- Brandon Griffin shared footage of him and his friend walking the shark back out
This is the terrifying moment a fisherman 'with a death wish' walked a 10ft hammerhead shark back into the sea after accidentally reeling it in on a Florida beach.
Brandon Griffin, from south Florida, shared amazing footage of him and his friend Gage Wheaton battling through the waves as they walked the predator about 50 yards back into the ocean.
Describing how the remarkable ordeal unfolded, the 23-year-old said: 'I was shark fishing on a remote beach when I accidentally caught this hammerhead shark – it ate my bait.
“So I reeled him in as quickly as I could, released him into the water and released him properly in the ocean by swimming him along the surf.”
Mr Griffin, who estimated the shark was up to 3 meters long, left people divided as he shared evidence of his daring dive online.
Brandon Griffin, from south Florida in the US, and his friend were amazed when they caught a 3-metre hammerhead shark
This is the special moment when the fishermen started reeling in the shark before releasing it back into the sea
Mr Griffin, who estimated the shark was up to 3 meters long, left people divided when he shared evidence of his daring dive online
One called it 'the most epic photo I've ever seen'.
A second wrote: 'I'm definitely not that brave myself, but man it's beautiful.'
Others, however, thought it was an unnecessary risk. One social media user wrote: 'And that's exactly why women live longer than us.'
“This is how natural selection happens,” said another.
“He must have a death wish,” a third wrote.
Several people said hammerhead sharks rarely survive when hooked.
But for Mr. Griffin, a mechanic, that's why it was so important to quickly reel in the shark and see her come out safely.
He said: 'The total battle from getting hooked to letting go was 22 minutes.
“If I even suspect that whatever bait I ate could be a hammerhead shark, I do everything I can to get it in as quickly as possible to ensure the hammerhead is released and swims away safely.
'Hammerheads are very fragile and anything longer than 45 minutes is concerning for their health.'
And while it may seem dangerous, Mr Griffin insists he was being careful.
Several people said hammerhead sharks rarely survive when hooked. That's why it was so important to Mr. Griffin to quickly reel in the shark and see her come out safely.
Mr Griffin and his friend had to fight through large waves to get the shark back into the sea
Mr Griffin said hammerhead sharks have a 'bad reputation' but they 'do no harm'
“Make sure there are always two people in the water helping you release it,” he said. 'Keep your hands away from the mouth located on the underside of hammerhead sharks.
“And make sure he swims away and doesn't come back and knock you over.” That happened once!'
Be that as it may, Mr. Griffin was not concerned; he thinks hammerhead sharks don't deserve their bad reputation.
He said: 'I've helped release quite a few hammerhead sharks and they don't actually mean any harm.
“It's best to help them as much as possible, by giving them a proper release to ensure their safety.
'I don't worry about hammerhead sharks, even in the wild. I'm more scared when I think about what followed this shark, like a really big bull shark or a tiger shark.”
He added: 'I think sharks have a bad reputation – especially hammerhead sharks because everyone is afraid of them because of their size.
“But when they swim close, they're just chasing the stingrays and the bait.”