Shock footage shows great white shark encounter in Portland

An experienced fisherman got the shock of his life when a great white shark ripped into the motor of his boat in Portland.

Shocking footage has captured the terrifying moment a “dangerous” great white shark attacked a fisherman’s boat in Victoria’s southwest.

Peter Galea, 63, and his mate Joseph McKinnon, 32, were fishing for kingfish near the Water Tower at Anderson Point in Portland on Thursday when a 2.5m shark circled their boat.

The animal lurked around for one and a half hours before it attacked the motor multiple times, leaving several bite marks.

Mr Galea, who filmed the encounter, told the Herald Sun the shark knocked the boat as it swam underneath it.

“The shark lifted the boat about 10cm in the air,” he said.

“It was a terrifying but exciting experience, one I will always remember.” .

The shark was spotted in Portland waters.

It attacked a boat motor.

Mr Galea said he had never encountered a shark attack before in his five decades of fishing.

The pair managed to scare off the shark and continued their adventure.

Victoria Emergency issued a stark warning about the “dangerous” animal on Friday after two whale carcasses were discovered in the water.

“While it is not uncommon for sharks to be present off the Victorian coast, you should exercise additional caution in the area,” they said.

“Any shark over two metres in length is considered dangerous.”

The message comes as Victorians flocked down to beaches across the state as temperatures topped 27C.

Mr Galea (left) and Mr McKinnon had the shock of their lives when they spotted the shark. Picture: Supplied

The state agency recommended locals to swim between the red and yellow flags, not swim in places where human or animal waste enters the water and to keep away from large schools of wildlife that may attract sharks.

The sighting comes three months after a Portland teen was bitten by a shark at Nuns Beach.

Izaak Johnstone, 17, was surfing with eight of his mates when the animal bit him in October last year.

“I was just having a surf after school as usual with some mates, the water was cloudy and I was waiting for a wave and I felt it latch on to my foot,” he said.

“I didn’t feel much when I was bitten because I was in shock; I was lucky it didn’t take my foot.”

Mr Johnstone sustained deep gashes to the bottom and side of his right foot, damaging his tendons and nerves.