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Video: Mass. family reels in great white shark off Florida coast
“In Fort Lauderdale, catching one is like getting a Super Bowl ring,” the boat’s captain says.
A Massachusetts family on vacation in South Florida reeled in an unexpected catch: a 10-foot great white shark.
Donovan Smith and his father, Judd Smith, of Reading, were on a fishing trip out of Fort Lauderdale with Fishing Headquarters when they spotted the massive shark about a mile offshore.
Captain Paul Paolucci, who has worked with the charter company since 2003, said he has only come across six great white sharks.
“In Fort Lauderdale, catching one is like getting a Super Bowl ring,” he said. “They’re really rare, because the waters are very warm.”
The trip started with the group catching medium-sized fish, Paolucci said. In the final hour, he switched to heavier rods and larger bait — which soon paid off.
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When the great white approached the boat, 16-year-old Donovan Smith climbed into a fighting chair and battled the shark before his father took over. Together, they fought the fish for about 45 minutes before bringing it alongside the boat.
Afterward, the crew measured the shark, took pictures, and released it back into the water, Paolucci said. They also inserted a tracking tag, which allows researchers to monitor how far the shark travels and how it grows over time.
Paolucci described the moment the massive shark surfaced as “extreme excitement.” He noted his mate on the boat caught his first-ever shark that day and was elated.
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Though Paolucci described the Smiths as “even-keeled people,” some excitement still slipped through, he said — as apparent in the video.
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