Tourists Hook 13-Foot Great White Shark in Fort Lauderdale

A group of tourists on a fishing charter hooked the catch of a lifetime on January 1, reeling in a 1,000-pound great white shark about two miles off the coast of Fort Lauderdale in Florida, local media reported.

According to Josh Bieber, who took this video, the group had caught a few 6-pound fish in the span of a few hours and was enjoying a relaxing morning on the water.

“All of a sudden the line snapped and the boat moved,” Bieber told Storyful. “Captain screamed that we had a big one. Took three of us over an hour to reel in. Reeling, then the shark diving, repeat. Until he finally came up and we all went bananas. Captain’s mate was cheering, ‘This is not normal for Florida’.”

The group was able to reel, tag, and measure the shark – which came in at 13 feet – before they released it.

Bieber told WSVN 7 News, “We were just all blown away.” Credit: Josh Bieber via Storyful