Fisherman catches 16-foot great white shark minutes after hooking 10-footer

Feb. 21 (UPI) -- A pair of South Carolina fishermen shared a photo of a massive 16-foot great white shark they hooked minutes after catching a 10-foot shark.

A photo posted to Facebook by Hilton Head-based Outcast Sport Fishing shows charter Capt. Chip Michalove and a friend with the 3,000-pound shark they hooked.

Michalove said he and his buddy were out alone in the boat and they had initially hooked a 10-foot great white shark, but the predator managed to spit the hook out and swim away.

"The next thing that happened is something I've never seen with a great white shark," Michalove wrote in the Facebook post. "In less than 10 [minutes] after losing the 9-10 footer, we connect to a behemoth, an entirely different shark."

Michalove said he and his friend soon discovered they were outmatched by the 16-footer, so they radioed for help and soon another fisherman and his daughter soon joined them on the boat.

"I couldn't believe it, it was like the two sharks were traveling close to each other," Michalove told the Hilton Head Island Packet. "I've hooked multiple in one day before, but they're usually hours apart."

He said the female shark was calm when they reeled her in next to the boat.

"She just pulled up aside the boat and wanted to keep swimming," Michalove said. "This one was just massive. She was so big, my skeleton crew had to call for help."

He said the shark was released without incident.

"No reviving this shark was necessary. Her tail never quit wagging, and with zero panic, like she was out for a stroll with the kids," he wrote.