following a marathon one hour battle.

Bernd Guertl admitted he felt a little scared when the 70 pound grey reef shark began to emerge from the water just off Admiralty Park in Pembroke.

Mr. Guertl said he saw two smaller sharks swimming nearby as he hauled in the great fish at 9.30 p.m. a week ago.

The 25-year-old Austrian was fishing for snapper when he hooked the shark, but he broke his line six times before eventually reeling it in.

Mr. Guertl, who works for Oleander Cycles, eventually tied six 80 pound lines together to pull in the shark. He told The Royal Gazette yesterday: "The feeling was unbelievable. The first time I saw the shark come out of the water it was a little bit scary.

"I had never done this before because I normally only go for snapper. I could not get him out for a while as he was under the rocks but I got him on his side fin.'' Mr. Guertl and his roommate Alfred Hackl, a fellow Austrian, barbecued the shark on Wednesday.

Mr. Hackl, the head chef at the Lobster Pot in Hamilton, said: "It's similar to wahoo.

"I put it in milk overnight then put some Jamaican jerk seasoning on it. It is very tender and the white meat is similar.'' Head aquarist at the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo Jennifer Gray said sharks around Bermuda were not a threat to humans and she insisted it was safe to swim at night.

"There are sharks that inhabit the waters around Bermuda and it is not totally uncommon for them to come in at night,'' she said.

"They are not a threat to humans or we would have heard about them. There has only been one shark attack that I've heard of and it was diver provoked.'' Gotcha: Berndt Guertl shows off the 70 pound shark he caught off Admiralty Park following a one and a half hour battle.