A PORT MacDonnell fisherman has been left with bite marks in his boat motor and a unique story to tell after crossing paths with a great white shark off the region’s coastline on Friday.
Just before midday while fishing in Riddoch Bay, amateur angler Michael Pedlar, his wife Bernadette and their beloved pet dog Holly received a memorable fright as a murky grey shadow approached their small boat.
Anchored around 500 metres from shore in six-metre deep water, Mr Pedlar said he originally did not think much of the dark shape near the rear of the vessel.
His perspective changed in a matter of seconds as he recalled how the 3.5-metre shark swam under the boat before returning to the rear and latching onto one of its motors.
Mr Pedlar said the shark moved its head around in the water as it started thrashing its tail aggressively.
“When it latched on was when I got a real good look at it and that was when I knew it was a white pointer,” he said.
“As it grabbed the motor it gave the boat a bit of a shake-up and at that point I did not feel comfortable anymore.
“It was huge, around 3.5 metres long and around six to seven feet wide.”
Mr Pedlar said they had only been fishing for around 45 minutes before the encounter occurred.
“We pulled the rods we had out straight away and moved further down the coast,” he said.
“I tried to let as many people know as I could because if something did happen to somebody, I would never forgive myself.
“I still can not believe it happened.”
Mr Pedlar said he rang the Fisheries Department and the Port MacDonnell police station who informed nearby water users of the shark sighting.
During his 30 years of fishing, Mr Pedlar he had never experienced or heard of an encounter like it.
“You see on the news in Adelaide where they just cruise around the boat, but this one shook its head and splashed its tail around. It was clearly aggressive,” he said.
“I have teeth marks left on my motor.”
