Byron Machado was fishing off his ski, 60kms north of Durban, when he was struck from the deep by a great white, launching both him and his ski into the air according to the North Coast Courier.
‘All I remember is seeing a flash on my left side – then the impact came and knocked me and my boat right into the air.’
It was an ordinary Sunday for Machado, which saw him launch his ski out at Tinley Manor for a cheeky bit of fishing when at around 5:30 am, the day took a rather unexpected turn, ending in a flurry of splashes, head shakes and teeth.
“We arrived at the beach before 5 am and paddled out past the backline. I had my feet hanging over the sides as I normally do and I put one line in with a live bait. We then headed out deeper for about 30 minutes at a slow paddle”, explains Machado.
After being flung clean into the air, Machado was fortunate to land right back in his ski, escaping a wet landing. The shark, estimated to be around 3m, latched onto the ski while it aggressively thrashed about. Following this tactile taste test, the white shark released the ski and swam off into the big blue.
“It felt like it was thrashing for hours, but it was probably only for a few seconds,” he recalled
Following the fisherman’s encounter, the KZN Sharks Board paid him a visit to grab a closer look at the bite marks left by the toothy brute where they confirmed that it was a great white shark.
In a closing statement to the Courier, Machado expresses his thoughts on his future fishing ventures:
“Well, the boat needs some repairs – but even then I think I’m going to be taking a little break.”
