Follow Outdoors 720 on Facebook
The largest great white shark ever captured isn’t
this one allegedly caught on film off Ireland. As much as we’d like to think there was a 50-footer swimming out there, well, uh, no, there wasn’t.
However, we no longer have to guess over how big the biggest great white shark ever to be caught and released alive. Thanks to “Shark Men,” we have that answer.
The crew of National Geographic Channel’s hit series “Shark Men” announced a few days ago that it captured and released a world-record 17-foot, 9-inch great white shark that weighed 4,225 pounds. The old record was no slouch at 16 feet, 8 inches.
[Check out this hilarious, 50-second fishing animation]
The shark, named Apache, was caught off Guadalupe Island in Baja Mexico, a popular hangout for great whites.
So what do they do when they catch a great white shark?
They reel it alongside the research vessel and over a small platform that raises up, lifting the shark out of water. Then the pit crew goes to work collecting data and samples. They’re not quite as fast as a NASCAR pit crew, but they aren’t just changing tires, either.
Check out how the “Shark Men” spring into action in
this video of a previous catch-and-release operation:
Here’s more info about the record great white from the
press release:
Apache's enormous stature was surprising to the scientists onboard, who noted that sharks that size are usually female. In fact, this was the largest great white shark the crew has seen in three years of expeditions all over the Pacific, including more than 20 sharks tagged and released.
Also surprising was the fact that Apache had never before been spotted by the cage divers and photographers who frequent Guadalupe Island, a rare hot spot for shark sightings. Somehow, this giant eluded all of those cameras for years!
Explorer and Shark Men expedition leader Chris Fischer acknowledges his crew's new record, but does not lose sight of the work at hand. "I am incredibly proud of my crew for hauling in a record-breaking white shark like Apache," he says. "But I am more proud of the data we have collected from him and other white sharks to help ensure the well-being of this endangered species as a whole."
All very cool stuff. As long as you're not in the water with Apache swimming around.
Follow Outdoors 720 on Facebook
Follow Outdoors720 on Twitter at @outdoors720
Subscribe to Outdoors 720 by email
Other interesting posts on Outdoors 720:
Video: Shark goes after fisherman's catch right out of his hand
A 375-pound shark jumps into fishing boat...for real
Video: Kayaker unfazed by huge shark swimming toward him