iStockphoto / Diana
While reeling in a 220+ pound bluefin tuna off the coast of South Australia, angler Isabella Sesto experienced the thrill of a lifetime as a great white shark came up and took a bite out of her fish right next to the boat.
Catching a large bluefin tuna was on Isabella’s fishing bucket list for years. She was battling the fish for over an hour and a half and the end was in sight. Then suddenly the massive great white shark appeared right at the boat and took a chunk out of her tuna and it happened while the cameras were running.
Great White Shark Eats Bluefin Tuna Next To Boat
Isabella Sesto was fishing off Cape Jaffa which is on the coast of South Australia near the territory’s border with Victoria. It is an interesting part of the coastline, from a topographic perspective, because it sits on a part of the Great Australian Bight where the water gets deep in a hurry.
What that means for fishermen is they don’t have to boat as far offshore to get to really deep waters where the bluefin tuna might be. It also means there are apex predators all around because the waters are rich with species due to the shallows and depths being so close, with smaller fish using the shallows as protection and predators swooping in for easy meals. All that is to say this area is abundant with life including this great white shark that came in for an easy bluefin tuna meal:
And if you scroll through these photos, the great white shark can be seen in the background just behind the boat as Isabella Sesto poses with her trophy bluefin tuna. In the post, she wrote “I don’t know if I should be happy or sad 1.5hr fight and my first barrel! My friends would know I have put so much time into these fish and as the fight was over and I had the tuna at the boat a great white smacked it!”
She went on to say “I can’t wait to show you some epic footage but for now I’m beyond happy for the most epic experience of my life! And to do it with my great friend and fiancé.”
‘Most Epic Experience Of My Life’
‘Don’t know whether to be happy or sad?’ The answer is happy. Be happy. The bluefin tuna was still caught. Most of the fish was preserved. And it led to some of the coolest great white shark footage filmed this year. Definitely be happy about it.
Not too far from there, in New Zealand, a kayaker recently got ‘rammed’ twice by a great white shark. The shark was in pursuit of a seal and plowed into the kayak.
Isabella is no stranger to sharks. She caught this mako back in January:
Makos pale in comparison to the size of a great white but makos are amongst the most acrobatic species in the ocean. It is the thrill of a lifetime to watch a mako shark do backflips while fishing.