Mako shark leaps onto a New Zealand fishing boat off the Whitianga coast

By Edward Era Barbacena

A mako shark that jumped onto a charter fishing boat began thrashing about on the deck, narrowly missing the skipper and his five customers. 

Ryan Churches was taking five fishing enthusiasts on a boat trip aboard his Churchys Charter NZ vessel off the Whitianga coast on New Zealand’s north island on Saturday when the shark jumped aboard. 

Only a single pane of glass separated the man-eater from the captain and his customers after the shark landed on the boat’s bow, slamming its tail into the windscreen.

Vision of the the massive shark, which was 2.5metres long and weighed a massive 150kg, was captured on video (pictured) after it was snagged by a fishing hook

Only a single pane of glass separated the man-eater from the captain and his customers after the shark landed on the boat’s bow, (pictured) slamming its tail into the windscreen

Vision of the the massive shark, which was estimated to be 2.5metres long and 150kg in weight, was captured on video after it was snagged by a fishing hook.

A loud thud was heard in the footage before the camera pans around showing the beast twisting and turning at the front of the boat.

It tossed and writhed about on the vessel for ‘two minutes tops’ trying to find a way back into the water, as those on the boat called out in delight. 

Mr Churches, a 20-year fishing veteran, told the New Zealand Herald it was the first time he had ever seen a shark jump onto a boat. 

He said the group were hunting for kingfish and were winding a line in when the shark grabbed a hold of it instead.  

Charter vessel skipper Ryan Churches said the incident happened as the group were hunting for kingfish and were winding a line in when the shark grabbed a hold of it instead (pictured, the boat)

‘We were all watching the rod and the line was going out to the side of the boat and it changed direction suddenly… [the shark] just happened to jump at the same time and we got a hell of a fright,’ he said.  

As the big fish thrashed back and forth, Mr Churches considered intervening to help it but he knew the razor-toothed shark would have gone ‘absolutely bonkers’.

After about two minutes of twisting about, the shark wriggled through the bow rail and slipped back into the sea.

Mr Churches was thankful the fish did not land in the back of the boat where the customers were – and said the group reacted better than what a lot of people would have. 

‘The cameras were out, but they probably didn’t realise the danger we could have been in.’ he said. 

He said the boat had windscreens and hard tops blocking the fish from the crew.

Mako sharks live close to the water’s surface and are known to frequent the coastal areas of New Zealand. 

The predators have been seen jumping 10metres into the air when hooked and have landed in boats before. 

The average mako shark is 2.5 to 3.2metres long and can weigh between 135-230kg.

Video of the thrashing shark was posted on social media, captioned with ‘Crazy moment when a Mako Shark jumped onto the front of the boat!!’

‘Thus the toilet paper is close by,’ one commenter said, while another described the fish as ‘a great hood ornament’. 

‘They’re a bit prone to comin aboard for a look,’ one more joked, with another comparing the incident to a scene straight from ‘Sharknado’. 

Video of the thrashing shark was posted on social media, (pictured) captioned with ‘Crazy moment when a Mako Shark jumped onto the front of the boat!!’