DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. (WALA) – The first day of the 89th Alabama Deep Sea Fishing Rodeo is officially in the books and it was definitely a moment to remember. He started with four sharks caught in 30 minutes.

We heard oohs and ahhs from the Dauphin Island crowd on Friday as one of these sharks was removed from the boat of Ric Collier and his crew.

His tiger shark officially weighed 466 pounds. It wasn’t the biggest catch of the day, but it was historic. This marked one of the first sharks caught in seven years.

“We said if we found a shark that weighed almost 500 pounds, it would take a boat ride. And this one had to take a boat ride,” Collier said.

And everyone was on deck just to bring him back.

“A nearly 500 pound shark, it took everyone on the boat trying to get this thing overboard and onto the boat. The fight lasted about 25 minutes. And getting the shark on the boat took about an hour and a half,” Collier said.

This was just one of the amazing sights on day one. And for the spectators, it couldn’t have been better.

“It’s such an amazing experience. And for my daughter to touch a shark, the baby shark is big right now. She loves seeing a shark and she was able to touch a shark for the first time. It was great fun for the whole family,” Joe Sykes said.

And the party will continue all weekend on Dauphin Island. And FOX10 will also be there.

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