“I’m Done” – Shark Steals Florida Paddle Board Fisherman’s Catch

You have to really love fishing to go out in the middle of an ocean on a souped-up paddle board to do it. If you're going to brave the wide open water of the sea, don't you think you'd be more comfortable in a larger, sturdier vessel? Not only would it be more practical and more comfortable, it would be... hmm, I don't know, SAFER. This Instagram user by the name of Austin Craver apparently likes to live life - and fish - on the edge. A video posted by the Florida angler earlier this week showed a souped-up fishing paddle board expedition 5 miles off the coast of Jupiter that ended with an extremely close call. You've likely heard of the phrase "the taxman." Not only is it an actual term for people who take taxes out of our paychecks (and the name of one of my favorite Beatles songs), it also refers to sharks that linger around fishing boats, waiting to "take their cut" when a catch is being reeled in. This angler dealt with a "taxman" as he hooked into a bonita, and it almost had devastating consequences. If you are in a fishing boat, the worst thing about a shark taking a bite out of your catch is that you lost part of your fish. When it happens with a paddle board fisherman, the worst thing is that the shark also takes a bite out of you . Take a look at what happened when this Florida angler's board was attacked by an aggressive shark: https://www.instagram.com/reel/C9iIzQFxhb7/?igsh=cWJkYXc5bGR5eXpi NOPE. That right there is just not worth it to me. You couldn't pay me any amount of money to get out on a floating board with no protection out in the middle of the ocean. But I guess more power to the people that can handle that kind of anxiety. Many of the Instagram users that commented on the scary video were with me on this one, saying: "That’s that ‘nope’ fish!" "You guys have balls being out there 5 miles out in those boards." "Anybody out in the ocean in a dingy fishing like that has no intelligence." "That’s a hard pass from me." And I have to single out my favorite reply that I saw, and instead of describing it to you, I'll just let you read it in all of its glory: "Hell no... The rod is in the ocean about 10 seconds ago and my hands on the tiller finding out exactly how fast my brown-spattered board can fly." I concur with that statement...