WATCH: Fishermen in Florida catch a great white shark

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. (WESH) - Some anglers got the experience of a lifetime near Daytona Beach in Florida.

They hooked a great white shark.

Captain Scott Housel said it happened on Wednesday when he took a group out on a fishing trip.

He said it was a usual calm morning for his customers aboard a charter fishing boat until the shark was spotted.

Housel owns and operates Sudden Strike Offshore Adventures and said the shark was circling the boat for about 20 minutes.

“All of a sudden he [the shark] hit one of the lines and I’m not really sure whether we caught him, or he caught us,” Housel said. “But we ended up going for about a two-mile ride.”

According to Housel, the shark was about four feet below the surface and located about 20 miles off the coast.

“Everybody pretty much had an opportunity to kind of feel the strength. I’ve been fishing out here since 1989 and this is the seventh great white I’ve ever seen,” he said.

Marine experts have classified great whites as vulnerable due to a population that’s declined over the years.

Housel said he knows his customers will never forget this experience.

“They’re very majestic,” he said.

And he hopes sharing this story will inspire others.

“You just never know what you’re going to see out here. Respect the ocean, enjoy it,” Housel said.

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