What started as a perfect day of fishing for one family turned into the trip of a lifetime when they hooked a massive 800-pound, 10-foot great white shark.
It happened while aboard a Fishing Headquarters charter off the coast of Fort Lauderdale.
“Humongous… It’s ginormous!”
The Jennings family had already reeled in two large fish when they got a third bite — and instantly knew something was different.
“Humongous. I can see it from up here, it’s ginormous!” someone on board exclaimed.
“You got a great white guys,” the captain yelled as the excitement escalated.
“Shut the front door,” said Lauren Jennings, reacting with disbelief as the family worked together to reel it in.
The struggle to land the shark was intense.
“My arm was hurting. I was shaking. I thought I was going to throw up. He was shaking. Our son was shaking, trying to reel it in,” Lauren said.
A rare catch in South Florida waters
“I haven’t ever experienced power like that before. That was scary, yeah, it was fun. Yes, very fun,” said Mikel Jennings.
“I thought, holy cow, that is more than I imagined,” added 11-year-old Grayson Jennings.
David Joy, First Mate with Fishing Headquarters, said the catch was extraordinary.
“It was a really cool, really cool fish to catch down here,” Joy said.
Captain Paul Paolucci, who has worked with Fishing Headquarters since 2003, said sightings like this are uncommon.
“It’s pretty rare out here. I’ve been doing this since 2003. This is the fifth one I’ve caught. So I know people who have done it a long time — never caught one,” he said.
Expert says shark likely migrating
Catherine McDonald, a shark expert with the University of Miami’s Rosenstiel School, explained that great white sharks are often seen in Florida’s waters during the cooler months.
“Great whites really love to come into Florida’s waters during the cooler months of the year,” she said. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that shark is wrapping up having wintered here in the Gulf of Mexico and is currently heading up the coast towards New England.”
McDonald added that great whites generally pose little threat to humans.
“They’re really not interested in us. They are minding their own business on their own journey,” she said. “They normally keep a healthy distance and stay a few miles offshore.”
A fish tale with video proof
For the Jennings family, the encounter has become an unforgettable story and one they can prove.
“This was trip of a lifetime,” Mikel Jennings said. The family already plans to return next spring.
