These incredible images show a record-breaking 550lbs “monster” shark that was caught in British waters.
Simon Davidson, 39, fought the porbeagle shark for an hour when the predator took his bate.
The big game fisherman managed to reel in the seven-foot beast seven miles out off the Devon coast.
He beat the previous record of 507lbs as six people had to hold it down to measure it before throwing it back into the water.
The plumber, from Northamptonshire, said: “My bait got taken and I didn’t think it was a big fish because it hadn’t started to fight yet.
“Then I reeled it into the side of the boat and it was a real monster.
This porbeagle is believed to be a record-breaking 550lbs ( Image: Simon Davidson/BNPS)
“Suddenly it took off through the water and pulled around 600 metres of my line and it was a brutal battle to pull it back in.
“It was an hour of agony. You get to the point where your legs and arms are shaking and you just think your body is going to give up.
When you saw it in the water, you’d think it was a Great White. It’s terrifying to think that sharks as huge as that are prowling our waters.”
Simon fought for about an hour to reel in the porbeagle ( Image: Simon Davidson/BNPS)
Simon was a fresh-water angler before moving into big game fishing.
Porbeagles are relatives of the superpredator Great White but are not thought to be dangerous.
The official record for the biggest porbeagle shark caught in the UK stands at 507lbs and it was caught in 1993 by Scots fisherman Chris Bennett off the Orkney Isles.
In order for a record to be counted by the British Records Fish Committee, the fish need to be killed and weighed on land.
Many fishermen do not want to do that so they measure their catch and estimate its weight.
Porbeagles are native to UK waters, and are large powerful sharks but are not considered harmful to humans as they rarely come towards the shore.
DM
