Stunning moment Aussie fisherman fights off THREE sharks as they try to take his catch away from him – with one almost biting the trevally out of his hand
- Cooper Watson, 21, was fishing near Coco Islands, off the WA coast, on Sunday
- After catching a trevally, a trio of blacktip sharks tried to snatch it from his hand
- The Aussie angler shared a video of his terrifying close encounter on TikTok
- The video has gone viral, with many saying ‘this would only happen in Australia’
An Australian fisherman has fought off three hungry sharks as they tried to snatch a fish out of his hands.
Cooper Watson, 21, escaped unscathed after a close encounter with three blacktip sharks at the Cocos Islands, more than 2000km off Western Australia‘s coast, on Sunday.
Footage showed the avid angler hooking a trevally as he stood thigh-deep in the Indian Ocean’s crystal clear waters.
But the scent of the fish’s blood quickly attracted the three predators, which quickly started circling the catch as Mr Watson reeled it in.
Cooper Watson, 21, (pictured) had a close encounter with a trio of blacktip sharks while fishing in the Indian Ocean on Sunday
Three hungry sharks became attracted to the scent of Mr Watson’s trevally as he reeled in his catch
As the predators tried latch onto the prey, the fisherman grabbed a hold of the fish’s mouth and yanked it out of water.
But his efforts did little to deter one of the determined reef sharks, which leaped up and chomped down on the fish, causing blood to pour into the ocean.
The blood sent the sharks into a frenzy, prompting Mr Watson to kick around in the shallows to scare them away as they darted around his legs.
Mr Watson said he was fortunate to walk away uninjured and he would have been in trouble if he had been bitten as there was no phone service in the area.
‘At first I was just worried about him taking my fish but then I became concerned that one of the three sharks could grab my leg in the frenzy,’ he told Kennedy News and Media.
‘My first reaction was to tell him to f**k off but that quickly transpired into me trying to kick the shark and running away. If I could walk on water I think I would have.
‘Funnily enough we had lost lots of fish to sharks over the days and weeks prior however not too many were right by our feet.
‘Normally they wait until the fish had been released then track it down and eat it.’
The fishing guide shared the footage on TikTok, where it rapidly went viral, racking up more than 2million views.
Many were left impressed with Mr Watson’s unfazed attitude throughout the terrifying ordeal, with commenters saying this could happen ‘only in Australia’.
‘Who the hell fights a shark? Oh yeah an Australia,’ one person wrote.
Another added: ‘Aussies really have no fear lmao,’ while someone else chimed, ‘only an Australian would try to fight a shark.’
‘This is literally how to get bitten by a shark,’ a fourth said.
Mr Watson yanked the fish out of the water by its mouth as blood poured into the water