A fisherman spent 90 minutes battling a massive tuna from a jet ski off the Bay of Plenty coast and likely would not have landed it without an unlikely assist from a mako shark.
The Southern bluefin tuna, estimated at more than 100kg before a shark bit off its tail, was hooked off Waihau Bay after a 45km trip to offshore fishing grounds.
“It’s definitely my biggest catch,” Matt Ringot told 1News.
“For tuna, it’s a big fish. At this time of year, they’ve been catching 40 to 60 kilos, so 100 kilos is pretty big.”
Ringot, a French national who has lived in New Zealand for a decade, launched in darkness at around 5.30am on Friday before reaching fishing grounds and setting lines just after sunrise. He hooked the fish about 8.30am.
Fighting a tuna of that size from a jet ski with no fighting chair, no outriggers, and breaking waves around him pushed Ringot to his limits almost immediately.
"I’m holding the rod as much as I can… there’s waves coming in and I have to manage to not fall off as well,” he said.
His friend Brady Smith, who was fishing nearby on another jet ski, quickly put his own rods away when it became clear Ringot had hooked something special.
For the next 90 minutes, Smith shadowed Ringot's jet ski, helping coordinate radio communications with nearby vessels and providing support as sea conditions deteriorated.
"As soon as I hooked up, he stayed with me and didn't keep fishing. He really helped me out so much with managing everything on the radio with the other boats and stuff," he said.
"I wouldn't have been able to do it without him."
Cramps forced Ringot to attach a fighting harness one-handed while keeping tension on the line.
He rested the rod across the handlebars and used the swell itself as leverage — rising on each wave to lift the fish, then reeling on the way back down.
A 90-minute battle in rough seas took a dramatic turn when a mako shark bit off the tuna's tail. (Source: French Adrift/YouTube) (Source: Supplied)
After more than an hour of fight, Ringot realised something unusual was happening.
"The rod was doing some sort of short vibrations and I realised, 'OK, there’s a shark'," he said.
A mako shark had taken interest in the hooked tuna, eventually biting off its tail.
“It just took the tail off, which basically took the motor of the fish off. Without the shark, I don’t think I would have ever been able to land the fish.”
As Ringot gaffed the fish beside the jet ski, the shark returned and tried to take it entirely.
“The mako shark comes under the jet ski and pulls the fish down… like a dog with its toy."
The tug of war between man and fish lasted about 20 to 30 seconds before the shark released its grip.
Unable to haul the fish aboard in worsening seas, Ringot called for assistance over the radio. Nearby boats responded and eventually secured the tuna after several attempts.
"If two guys were struggling to pull it in, there's no way I could have done it myself," he said.
The fish was transferred between vessels in heavy swells and brought ashore.
Game fishing from jet skis remained relatively niche in New Zealand, particularly for large species such as Southern bluefin tuna.
Ringot thought the fish could be a record for a jet ski catch in New Zealand waters.
“I think this is the biggest tuna caught off a jet ski in New Zealand, unless something else hasn’t been recorded."
The entire encounter was filmed and will feature in a longer documentary-style video on Ringot’s YouTube channel French Adrift.
However, he said a key motivation in sharing the footage was to highlight the risks involved.
“It’s not something you should take lightly. You should never do this alone,” he said.
“There are lots of things that could go wrong… I’ve been extremely lucky.”
Once ashore, the tuna was processed locally, yielding dozens of portions of vacuum-sealed meat that Ringot has shared with friends and family.
“We had about 30 bags of red meat… I’ve been giving some away and keeping some,” he said.
“I'll be having sashimi every day until I run out."
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