Huge Shark Caught at Teahupoo

Posted Feb 27, 2009 2:37PM By Randy Kim (RSS feed)

Filed Under: Surfing

The monstrous shark seen above was recently pulled from the break at Teahupoo, the legendary surf spot in Tahiti. Two fisherman who were out trying to catch starfish (!) reeled in the already-dead shark, which weighed in at 1.3 tons.

From GrindTV:

Last Thursday, two local brothers, Didier and Grard Parker, had been catching the Crown of Thorn starfish with fish nets, ridding the reef of the invasive species. As they pulled up one of their nets it became obvious there was something tangled in it bigger than a starfish, at first they thought it was a swordfish, but to their surprise it was a massive tiger shark. The shark had already drowned and was no threat.

In a weird way, it only makes sense that a shark this big would live in the surf at Teahupoo; raw power begetting raw power and all that. The waves at "Chopu" are nothing short of breathtaking. The Tahitian break isn't incredibly tall, but the surf there is thick, powerful and perfectly glassy. Honestly, even just watching it on TV without anyone surfing it is a wonder to behold, so it's no surprise that Billabong holds one of the WCT's marquee events there every year.

The 2009 Billabong Pro Teahupoo is scheduled to take place from May 9-20. Here's to hoping the surfers have the guts to hit the break after seeing what lurks below.

DYST V3 test

LeBron James #23 of the Cleveland Cavaliers watches as Mo Williams #2 takes a shoe to the face by Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers after a steal in the closing seconds of the first half at The Quicken Loans Arena on February 8, 2009 in Cleveland, Ohio. (David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images)

David Liam Kyle, NBAE/Getty Images

Brazil's Diogo (L) vies for the ball with Paraguay's Hernan Perez during their U-20 South American Championship football match in Puerto La Cruz, Venezuela on February 8, 2009.(Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images )

Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images

A Dalmatian looks at its handler as a judge goes to touch the dog during the first day of the 2009 Westminster Dog Show in New York February 9, 2009.(Lucas Jackson, Reuters)

Lucas Jackson, Reuters

Denver Nuggets forward Chris Anderson touches his head during a time out in the first half of their NBA basketball game with the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford, New Jersey February 7, 2009. (Ray Stubblebine, Reuters)

Ray Stubblebine, Reuters

Margarita Marbler, of Austria, skis to a bronze medal finish the ladies moguls freestyle FIS World Cupskiing qualification at Cypress mountain in West Vancouver, British Columbia, Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. (Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP)

Jonathan Hayward, The Canadian Press/AP

West Virginia guard Darryl Bryant (25) is fouled by Providence guard Jeff Xavier (1) during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Morgantown, W.Va. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009. West Virginia won 86-59. (Don Wright, AP)

Don Wright, AP

Missouri's DeMarre Carroll, top, celebrates the Tigers' 62-60 win over Kansas in Columbia, Missouri, Monday, February 9, 2009. (Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT)

Rich Sugg, Kansas City Star/MCT

David Clarkson #23 of the New Jersey Devils fights Erik Reitz #4 of the New York Rangers during their game on February 9, 2009 at The Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey (Al Bello, Getty Images)

Al Bello, Getty Images

Driver Patrick Sheltra (60) begins to spin coming out of the fourth turn during the ARCA 200 auto race in Daytona Beach, Fla. Saturday, Feb. 7, 2009.

Darryl Graham, AP

Spain's Nuria Llagostera Vives serves the ball, in this multiple exposure, to Iveta Benesova of the Czech Republic during their Fed Cup tennis match in Brno February 7, 2009.

Petr Josek, Reuters

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)

3-01-2009 @ 6:28AM

jbjg24m said...

anybody ever find out why the shark was already dead ??

3-01-2009 @ 6:59AM

shrksb8 said...

This area is notorious for its treacherous wave breaks. If you look closely at the photo the shark's belly is pretty red and bloodied consistent with "reef rash" the type of injury it would sustain if it got caught in an unmanageable wave and got drilled into the reef. Yes sharks are incredibly powerful swimmers but it is possible that even they could get caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just a theory.

3-01-2009 @ 7:47AM

djselby1of5 said...

It became entangled in the fishermen's net and drowned. Most all sharks have to move forward at all times to avoid drowning.

3-01-2009 @ 9:14AM

warren said...

it drowned sharks have to be able to swim to breathe the net killed it

3-01-2009 @ 11:01AM

lucabrocci said...

You're kidding right?? It drowned in the net,just like it says in the article,If ur serious,Sharks have to keep moving or they drown.

3-01-2009 @ 1:00PM

skianderin said...

Here's a biology lesson OK. A shark has to have water flowing over their gills at all times which means that they have to maintain forward movement. The shark drowned because it could not move forward and it was stationary. Another way to drown a shark is anchor off the tail fin and drag them backwards.

3-01-2009 @ 1:25PM

Jan C. Powers said...

If a fish with gills can't swim"stuck in net" then it drowns, hence, the shark was already dead!

3-01-2009 @ 1:54PM

Terry said...

It got caught in the net, and once it couldn't move it drowned. Sharks have to keep moving to keep water flowing through their gills...

3-02-2009 @ 11:48AM

kck2499 said...

it was stuck in a net

3-02-2009 @ 12:47PM

Robert Davenport said...

It drowned from being tangled in the fishing net , pay attention

3-01-2009 @ 6:32AM

zeus2414 said...

They said it drowned that means the shark got caught in the net and had been there for a while cause they need to be moving to get their oxygen to breath.

3-01-2009 @ 7:02AM

No, it didn't say that it drowned in the net, it merely said that when they pulled it up in the net it was already dead. A shark this size would have likely broken through a net designed to catch starfish if it were netted alive.

3-01-2009 @ 11:41AM

Richard said...

Read the whole thing people it said the shark drowned and was no threat

"Last Thursday, two local brothers, Didier and Grard Parker, had been catching the Crown of Thorn starfish with fish nets, ridding the reef of the invasive species. As they pulled up one of their nets it became obvious there was something tangled in it bigger than a starfish, at first they thought it was a swordfish, but to their surprise it was a massive tiger shark. The shark had already drowned and was no threat."

3-01-2009 @ 1:34PM

erikk said...

read it again

3-01-2009 @ 7:36AM

a1exjet said...

The two brother's are brave, conscientous fishermen who actually let "The Big One" get away. One as in Oportunity. They should have had a tripod set up with a camera on it, grabbed a nice fishing pole and charged people $100 each for a picture of themselves standing next to moby dick with the fishing rod by their side and a smile on their face. Where have all the capitalist gone? I'm not sure, but you can definetly scratch "Vacationing in Tahiti" off the list. Don S.

3-01-2009 @ 8:44AM

David said...

My God, leave these majestic creatures alone already. It's bad enough that the Asians cut the fin off of millions of sharks every year, than leave the poor thing to die a slow death, but to kill a giant fish that is upward of 100 years old just to take a picture is equally as sickening.

3-02-2009 @ 1:43PM

Catherine said...

The shark was already dead. Calm down.

3-01-2009 @ 9:03AM

jwfoust said...

David, what about already dead did you not understand? Sharks can die of natural causes like any thing else. Without knowing the facts you probably shouldn't point a finger. And no I don't support the wholesale killing of sharks.

3-01-2009 @ 9:27AM

Dave said...

I don't know about "pointing my finger", but after living over 20 years on the Florida coast, I have seen literally 100s of giant fish hanging at marinas, only to have some pictures taken and than being towed back to sea to be dumped. You are right, I did not read the story, however whether or not my comment pertains to this story doesn't deny the fact that there is an un-just bounty on sharks.