Jaws out in Prossie River boat

Bull shark leaps from water into family's tinny

FISH OUT OF WATER: Mark Normal dragged the bull shark from the pontoon back into the river. Picture: Mark Norman

A QUEENSLAND family got a nasty surprise when a bull shark, weighing around 100kg, jumped into their boat on the Proserpine River last Friday.

Channel Seven reported that three boys had been fishing with their dad when they saw the bull shark jump out of the water approximately 10 metres away.

The family told Channel Seven that no sooner had they commented that they wouldn't like the shark to be any closer, than the dreaded fish leapt out of the water and straight into the tinny.

One of the boys on the boat, Connor Chapman, told Channel Seven that it was "the most frightening experience" of his life.

"It jumped right out, clean out of the water, into the boat where we are, straight in between my two brothers," he said.

Channel Seven reported that the shark thrashed around in the boat while it was being towed back to the pontoon.

The shark in the tinny taken from Channel Seven footage. Picture: Channel Seven

The Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries reported that bull sharks are commonly found in estuaries and rivers, usually in warm, shallow waters such as the Proserpine River.

Whitsunday Crocodile Safari guide Mark Norman arrived at the pontoon after the action was over and found the shark on the pontoon before posting a picture to Facebook.

"It's amazing that nobody was hurt, but fair to say they were very shaken by the ordeal," Mr Norman wrote in the post.

"It took a couple of blokes to get it out, as it weighed about 100 kilos, but most of their fishing rods were destroyed."

Mr Norman told the Whitsunday Times that although there had been bull shark sightings in the Proserpine River before, it was unusual for one to leap out of the water into someone's boat.

"It's pretty rare for something like that to happen," he said.

"I got there a short time after it had been pulled off the boat. I dragged him off the pontoon and dragged him back into the river.

"He'd probably been on the pontoon for around half an hour so he wasn't in the best shape by the time I dragged him back into the water."

Channel Seven reported that the boys "had vowed never to go fishing with dad again".

Originally published as Jaws out in Prossie River boat