The video of the heart-touching encounter between Brandon Griffin and a 12-foot hammerhead shark has gone viral on social media
In the video, Griffin was fishing sharks at a "pristine beach" in the Panhandle area and accidentally caught a giant hammerhead shark.
Griffin and his friend quickly walked the 12-foot shark back to sea by swimming rough currents.
Griffin recounted: "I reeled it in as fast as I could, de-hooked it in the water, and gave it a proper release back into the ocean by swimming it past the surf."
This is not the first time he has protected a sea animal
On his YouTube channel, @brandongriffin, the South Florida fisherman regularly posts videos about his fishing adventures, including saving sea animals video.
As Griffin shared, hammerhead sharks easily die if they are caught, also, shark fishing can be seen as illegal in Florida. So he quickly released the 12-foot shark back to its home.
“Hammerheads are very fragile and anything over a 45-minute fight time is concerning to their health,” Griffin said.
“If I even have a thought that whatever ate my bait could be a hammerhead, I do whatever it takes to get it in as fast as I can to ensure the hammerhead is released and swims off safely.”
In video footage shot by friend and fellow fisherman Gage Wheaton, Griffin is seen bringing the shark into shallow water after it is hooked
The two friends cheer and yell in celebration at the successful release while the hammerhead swims off into the open ocean at the end of the video.
Griffin emphasizes the importance of exercising caution when handling hammerhead sharks
He advises having two people in the water to assist in the release process.
Additionally, he warns to keep hands away from the shark's mouth, which is located on the bottom of hammerheads.
The 23-year-old man also shares a personal experience where a shark swam back and knocked him off his feet, highlighting the need to be vigilant and prevent such incidents.
These precautions are essential to ensure the safety of both the fishermen and the sharks during the release process.
“I’ve helped release quite a few hammerheads and they don’t mean any harm. I’m not worried about hammerheads, not even in the wild.”
He added, “I’m more scared of thinking what has followed this shark in, such as a very large bull shark or a tiger shark.”
