Two South Carolina fishermen caught and released a 14-foot hammerhead shark Wednesday that was the heaviest ever in the state and is among the heaviest ever recorded in the world.
The shark is estimated to weigh about 1,000 pounds, which is about 400 pounds more than the state record and below the world record of 1,280 pounds.
The shark was caught by angler Pete Quartuccio and his angler friend. It was tagged by Outcast boat charter captain Chip Michalove, who said the two men suffered from such exhaustion that they were tired to get a photo with the shark or even stand.
Michalove told the Beaufort Gazette that it was a “once in a lifetime” fish.
Michalove said he was able to capture at least one photo of the shark before finally releasing it back into the water.
“Pete crashed on the cooler and laid there in exhaustion, and his friend was so tired that I barely convinced him to just hold the camera while I reached over and grabbed the shark’s head for one quick photo,” Michalove said.
“I tried to get them to lean over for a picture, but they wouldn’t budge. So, I threw a quick tag in the shark, popped the hook and sent her off,” he added.
An average hammerhead shark weighs about 500 pounds and is about 13.1 feet long. The longest hammerhead shark ever recorded was 20 feet long, according to Oceana.
The world record for heaviest hammerhead was in 2006 in Boca Raton, Florida. The 14.5-foot hammerhead was caught by Captain Bucky Dennis, who needed almost six hours to drag it in.
In February 2021, Michalove posted a video of catching a great white shark. The recent shark sightings come as there has been an uptick on the East Coast.
Michalove announced the news Wednesday on Twitter and provided a photo.
13.5ft, over 1,000lbs, hammerhead this morning. We set out fully committed into finding the same hammer that was circling us yesterday and she was waiting. Tagged and released her healthy. Would’ve demolished our state record but love these fish too much to kill. @AftcoFishing pic.twitter.com/4cLzN0z70T
— Outcast Charters (@ChipHHI) July 13, 2022
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