A Florida fisherman who specializes in land-based shark fishing landed a once-in-a-lifetime catch when he reeled in a great white shark while fishing from the beach in Amelia Island. Alberto Vanegas is from nearby Yulee and is the operator of Land Based Shark Fishing Amelia Island where he specializes in catching huge sharks from Fernandina Beach but there were no indications he was going to reel in a great white shark on what seemed like a normal Tuesday.

Alberto Vanegas told local news it was just a "normal Tuesday" when he launched a blackfin tuna head out as bait, sending it 400 feet off the beach in north Florida. It was anything but a normal Tuesday as his reel soon started screaming while the estimated 9-10ft great white shark started peeling off line after eating his bait.

Vanegas has since shared several videos of his once-in-a-lifetime catch on his 'AmeliaIslandLBSF' TikTok page showing off the shark, which remained in the water the entire time, and was promptly released after photos were taken.

Here's a look at the blackfin tuna he used as bait before it was taken by the great white shark:

The shark fishing specialist also shared a bunch of photos on his Facebook page where people seeking to catch a shark of their own from the beach can contact him about land based shark fishing guided charters:

Amelia Island is one of the oldest towns in Florida and is also home to luxury resorts like the Ritz-Carlton and an Omni. The Ritz-Carlton there hosts the annual Concours d'Elegance which is one of the most high-end annual car shows in the world. I went years ago when the theme was something like 'Ferrari through the years' and at the time they had models from every year Ferrari had been in existence. Suffice it to say, there are plenty of people on that island (mostly tourists) who would be SHOCKED to know someone was reeling in a great white shark on the beach nearby.

To the locals, this might not have some as quite a shock. Amelia Island does have deep roots in fishing/shrimping. The IGFA all-tackle fishing world record for goliath grouper was set in Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island back on May 20th, 1961 when angler Lynn Joyner reeled in a 680-pound goliath grouper. There are some BIG FISH in the area and it's also a kingfish hotspot in the Fall and Spring.

Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island is a place I used to spend a lot of time growing up and it's a town I recommend to people from out-of-state when they ask me for a place in Florida that's off the radar. I haven't been back in maybe 15 years other than passing by Yulee recently to hit the Whataburger. But now that this great white shark has been landed off the beach it might be time to go back and see what the fishing looks like these days.