Fisherman grappled with ‘monster shark’ that sparked Dorset beach terror & he’s ‘never seen anything like it in 13 yrs’
A FISHERMAN grappled with a "monster shark" that sparked terror at a beach - saying he's "never seen anything like it in 13 years".
Darron Tapper, 54, said the shark pulled his fishing rod out of his hands and almost dragged him in with it when it went for his lure.
He saw a large shadow under the surface but was unable to properly identify the creature although he believes it may have been a shark due to the sheer power of its bite.
Darron returned to Boscombe beach in Bournemouth, Dorset to alert lifeguards.
By that time they had received two other reports from bathers of what was suspected to be a shark in the water off the busy beach.
The sightings prompted an RNLI lifeguard to use a megaphone to tell everybody to get out of the water in scenes reminiscent of the classic movie Jaws.
They also put up red flags on the beach - the RNLI's signal to warn swimmers of a serious hazard in the water.
Two lifeguards on jet-skis patrolled the water to search for the 'large marine life' but found nothing untoward.
Darren, from Bournemouth, said he believes he had a lucky escape.
He said: "I was pulling a lure back into shore and something grabbed that, I almost turned over in my kayak.
"I spun around and saw a big shadow."
The experienced fisherman said he was sure it was not a fish he would expect to catch in the area.
He said: "I know what fish are, it was something big.
"As a fisherman I've never heard of a shark in these waters so that was the last thing on my mind.
"It is very possible (it was a shark) I'm speculating that, I don't know what else would have the power.
"If you saw how it took my rod and reel I didn't stand a chance. God knows what would have happened, I looked like a seal in my wetsuit.
"In 13 years I have never ever experienced that, it is a bit of a thrill to think I escaped the clutches."
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A spokesman for the RNLI said: "On Wednesday 4 August, RNLI lifeguards received reports of a large marine animal in the sea near Boscombe Beach, Dorset.
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"As a precautionary measure, lifeguards asked beach visitors to evacuate the water and put up red flags.
"Lifeguards used their Rescue Watercraft to scan the area and visitors were able to go back into the water half an hour later."