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A cameraman has captured the terrifying moment a great white shark attacked his camera gear and used it to drag his boat.
Scott Tindale and wife Sue, from Auckland's Dairy Flat, were out on the Kaipara Harbour in Auckland last month to tag and release some fish, when they put down an underwater camera to film the marine life.
The camera got some action after just a few minutes, Mr Tindale told Stuff.
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"A shark turned up and decided to eat my camera," he said, with a laugh.
The shark — which he estimated was four to five years old and 2.5m long — then used the camera gear to pull the boat, with the two of them on board.
"There was a bit of a current, and we were on anchor, but it pulled us up-current because it wasn't going to let go of my camera," Mr Tindale said.
"All of a sudden, we were going the wrong way."
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After the boat was pulled for about 15 metres, the shark let go, and Mr Tindale was able to get both the camera and the heavily damaged mounting back.
The footage has had more than 10,000 views on YouTube and attracted international attention.
Mr Tindale said he would like to use the publicity to raise awareness of great white sharks, which are a protected species in New Zealand.
"It's nature's way — if there are sharks around it's a healthy environment," he said.
"I think the people that see them [great whites] are in awe – they really appreciate the experience as it's rare to see."
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Last year, around 15 great whites were inadvertently killed after being caught in nets around the country, and he would like to raise awareness of where the sharks are, so fishers know to avoid those areas.
The sharks are often seen in the Kaipara Harbour over summer, for instance, with Mr Tindale also capturing footage of another great white, about the same size, in 2015.
"I think they're cool animals; I'd like to see more of them around," he said.
The Tindales know a thing or two about fishing, holding more than 250 world angling records between them, with many of the species caught live and released.
In 2014, they received one of the most prestigious international angling awards, the International Game Fish Association's Lifetime Achievement Award.
The couple, now retired, also founded The Tindale Marine Research Charitable Trust, which runs a fish tagging programme and records great white shark sighting.
The volunteer marine research is done in order to understand more about New Zealand's marine environment and better protect it, Mr Tindale said.
"There's still more to do, and hopefully more sharks in the future to do it with," he said.
This story originally appeared on Stuff and has been reproduced with permission.
Source: 9News
