‘This is nuts’: Massive hammerhead shark caught off East Coast

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. (WTOC/Gray News) - A massive hammerhead shark was caught off the coast of South Carolina.

It likely would’ve set records, but the crew that caught the apex predator decided to release it back into the water, according to WTOC.

Charter fisherman Chip Michalove said the dorsal fin of the creature was as big as his leg.

“It was like, ‘Oh my gosh, we’ve got a killer whale or a hammerhead on. This is nuts,’” he said.

For the fisherman, the second time was the charm.

“We saw this fish actually the day before, and I couldn’t get her to eat,” Michalove said.

So, he went back out to the same spot a day later, looking for the giant.

“I had some customers in from Virginia that were really, really experienced, and I knew that black tips or any type of mackerel, they weren’t going to be impressed with that,” he said.

Once they caught it, which Michalove said felt like hooking a submarine, the hammerhead dragged the boat for four miles. When they finally corralled it, the records were an afterthought.

“I love these sharks. They’ve given me a great life,” Michalove said. “If it wasn’t for them, I don’t know where I’d be, so if I can do something to help them, I’m happy to do it.”

Michalove catches sharks year round, but this experience hooked him deep.

“It’s just one of those things that take you a couple of days to recover from,” he said.

Michalove tagged the shark and said he hopes to see it again now that he’s back to normal operations.

“I mean, this is a fish that’s probably cycled through this area for probably 20 or 30 years, so there’s a pretty decent chance she’ll be back,” he said.

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