Mako shark goes ballistic behind fishing boat

Anglers aboard a San Diego-based fishing boat Monday were treated to a spectacular aerial display involving a 400-pound mako shark that was attempting to shake the hook.

The accompanying footage, captured from aboard the Sea Watch out of Seaforth Sportfishing, shows the apex predator performing a series of backflips high above the surface as 19 anglers and three crewmen watched in awe.

“That was probably the coolest thing I’ve seen in 20 years of working on boats,” Capt. Kris Karpow, owner of the Sea Watch, told For The Win Outdoors. “The shark was literally only 50 to 70 feet off the stern. But the video does not do it justice in terms of size – we estimated its weight to be at least 400 pounds.”

Karpow said his passengers had enjoyed a morning bass bite and were moving to another spot when the mako shark was sighted.

“We were heading to a spot off Torrey Pines and were at a depth of 120 feet when all of a sudden someone yelled, ‘Dude, look at that shark!’ ” Karpow said.

Andrew Warren, a deckhand, grabbed a rod-and-reel designed for big game and cast a 10-pound bonito toward the shark, which took the bait almost instantly.

But despite a reel spooled with 130-pound test, and a 200-pound-test leader, the shark snapped the line during its fourth and final jump, and was not seen again.

Based on the passengers’ reactions, they got their money’s worth regardless of how slow the fishing might have been. The footage was captured by Corey Gambill, a second deckhand.