Aussie fishermen film terrifying encounter with 'monster' shark: 'Inhaled propeller'

A group of Perth fishermen caught more than they hoped for after a monstrous bronze whaler shark latched onto their boat off the coast of Western Australia on Wednesday.

The four men were on their annual fishing trip in Coral Bay when they caught sight of the three-metre sea animal which attempted to bite into their boat's propeller.

Bronze whaler sharks are considered potentially dangerous to humans.

The men caught the animal on their line at first which they battled for over an hour, Nine News reports.

In a video shared by the publication, the men can be heard describing the shark as a "monster," noting the sheer size of the animal.

Out of nowhere, the fierce predator sinks its teeth into the motor where it reportedly stayed "for a good few minutes".

The men can be heard screaming in the video, seemingly startled by the unusual encounter, describing the shark as a "crazy bastard".

Captain Matt Zen said never in his "wildest dreams" did he expect a giant shark to take a bite of his boat.

"We started to get a bit worried about how we were going to get him off," he said.

One of the men, Jarryd England, said the shark's jaw "inhaled the entire propeller".

"And that's a big engine," he added.

The predator reportedly swam off after a nail-biting few minutes. The boat, the men, and the shark were ultimately all unharmed.

Increase in shark encounters across Australia

Shark sightings have increased in recent months due to excessive rain much of the country has copped, particularly on the east coast of Australia.

Lawrence Chlebeck, Marine Biologist from Humane Society International, previously told Yahoo News Australia people should avoid beaches amid heavy rain and flooding, due to sharks.

"Sharks are very intelligent animals and they've specialised in making the most of feeding opportunities," Mr Chlebeck explained.

"One of the things that sharks have learned to do is follow rivers after heavy rainfall because lots of different things will be washed into the ocean."

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Following heavy bouts of rain, Dr Leonardo Guida, Shark Scientist at the Australian Marine Conservation Society, explained that "the food chain goes into full gear."

"Sharks are taking advantage of what is essentially a feeding opportunity," he said.

Last month, Australian YouTuber Brodie Moss shared frightening footage showing a shark taking a bite out of his paddleboard.

In the clip, he is paddling when he spots a large turtle on one side of his board and a tiger shark on the other.

And in March, a surfer had a very close call with a shark at Maroubra Beach – one of Sydney's most iconic surfing beaches.

Luckily, he escaped with only a dent in his surfboard.

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