Fisherman punches great white shark, fights it for net

May 18 (UPI) -- An Australian fisherman proved his fearlessness when he punched a great white shark in the nose and then struggled with the predator for his net.

Nic Wilks posted a video to Instagram showing what happened when a 10-foot great white shark grabbed hold of a fishing net off the coast of Port Pirie, South Australia, and his father, David Wilks, 46, engaged the shark in a round of tug-of-war.

Wilks said the shark was initially caught in the net, and his father helped the fish free itself, but it did not take advantage of its newfound freedom.

"Apparently the shark hadn't had enough so he came back, and when he was right by the boat, Dad tried to ward him off with a swift punch to the nose," Wilks told BuzzFeed. "And so the shark didn't like that very much and went berserk, and that's when he grabbed onto the net."

The video shows David Wilks pulling on the net until the shark's face comes out of the water, and the fisherman then pushed on the animal's nose in an attempt to get it to drop the net.

The shark eventually drops the net and swims away, with David Wilks yelling after it: "You [expletive] idiot!"