Fisherman Reels In Massive 14ft, 7in Hammerhead–After It Swallowed Blacktip Shark on His Line

(Illustration - Brent Barnes/Shutterstock)

Australian golfer Greg Norman was nicknamed “The Shark” during his renowned pro career. Nowadays, he’s retired from golfing—and seems to be catching his nickname namesakes, instead!

Norman was out fishing in Palm Beach, Florida, with online saltwater fishing show producer Josh Jorgensen when he snagged a blacktip reef shark, estimated to be around 80 pounds (approx. 36 kg). Before he could reel it in, though, a massive hammerhead shark swam up to their hooked catch. And while the cameras were rolling via a drone, the hammerhead latched on to the blacktip to devour it—and a battle to catch the hammerhead, which was believed to be of record-breaking size, ensued.

“We hooked a blacktip and all of a sudden this giant hammerhead came flying in on the blacktip,” explained Norman during the video footage. “It was the most incredible scene I’ve ever witnessed.”

The hammerhead was, according to Norman, “fat” from eating blacktip sharks, so it was no easy battle for the 65-year-old former pro athlete. At one point, the hammerhead was literally dragging the boat along with it, something that Norman pointed out was an advertisement for just how big and strong the shark was.

“When you start thinking about the poundage that this fish is pulling around—not just the boat but the people on the boat and the fuel on the boat—that is an impressive statement about the energy and the power of these magnificent animals,” he explains.

It took about an hour to get the shark alongside the boat, where the group took measurements and snagged some pictures with it before releasing it once more. And the size? Jorgensen and Norman believe the shark tipped the scales at around 1,200 pounds (approx. 544 kg) or more, and measured 14 feet, 7 inches in total length.

“I’ve seen some big fish,” explained Norman. “I’ve dived with great whites, I’ve fought black marlin well over a thousand pounds. When you see that fish for the first time up against my 41-foot boat, you go, holy moly, this thing is huge. It’s bigger than I ever anticipated.”

The current International Game Fish Association record recognized for hammerheads caught belongs to a 1,280-pound (approx. 581-kilogram) hammerhead caught in 2006 by Capt. Bucky Dennis, but the fact that Dennis’ shark measured just 14 feet, 3 inches gives Norman and Jorgensen reason to believe that their catch was even bigger.

As for the men on board the boat, it was all about the thrill of the catch.

“What an absolutely amazing experience to see a fish of this size,” Jorgensen says in the video. “This fish was 14 feet 7 inches. You don’t see something like that every day. Just an incredible experience.

“Greg and I were giggling and laughing the whole time. It was just a surreal moment. The fact this fish was [four inches] bigger than the world record was incredible. Greg did a fantastic job fighting the fish.”

Greg Norman, of Australia, holds aloft the trophy after winning the Australian Open played at the Lakes Golf Course on Feb. 4, 2000, in Sydney, Australia. (Getty Images)