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Man attacks shark
The World Today - Friday, 16 February , 2007
12:54:00
Reporter: Tim Jeanes
ELEANOR HALL: Now to South Australia, and a warning about this
story: don't try this at home.
It's about a shark fisherman who uses his hands to catch a 1.3
metre shark.
Phillip Kerkhof from Louth Bay on South Australia's Eyre
Peninsula is the talk of the town, after wrestling the bronze
whaler shark up onto a jetty, as Tim Jeanes reports.
TIM JEANES: It's well-known people's judgement can be somewhat
clouded when under the influence of alcohol.
Phillip Kerkhof is one person who now readily admits this is the
case, with the evening in question beginning quietly.
PHILLIP KERKHOF: Had a couple of vodkas, then me son rung up, we
went and had a few more with him. Still had a couple of cans,
so, oh, we'll go for a walk out the jetty.
TIM JEANES: It was on the Louth Bay jetty that things started to
get interesting, as local fishermen were using lures to try to
catch squid.
PHILLIP KERKHOF: Anyway, this bronzy was hanging around, right,
and it kept going for their squid floats, yeah, and they had
nothing to catch it with, and I said to 'em, we'll just see if
we can lure it into the shallows a bit, and I'll just jump in
and grab him, all right.
So anyway, it started following it in, so I went down the
ladder, stripped off down the ladder, yeah, on the road down,
and they're over there watching, and I said keep going, keep
going, get him in a bit shallower. And I just snuck up behind
him. So eventually I just went for the big grab, and I fluked
it, and got him, hey. Next minute I got up, he's just thrashing
around the water. These people are all pissing themselves
laughing, hey, but then he was starting to turn around and try
bite me, and had a bit of a spell, yeah.
TIM JEANES: It was one thing catching it, but wrestling a
thrashing species of shark with a dangerous reputation up onto
the jetty was another challenge.
PHILLIP KERKHOF: Now, that was hectic, up the ladder, trying to
get up, because I'm trying to do it one-handed and I can't, so
I've had to wrap my arm around, with the shark on there, and
'cause the other people up on top, they were too scared to come
down the ladder and give me a hand. I got a fair way up and
managed to throw him up on there. And that scared everyone up
there. The shark thrashing around up there, hey.
TIM JEANES: With the shark now half eaten and half in Mr
Kerkhof's freezer, it's a time for reflection, and a warning.
PHILLIP KERKHOF: When I sobered up, I thought about it, and I
thought I'm a bit of an idiot doing it, mmm.
TIM JEANES: So shark wrestling?
PHILLIP KERKHOF: Yeah, well it's not a real good sport to do
(laughs).
ELEANOR HALL: Reformed shark wrestler Phillip Kerkhof speaking
there to Tim Jeanes.
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