Short shark shock: great white jumps into boat

An elderly Australian fisherman has described the "mundane" moment when a great white shark jumped aboard his boat.

Terry Selwood, 73, escaped with only a swollen arm when the creature launched itself onto his vessel as he was fishing near Evans Head, in New South Wales, on Saturday.

"I caught a blur of something coming over the boat.the pectoral fin of the shark hit me on the forearm and knocked me down. He came right over the top of the motor and dropped onto the floor."

Selwood estimated the shark measured 2.7m ; his boat is only 4.4m long. He was rescued by local volunteers, who brought the boat and shark ashore. The Department of Primary Industries told him it was a great white and took it away for an autopsy.

Selwood said he had not experienced anything like that in 60 years of fishing: "I've had 'em come up and brush the side of my boat; I've had a white pointer swim around my boat; I've had 'em take fish off my line - but never this.

"It won't deter me from fishing, no way in the world," he said. "It's not a great story, it's a mundane thing. but something I'll remember."