A Tauranga fisherman has told of his terror-filled close encounter with a killer shark that tried to steal his catch.
Lindsay Richards, a keen dive fisherman, caught two 3kg red moki with a spear gun off Tauranga's Urupukapuka Island on Friday.
He was dragging the fish behind his kayak as he headed back to his yacht when his wife paddled out to warn him that a shark had been seen in the area, he told The Bay of Plenty Times.
Suddenly there was a horrendous splashing as something huge pulled on Mr Richards' spear gun, which was trailing behind, secured by the same nylon line that also dragged the red moki.
Mr Richards said he was instantly drenched by water from behind. He tried to stop the canoe from capsizing as it was rocked by a ferocious force.
"I realised something big was having a go at our dinner."
"Being tossed into a shark's feeding frenzy would not have been a good look... I was seriously concerned."
But the attack was over almost as quickly as it began and Mr Richards made it safely back to his yacht.
"My heart was racing, that's for sure. I got a real fright," he said
As he sat stunned and recovering from the experience, Mr Richards pulled on the line and up came the spear gun - minus their tea.
After that experience, he was a bit nervous about spearing more red moki.
But fortunately his friends had hooked some snapper, so fish was still on the table for dinner.
