Recalling the incident, fisherman Luke Beard told Fox 19, “I set hook on the fish and it just felt different.”

The scary video of the March 15 incident showed Beard, his best friend Jason Rosenfeld and five other men wrestling the massive shark in shallow waters while trying to set it free safely. Beard believes the shark was 12 to 13 feet long and weighed between 1,400 and 1,800 pounds.

Beard and Rosenfeld did catch big game in the past, including a huge stingray. However, this was the first time they tackled a shark in the state’s popular Outer Banks area.

“We were going out to catch something big,” Rosenfeld said. “You know that’s the thing. That’s what we do. That’s our passion.”

The fishermen did not appear to be attacked by the shark while they tried to set it free, but they later shared a picture of an injury one of them sustained. They captioned the Facebook post, “3 and 1/2 days later White shark rash. It sucks, but it’s totally worth it!”

They also shared a video of the release.

‘White sharks are mysterious, and beautiful animals’

The fishermen shared a photo with the shark, with the caption reading, “Iv been dreaming of this day for most of my life! This is the first big land based Great White in Hatteras island history! Thank you to all of my friends involved with this catch! White sharks are mysterious, and beautiful animals. The fight was about 35min. We released this fish as fast as possible.”

“She swam off perfectly, super green. Jason Rosenfeld and I have been working on getting this done for a long time. We picked the day and made the first drop with the new rod we just built for this exact purpose. It’s breathtaking seeing a 12 to 13ft, 1,400 to 1,800lb animal jump out of the water on the hook set!” the post added.

In another post, Beard gave a shoutout to his friend. “That shark would have not been possible without the man standing behind me, one of my best friends Jason Rosenfeld!” he wrote.

He added, “This was a catch for both of us. He wanted me to fight this fish because I had never caught one. We have been learning from each other for last four years, and now we have shaped the future land based fishing! Our two brains together is a dangerous thing. Of course with the help of our good friend Spencer. Jason is about to open up a new tackle shop in Buxton, NC. He is still working on the name of the shop. It’s located by Red Drum Food Mart. I hope everyone will go support him as well as Frisco Rod and Gun!”

NOAA says individuals with appropriate permits are allowed to “intentionally fish for white sharks with rod and reel gear as long as they release the shark immediately without removing the shark from the water and without further harming the shark.”