This is the terrifying moment a fisherman ‘with a death wish’ walked a 12ft hammerhead shark back out to sea after accidentally reeling it in on a Florida beach.
Brandon Griffin, who is from southern Florida, shared astonishing footage of him and his friend Gage Wheaton battling through waves as they walked the predator some 50 yards back into the ocean.
Describing how the remarkable ordeal unfolded, the 23-year-old said: ‘I was shark fishing on a secluded beach when I accidentally caught this hammerhead shark – it ate my bait.
‘So I reeled it in as fast as I could, de-hooked it in the water and gave it a proper release back into the ocean by swimming it past the surf.’
Mr Griffin, who estimated that the shark was up to 12ft long, left people divided when he shared evidence of his daring dip online.
Brandon Griffin, from southern Florida in the US, and his friend were stunned to catch a 12ft hammerhead shark
This is the extraordinary moment that the fishermen started reeling the shark in before walking it back out to sea
Mr Griffin, who estimated that the shark was up to 12ft long, left people divided when he shared evidence of his daring dip online
One called it ‘the most epic pic I’ve ever seen’.
A second wrote: ‘I’m definitely not that brave myself but man, it’s beautiful.’
Others, however, thought it was an unnecessary risk. One social media user wrote: ‘And that right there is why women live longer than us.’
‘This is how natural selection occurs,’ said another.
‘He must have a death wish,’ wrote a third.
Several people said that hammerheads rarely survive being hooked.
But for Mr Griffin, a mechanic, that’s why it was so important to reel the shark in quickly and see her back out safely.
He said: ‘The total fight from it being hooked to release was 22 minutes.
‘If I even have a thought that whatever ate my bait could be a hammerhead, I do whatever it takes to get it in as fast as I can to ensure the hammerhead is released and swims off safely.
‘Hammerheads are very fragile and anything over a 45 minute fight time is concerning to their health.’
And though it may appear dangerous, Mr Griffin insists he was being careful.
Several people said that hammerheads rarely survive being hooked which is why it was so important for Mr Griffin to reel the shark in quickly and see her back out safely
Mr Griffin and his friend had to battle through large waves to take the shark back out to sea
Mr Griffin said that hammerheads have a ‘bad reputation’ but they ‘don’t mean any harm’
‘Always have two people in the water helping you release it,’ he said. ‘Keep hands away from the mouth that’s located on the bottom of hammerheads.
‘And make sure it swims off and doesn’t come back to knock you off your feet. That happened one time!’
In any case, Mr Griffin wasn’t worried – he thinks hammerheads don’t deserve their bad reputation.
He said: ‘I’ve helped released quite a few hammerheads and they really don’t mean any harm.
‘It’s best to help them as much as you can, giving them a proper release to ensure their safety.
‘I’m not worried about hammerheads, not even in the wild. I’m more scared of thinking what has followed this shark in, such as a very large bull shark or a tiger shark.’
He added: ‘I think sharks have a bad reputation – mostly hammerheads because everyone is scared of them because of how big they are.
‘But when they are swimming in close they are just chasing the stingrays and bait.’