Fisherman catches orange shark in Florida

Morning fog hung low over the Atlantic Ocean, covering the shores of Florida like a thick veil and making the boundary between the sky and the sea almost invisible. Mike Hendrix slowly steered his fiberglass boat among the shallow underwater reefs, and the low hum of the motor echoed over the extremely calm ocean. Not a single bird circled in the sky, and no other boats were visible on the water's surface stretching far away.

For many years, such solitude had been a kind of sanctuary for Mike. He chose this very place to get away from the bustling daily life for a bit, find peace, and be alone with nature. However, today's calmness was different from the previous ones. The heavy silence around him created a strange impression, as if hiding something, as if someone was watching Mike.

What was at the dark bottom of the sea?

Steering his boat over a deep underwater trench, Mike turned off the motor. Then he attached bait to his fishing line and cast the sinker into the darkening water. The lead weight sank deeper and deeper into the sunless abyss of the water.

At that moment, a cold wind suddenly blew across the sea surface. Small ripples appeared on the water, and a feeling of goosebumps from the cold arose on Mike's hands. The surrounding situation took on an even more mysterious turn.

Pouring himself a cup of black coffee, he leaned against the side of the boat. Fixing his eyes on the fishing rod, he watched its tip sway gently under the influence of the mild waves.

Mike did not yet know what secret was hidden behind this calmness. But beneath the boat, in the dark depths of the water, some huge creature was moving. It was getting closer and closer, swimming towards the bait on the hook with a seemingly definite purpose. Without warning, the tip of Mike's sturdy fishing rod suddenly bent towards the ocean floor. As the line rapidly spooled out, its tight tension produced a deafening screech. When the rod was on the verge of slipping out of his grip, Mike lunged forward and grabbed it tightly. The creature hooked on was heavier and stronger than any snapper or grouper he had caught in his twenty years of fishing experience.

Bracing his feet firmly against the deck of the boat, Mike pulled the rod sharply. At that very moment, he felt the muscular body of the creature at the other end of the line putting up a strong and relentless resistance. Resisting the light current, the beast dragged his small boat a few yards away.

Trying to reel back every inch of the line, sweat poured down Mike's forehead, and his shoulders ached from the immense strain.

— What on earth got hooked on this damn thing? — he said to the wind.

This was not ordinary fishing. It felt as if he was trying to pull out a huge, submerged motor that absolutely refused to stop.