On Facebook
On Flipboard
On Twitter
The hunter became the hunted, as seen from a recent fishing expedition in New Zealand. Matt Wells, a Kiwi with a penchant for kayak fishing, was chased down by a very large, very inquisitive great white shark while paddling near Cape Regina, off the northern region of New Zealand’s north island.
And, after an eight-minute cat-and-mouse chase, he got outta there unscathed.
Following the incident, Wells sat down with Today to tell the tale. “I got over it pretty quickly,” Matt tells the hosts. “It’s in the past now, and we’re back out there fishing.” Watch more below.
Starting from the top, here’s Matt’s retelling of what happened:
“I was fishing along the coast of New Zealand for yellowtail kingfish. This particular area is known to hold some pretty big fish. I’ve caught them there in the past. I was just doing my thing. I had a live bait just outside the kayak, just sorta trolling. I was reasonably close to the shore. Quiet day.
“Finally, I saw a bit of a swirl behind the kayak. I thought, ‘oh sweet, there’s a kingfish feeding behind me.’ All of a sudden, the swirl grew in size. Next thing, this shark came out of the blue and swam right up to me.”
Now, Matt seems pretty cool, calm, and collected in recounting the ordeal. But that wasn’t necessarily the case when it was going down. Safe to say he was freaking out – rightfully so.
“I was a bit in shock,” he continued. “There were a lot of emotions hitting at once. I was terrified, shocked, excited, and in awe of the size of the animal. I’d never seen anything like that before.”
On whether he thought he might die?
“It crossed my mind. To be honest, I don’t think it was hunting me. Yes, they can attack you. But they’re a curious animal. Really, I think he was just giving me a fright and having a bit of fun.”
Check out the entire encounter below.
More must-reads:
- Bears GM speaks out after superstar goes down with injury
- Aaron Rodgers responds to criticism from Steelers legend Terry Bradshaw
- The 'MLB mascot names' quiz
Breaking News
Trending News
TODAY'S BEST
Lakers Pegged as Landing Spot for Ex-Celtics Guard Named Top Free Agency 'Steal'
The Los Angeles Lakers are working on building a contender around last season's blockbuster addition of Luka Doncic, and could have their eyes on a player named the biggest "steal" of free agency. James Herbert of CBS Sports noted that former Boston Celtics star Malcolm Brogdon is still looking for his next NBA home and could be a bargain for a team that lands him. "After a couple of years in Portland and Washington, it feels like it's time for the veteran guard to get back on a winning team," Herbert wrote. "If healthy, he could be a real bargain for a contender -- it was only two years ago that he won Sixth Man of the Year in Boston." Bleacher Report's Timothy Rapp named the Lakers as a team to watch for Brogdon, who has shared his admiration for Lakers star LeBron James in the past. Speaking to Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson, the former NBA Rookie of the Year said he believes James is the greatest of all time and disagrees with those who use his longevity as an argument against him. “At 40, I think that LeBron is playing at a higher level, but I think medicine and I think science has come a long way,” Brogdon said. “But I think also longevity has to be counted for LeBron. He’s the first player in this game to have longevity that is counted against him, you know? It’s one of his downfalls.” Brodgon was a solid contributor for the Washington Wizards last season, scoring 12.7 points with 3.8 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Rangers Sign Former Stanley Cup Champion to Tryout Agreement
The New York Rangers are adding to their forward depth ahead of their upcoming training camp. The Rangers are entering a new chapter of their organization under new head coach Mike Sullivan. After missing the postseason last year, the organization is trying to rebound and respond accordingly in 2025 and 2026. Former Stanley Cup champion forward Conor Sheary is the latest player to join the new-look Rangers. The veteran forward agreed to a professional tryout agreement (PTO) with the club and will look to earn an NHL deal with his performance in training camp and the preseason. Sheary is a veteran of 593 NHL games. Originally an undrafted free agent, he signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins after completing his collegiate career. Following a year with the Penguins' AHL affiliate, he forced his way onto the NHL squad after posting 36 points in his first 30 games of the 2015-2016 season at the AHL level. His debut NHL season went better than ever expected, and he was a key part of the Penguins' lineup that won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. Sheary's coach at the time, both at the AHL and NHL levels, was Mike Sullivan. Now, he'll get the chance to reunite with the coach under whom he won two championships. In addition to playing for the Penguins, Sheary has played for three other NHL franchises. The Pens dealt him to the Buffalo Sabres before the 2018-2019 campaign, but he would return to Pittsburgh the following season at the trade deadline. After his second stint with the Penguins, he joined the Washington Capitals. He played three seasons in Washington, D.C. before landing with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he spent the past two years. Over his 593 career games, he's compiled 124 goals and 143 assists for 267 points. His best NHL season came during the 2016-2017 campaign, his second in the league. He scored 23 goals and added 30 assists for 53 points in 61 regular-season games.
