It’s starting to look a lot like the great white shark season in South Carolina.
On Monday, the Great White Shark of South Carolina and his fishing team in Prohibited sport fishing caught two 3.3-meter white sharks a few miles off the coast of Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.
Chip Michalove he said he was ending a charter trip, just as the sun was beginning to set, when the first monstrous fish pulled the line.
He said the ocean was calm and smooth on Monday, and suddenly the three men were “fighting the most dangerous fish on the planet”.
He said that one of the men was a shepherd and also an avid fisherman who always wanted to see a great white shark.
“We were talking about how this is probably as close as you can get to the sky without crossing,” said Michalove, describing the rush to stagger on a great white shark.
The first shark spit from the hook and shot out, but Michalove and his super-great-white-shark senses decided to stick around for a few more minutes.
Just 45 minutes later, the crew caught another 3.5-meter male shark in the same location.
“We usually have one chance a day to catch a big white. Occasionally, we have two, sometimes even three. But very rarely do you see another one swimming 45 minutes later, ”said Michalove. “Seeing another one so quickly afterwards is an indication that they are all back.”
Michalove works to ensure that the process and methods he uses to catch great white sharks on the rod and reel exert minimal stress on the animal.
Each time Michalove catches a great white shark – a feat – he does his best to tag the fish so that scientists at the Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Division can track the shark’s movements in the Atlantic.
Great White Science
Like clockwork, great white sharks swarm the coast of South Carolina from December to March every year. They make their journey from the New England area, where scientists teamed up with Michalove to spot the rare creatures in the summer.
But this year, the great white shark’s schedule is a little out of step and they are behind schedule.
“It was hotter than usual at Cape Cod this fall. This delayed the migration somewhat. I think these sharks would stay out of Massachusetts all year long chasing seals if they could, “Michalove told FITSNews.” Fortunately, the Nordics finally pushed them here. “
Michalove said his friend in New England told him that a seal was just killed in the Cape Cod area last week, which is another indication that great white sharks are chasing.
Michalove said the great white sharks prefer water temperatures between 54 and 68 degrees and can be found anywhere between the sounds and the Gulf Stream, up to 60 miles from the coast.
Michalove estimates that there are about 1,000 great white sharks off the coast of South Carolina each winter.
Since great white sharks are only here in winter, South Carolina has not recorded any major white shark attacks.
Becoming Hilton Head’s great white shark charmer was no easy task. Michalove studied the creatures for decades and spent seven unsuccessful winters in search of great white sharks off the coast of Lowcountry.
For years, other local fishermen scoffed at him, who said that Chip was in a “great chase for the white goose”, trying to catch a creature they were not sure was out there.
Until one day in January 2014 – Michalove caught his first white shark. Then he took another one. And another.
“I’m addicted to it,” said Michalove. “You can’t match the adrenaline of being hooked up to a 2,000 pound fish.”
He caught 30 great white sharks for scientific research. And not stopping anytime soon.
The adventures of Michalove’s great white shark have placed him in the national spotlight several times.
In January, Michalove named a great white shark after Grace Sulak, a Bluffton teenager who was killed in an unresolved hit-and-run collision on I-26 east in May 2016. As expected, the shark story went viral and helped give Sulak’s case the attention it deserved. .
Michalove also made national news for other encounters with the most incredible creatures in the ocean.
Earlier this month, Michalove was fortunate enough to spot a mother and calf of North Atlantic right whales swimming off the coast of Hilton Head.
To learn more about Chip Michalove and his journey to discover more about the great white sharks off the coast of South Carolina, check out this newly released documentary by Salt Creek Films.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR …
Mandy Matney is the news director at FITSNews. She is an award-winning Kansas journalist who worked for newspapers in Missouri, Illinois and South Carolina before moving to FITS. She currently lives on Hilton Head Island, where she enjoys life on the beach. Do you want to contact Mandy? Send your story ideas, comments, suggestions and tips to [email protected].
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