Massive Tiger Shark Attack Fisherman While Out in His Kayak; How Aggressive Is This Fish?
A fisherman didn't expect that he had an encounter with a huge shark until he watched the video captured by his GoPro. He admitted that he was glad it disappeared and didn't attack again.
Tiger Shark Attacks a Fisherman
Scott Haraguchi was fishing while in his kayak in Hawaii when the harrowing moment happened. Thankfully, his GoPro was turned on, and it captured the terrifying event.
Haraguchi said he heard a whooshing sound like a boat heading towards him without the motor. When he looked up, he saw a big brown thing.
Initially, he thought it was a turtle. However, when it slammed him, he immediately realized it was a tiger shark, Nine.com.au reported.
In the video, he screams, "tiger shark." He was able to kick the shark away. He kept fishing as he was running on an adrenaline rush.
When he went home, he looked at the video and was surprised after realizing the size of the tiger shark. It was so big.
The reason for the shark attack has remained unclear. However, he speculated that the big fish might have mistaken his kayak for its wounded prey because he saw an injured seal in the area.
It's also unclear if the tiger shark was the same 20-foot shark sighted in the area. Marine Corps Base Hawaii officials close to North Beach had already posted signs about it.
Haraguchi said the incident was concerning, so he said he would bring a partner the next time he goes fishing. He also considered himself lucky, noting that life is short, so one must make the most of it.
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Are Tiger Sharks Aggressive?
Yes, tiger sharks are aggressive. However, regarding the number of shark attacks on humans, tiger sharks are only second to great whites, consistent with their reputation for aggression, according to Ocean Conservancy.
Tiger sharks are named that way for a reason; they are just as vicious predators in the water as their orange-and-black namesakes are on land. They also have dark, vertical stripes as youngsters, which become less visible as they age.
Tiger sharks have white bellies and blue-gray to dark-grey tops, which help them blend into the background water from above and below. Though their typical length is about 14 feet, tiger sharks can grow as long as 20 feet. Thus their ability to fit in is limited.
However, compared to tiger sharks, people pose a MUCH greater menace to the "near threatened" sharks for harvesting their fins, skin, and livers. Tiger sharks have slow reproduction rates and struggle to grow their population to a healthy number.
Tiger sharks are skilled predators. Thanks to their strong jaws and keen teeth, they have a vast range of prey they can eat, including stingrays, seals, turtles, clams, and more.
This indicates that tiger sharks have virtually limitless food sources, unlike other sharks, who are pickier about their prey. Tiger sharks are inherently curious, which helps them find new food sources, but regrettably, this interest also contributes to specific attacks against humans, but they prefer their marine prey to people.
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