Hurricanes take care of business, sign star winger to lucrative eight-year extension
The Hurricanes announced Thursday night that they’ve signed winger Jackson Blake to an eight-year, $45M extension that will kick in for the 2026-27. While that would normally mean an average annual value and cap hit of $5.625M, the actual cap hit of the contract will fall in the $5.1M range due to deferred compensation, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports. The contract buys out the extent of Blake’s RFA eligibility and will make him a UFA following the 2033-34 season. Blake’s stock has been on the rise since immediately after Carolina selected him in the fourth round in 2021. He was a USHL All-Star in his post-draft season with the Chicago Steel before making the jump to NCAA hockey with North Dakota, where he totaled 102 points in 79 games in two seasons — earning a Hobey Baker finalist nod in his sophomore year. He signed his entry-level contract with the Hurricanes in April 2024 and joined them for the brief remainder of the regular season. In his first full pro season, Blake hit the ground running. He made the Canes out of camp and had five points through his first nine games despite seeing less than 12 minutes of ice time per night. That offense didn’t quite hold up the rest of the way, though. While he ended up seeing significant deployment alongside Sebastian Aho at even strength, he ended up finishing the year with a 17-17–34 scoring line in 80 games, finishing ninth on the team in scoring and ninth in Calder Trophy voting as the league’s Rookie of the Year. That’s fine production, especially considering he averaged under 14 minutes per game on the year. He’ll need to build on it to justify that cap hit, though, especially with so much risk attached to a max-term deal. The good news is that Blake has another year left on his entry-level contract to continue his development before he’ll need to start justifying that cap hit. The son of former NHLer Jason Blake turns 22 next month, yet with this deal, he’s guaranteed to surpass his dad’s career earnings. The Hurricanes have historically opted to sign their young players for as long and as early as possible, a trend that continues here. Sometimes, it’s paid off — their eight-year, $59.4M commitment to Seth Jarvis last offseason looks like a steal after he put up a repeat 67-point performance in 2024-25. There’s also the glaring example of where that strategy has failed regarding center Jesperi Kotkaniemi, whose $4.82M cap hit looks more stomachable now with a rising ceiling but is still well above his market value four years into the deal. The jury is still out on newly acquired Logan Stankoven, who they inked to an eight-year, $48M extension at the beginning of the month. Blake’s deal will be one of the last of its kind. It contains two elements — deferred compensation and an eight-year term — that will be outlawed when the new CBA Memorandum of Understanding takes effect on Sep. 15, 2026. If he waited until reaching RFA status next summer to sign, a lengthy negotiation could have lost him that eighth year if the two sides didn’t come to terms until the beginning of training camp. With the salary cap’s upper limit projected to reach $104M in 2026-27, the Hurricanes have around $16M in projected space with Blake’s and Stankoven’s deals taken care of. While they’re projected to be Carolina’s 11th- and 12th-highest-paid forwards on their opening night roster this season, they’ll be their fifth- and sixth-highest-paid forwards in 2026-27.
Steelers' Mike Tomlin Sees A Ton Of Promise In Potential High-Impact Rookie
The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering the 2025 season with a new-look roster on the offensive side of the ball. The quarterback position has turned over once again, and DK Metcalf is now the top wide receiver in Pittsburgh after the organization decided to acquire him and then trade away George Pickens. Jonnu Smith has also entered the picture on offense, while Jaylen Warren will be taking over the duties as the lead running back. This is his first time taking on that role, as Najee Harris was the bell cow in Pittsburgh for the last four seasons and he never missed a game. Warren will be the main focus at running back, but the Steelers did a good job of filling out that room as a whole. Signing Kenneth Gainwell in free agency was a good way to bring a veteran presence into the room, and adding Kaleb Johnson in the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft was an exciting pick with a ton of value. Head Coach Mike Tomlin was asked about the rookie running back following practice on Thursday, and he had nothing but good things to say about Johnson. "He does, he's highly conditioned and that helps development," Tomlin said. "When you're in really good shape, you can take additional reps and reps equals [getting] better. And so he handled the first leg of it. He's come in really good shape. He's really engaged and obviously he's got some talent. You guys saw that today." Tomlin said this when asked whether or not Johnson has a high floor as a rookie running back in the NFL, and the coach was clearly impressed with the way the rookie was prepared coming into camp. He also seems to know the playbook pretty well. It is hard to tell much from the early training camp practices, but he certainly stood out. The staff in Pittsburgh clearly has high hopes for Johnson, which could lead to more playing time early on. Johnson will begin the season behind Warren, but the two are expected to share the workload in some regard. The rookie has a high ceiling, and Pittsburgh is going to want to take advantage of the entirety of his cheaper, rookie deal. Many have speculated that Johnson will be the lead back by the time the 2025 season is over, with Warren returning to the role of being a third down back, similar to what he did when Harris was on the team. When Pittsburgh initially selected Johnson in the spring, some hated on the pick due to his slower 40-yard dash time. However, the back looks extremely fast on the field, and fans should get a better idea of the kind of player he can be when the Steelers put on the pads next week. Steelers’ Running Back Situation Will Be Interesting To Monitor Gainwell will likely be the third running back on the depth chart during the 2025 season, but he should have some packages and plays where he is the primary focus. He is dangerous with the ball in his hands, especially in the passing game. He and Warren have a similar skill set, while Johnson stands out in the trio. In addition to those three backs, Pittsburgh also has Cordarrelle Patterson on the roster. It was thought that he would be released by this point, but he remains in Pittsburgh for now. He could be cut at the end of camp, as it seems he is the clear fourth running back on the depth chart and he was one of the worst kick returners in the league during the 2024 season. It is known that Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith likes him and his versatility on offense. It’s his ability to play special teams as well that could keep him on the roster in 2025. What do you expect from Johnson in his rookie year?
Customize Your Newsletter
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
PRIVACY POLICY EDITORIAL POLICY CONTACT US
ABOUT YARDBARKER TERMS OF SERVICE
Use of this website (including any and all parts and
components) constitutes your acceptance of these
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.
This site is for entertainment purposes only.
There is no gambling offered on this site.
Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
