Great white shark caught on video going airborne
The great white shark that leapt out of water in Cape Cod Bay Saturday and snagged a striped bass from a fishing line drew astonishment from a group of charter fishermen.
But it was just another day at the office for Captain Hap Farrell.
“It’s not unusual for sharks to do that, especially great whites,” Farrell told the Herald yesterday.
“I videotape just about every trip I take. I used a camera made by Canon that is almost broadcast quality. That’s why I had the camera out.
“I didn’t know it was going to happen, it just happened — the people thought it was neat.”
The rare event of capturing the image of a great white full breach on video occurred Saturday afternoon.
As of early evening yesterday, Farrell’s video posted on his Facebook page of the leaping great white was viewed 2,000 times.
He estimated the sea beast to be about 9 feet long.
Farrell, a member of the Rock Harbor Charter Fleet out of Orleans, took his group of fishermen Saturday to the Billingsgate Shoals.
During his first trip Saturday, Farrell caught what he estimated was a 12-foot great white on video eating a striper as a client was reeling it into his 35-foot boat, Stunmai II. The full breach happened on the second trip of the day.
Farrell, who has been fishing off Cape Cod for four decades, said seeing an airborne shark means more to his customers who may be unfamiliar with the big fish’s athletic prowess.
On video, Farrell’s clients are heard yelling “Whoa” as the shark splashes in the water. The cheers are followed by comments of disbelief.
“He went way up in the air,” one fisherman says.
Another responds, “Way up.”