Shark launches from water and terrifies fisherman

A 'flying' mako shark managed to scare the living daylights out of a group of fishermen - by jumping two metres in the air.

Jake Beazley, 19, was out fishing with his three friends 12 kilometres off Point Peron in Western Australia on 30 June when the incident occurred, reports TVNZ.

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Speaking to Mashable, Beazley said: "It was around lunchtime when I had myself a good fish on the end of the line.

"My friend and my lines started getting twisted and after we untangled them, a shark swum up and took my fish."

The shark then started 'stalking' the boys' boat, biting at the propeller and motor, prompting the group to make a decision to head back to shore.

But before they left, the shark, believed to be a mako, launched itself out of the water right in front of them.

The group's dread can be heard on the footage, which was shared on Jake's Facebook page, with someone saying: "Holy shit he's f***ing on the motor man, dude he was just f***ing biting the prop."

Another friend warns: "These things launch though, so stay away from the edge."

Two seconds later, the shark did just that and someone exclaims: "Oh my god nah nah nah."

The mako shark is found all over the world. They are extremely fast, being able to swim up to 60mph when migrating or hunting, and they are not very picky eaters, but prefer fish like tuna, herring and swordfish.

According to sharks-world.com: "You may see a mako shark leaping out of the water from time to time. There isn't any known reason why they do this. It may be to search for food that is above the surface. Some people assume they do so for air but that isn't necessary for this species of shark or any other."

The site adds that, while makos don't eat people, humans should exercise caution around them as they can be aggressive.