A MONSTER SHARK

Northern Advocate, 22 July 1933, Page 11

A MONSTER SHARK

, PUN ON THE DtJNEDIN. maungatapebe boy/s big : catch. ;■ f : ;; -|* ’ : ' ; ‘ V"; Mr. Jack Diaper of H.M.S. Dunedin, writing to. his parents from Hog Harbour, New Hebrides, on 27/6/33 says, inter alia: “We are. amongst"‘man* both ways at this place! If one falls over the side the sharks would soon have a go, and if one ventures too far inland some nice native chief nmy fancy a bit of sailor, ’cos they are still cannibals here. It is very hot herej a damp heat which makes one fe'el languid all day; it is a relief for evening to come for it is a wee bit cooler thenl Had quite an exciting time at 2.30 this morning. On this cruise I have been shark Ashing on every available opportunity, but only caught two small tiger sharks at Vila. Last night I didn’t pull my line in, as usual, but left it out, and secured the epd of it to my hammock. Well, at 2.30 a.m. I was nearly, pulled out of my hammock (of course it needed a lot to get mo out!). Don’t think I ever got out of my hammock so quickly and up on to the fo’csle, where I got hold of the line, At 3,45 a.m. I was still struggling—no idea then as to what I had on the line ’cos I couldn’t get it in close enough. It was just a case of pulling in a little, and then off it would go, and it was impossible for me to hold it. “At 4 o’clock the struggle had eas-. ed off a bit, and I. actually got the shark —as it turned out to be —to the surface. By 4.30 I had it well and truly—two rather stout lines aroqnd its body and secured inboard. When I opened it up, there was a whole turtle, about 2 feet across, and a sheep’s head, one of the variety that have those curly horns, inside the stomach. Tt was slightly over .12 feet long, and weighed SOOlbs. Took, twenty or more to pull it up out of the water, , My hands are just a mass of blisters. Am waiting, for another shark now' —got a pair of leather gloves too.’’