhead was actually towing the entire boat and crew. The hammerhead towed the 41-foot vessel at 1 knot through the surf for around 45 minutes.
They estimated the hammerhead to be about 14 feet, 7 inches, and weighing well over 1,200 pounds, according to their Facebook post.
Caught and released a possible record hammerhead shark with Greg Norman. This is the largest hammerhead that I’ve ever…
Posted by BlacktipH on Wednesday, April 3, 2019
“When you start thinking about the poundage that this fish is pulling around—not just the boat but the people on the boat and the fuel on the boat—that is an impressive statement and an understatement about the energy and the power of these magnificent animals,” Norman said in the video.
It took almost an hour for the giant hammerhead to tire before Norman and the crew were able to reel it in.
According to the Florida Museum of Natural History, while Hammerheads “put up an exciting fight, they tire quickly and are some of the more physiologically fragile species.”
Once they managed to pull the hammerhead to the side of the boat, the sheer size of the shark became apparent.
“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! It’s a giant!” Jorgensen shouted in the video.
“I’ve seen some big fish,” Norman said in the video. “I’ve dived with great whites, I’ve fought black marlin well over a thousand pounds. When you see that fish for the first time up against my 41-foot boat, you go, holy moly, this thing is huge. It’s bigger than I ever anticipated.”
It took the combined effort of everyone on board the boat to restrain the shark for measurements. They also propped it upright so that water could continue to flow through its gills, letting it recuperate.
They measured the hammerhead with a length of fishing line. The hammerhead measured out at 14 feet and 7 inches, which is 4 inches longer than the International Game Fish Association world record. However, the mark is unofficial as they did not bring the shark to shore.
They held onto the shark for another half-hour, letting it recover. During that time, they guessed the shark weighed anywhere from 1,200 to 1,300 pounds. According to National Geographic, hammerhead sharks usually weigh between 500 and 1,000 pounds.
Before releasing the shark, Norman, Jorgensen, and others jumped into the water to swim alongside it.
“We wanted to feel connected to this fish,” Norman said. “We wanted to make sure this fish felt like, ‘Okay, these guys are really trying to revive and get me going.'”
Once released, the hammerhead turned around and swam back out to deeper water.
Norman said the shark “lived, ate, and then she swam away.”
