Remarkable video shows bronze whaler shark slapping Tasman fisherman in face with its tail

January 22, 2021

A fisherman couldn't help but laugh when he received a good slap in the face from a bronze whaler shark's tail while out angling for kingfish.

Craig Sheriff and a friend were out on their boat in the Tasman area yesterday when a bronze whaler took the kingfish on their line, catching itself in the process.

"Normally we just cut away - but Dave's lure was $55 so we really wanted to try and get it back," Sheriff said.

"It took about 20 minutes to get it up to the surface and when we got it up that's when the slap happened," he said.

"That's a first for me, I've done a lot of fishing around the world - a bit of a funny story."

Sheriff said he wasn't hurt by the shark, which took the line and ran after delivering the slap, snapping it off lure and all.

He and his friend couldn't help but laugh.

"I was that pumped on adrenaline I didn't even think about it to tell you the truth," Sheriff said.

He said there were a few other sharks in the water as well - all between 3-4 feet - and that they were "quite big fish".

For those wondering - the pair still managed to get a couple of kingfish onboard despite getting "sharked".

There has been a high number of bronze whaler sightings at New Zealand beaches this year, and they are known to come in closer to shore during the warmer months.

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