Mako shark leaps onto a New Zealand fishing boat off the Whitianga coast

A mako shark that jumped onto a charter fishing boat began to thrash about on deck, narrowly missing the skipper and his five customers.

Ryan Churches was taking five boat fishing enthusiasts aboard his vessel Churchys Charter NZ off the coast of Whitianga on New Zealand’s North Island on Saturday when the shark jumped on board.

A single pane of glass separated the man-eater from the captain and his customers after the shark landed on the bow of the boat, slamming its tail against the windshield.

The sight of the massive shark, which was 2.5 meters long and weighed 150kg, was captured on video (pictured) after being hooked by a hook

A single pane of glass separated the man-eater from the captain and his customers after the shark landed on the bow of the boat, (pictured) slamming its tail into the windscreen

The sight of the massive shark, which was estimated to be 2.5 meters long and weighed 150kg, was captured on video after being snagged by a hook.

A thud was heard in footage before the camera pans up showing the beast writhing and turning at the front of the boat.

He tossed and twisted on the boat for “two minutes max” trying to find a way back into the water, as those on the boat happily called him.

Mr Churches, a 20-year fishing veteran, told the New Zealand Herald it was the first time he had seen a shark jump on a boat.

He said the group was chasing trevally and spooling in a line when the shark caught it instead.

Skipper of the charter vessel Ryan Churches said the incident happened as the group were chasing trevally and spooling in a line when the shark grabbed it instead (pictured, the boat)

“We were all looking at the rod and the line was coming out the side of the boat and it suddenly changed direction… [the shark] just happened to jump at the same time and we had a hell of a scare,” he said.

Mr Churches (pictured) was grateful the fish did not land on the back of the boat where the customers were – and said the group reacted better than many people would have

‘I [had] told customers “if it jumps in the boat, get out of the way”. It turns out that about 30 seconds later he jumped on top of the boat. It was crazy.’

As the big fish thrashed back and forth, Mr Churches considered stepping in to help but he knew the razor-toothed shark would have gone ‘absolutely bonkers’.

After about two minutes of twisting, the shark squirmed through the bow rail and fell back into the sea.

Mr Churches was grateful the fish did not land on the back of the boat where the customers were – and said the group reacted better than many people would have.

“The cameras were off, but they probably didn’t realize the danger we might have been in.” he said.

He said the boat had windshields and hard tops blocking the crew’s fish.

Mako sharks live near the surface of the water and are known to frequent the coastal areas of New Zealand.

Predators have been seen leaping 10 meters into the air when hooked and have landed in boats before.

The average mako shark measures between 2.5 and 3.2 meters in length and can weigh between 135 and 230 kg.

The video of the flapping shark was posted on social media, captioned “Crazy moment when a Mako shark jumped in front of the boat!!”

“So the toilet paper is nearby,” one commenter said, while another described the fish as “a great hood ornament.”

“They’re a little inclined to come take a look on board,” another joked, with another comparing the incident to a scene straight from “Sharknado.”

The video of the flapping shark was posted on social media, (pictured) captioned ‘Crazy moment when a Mako shark jumped off the front of the boat!!’