Great white shark jumps into Australian fisherman's boat

May 29 (UPI) -- An Australian fisherman said he was injured when an 8-foot, 44-pound great white shark jumped into his boat off the New South Wales coast.

Terry Selwood, 73, said the shark unexpectedly leapt into his 15-foot boat.

"I caught a blur of something coming over the boat ... and the pectoral fin of the shark hit me on the forearm and knocked me down on the ground to my hands and knees," Selwood said.

"He was 2.7 meters long and about 200 kilos," he added. "For some unknown reason he just launched himself out of the water and he must have come up 4 feet out of the water to clear my outboard motor and drop straight in the boat."

Selwood was able to reach his radio and call Marine Rescue NSW, which came to his aid and then returned to retrieve his boat and the shark. He was taken to the hospital and treated for an injured arm.

"People said I'd been bitten by a shark but he didn't, he just hit my arm because sharks have very rough skin and he just tore the skin off it," the fisherman said.

Selwood told NBC News he's been fishing in the same spot for the past 50 years, and that he's eager to return to the water despite the shark incident.

"I think next time I might find a crocodile to wrestle, just to stay in the limelight," he joked.