When Australian fisherman, Terry Selwood, set out for his usual fishing trip, he did not expect a 440-pound catch to voluntarily come to him and wreak havoc.

73-year-old Selwood was fishing off the coast of Evans Head in New South Wales when a massive 8.8 foot-long great white shark launched itself onto his boat.

When the wild animal landed on the boat, its pectoral fin brushed against Selwood's arm and caused a cut that made him lose quite a bit of blood. Needless to say, he was shocked and terrified.

"I was stunned," he said. "I couldn't register what happened, and then I thought 'oh my God, I've got to get out of here."

The giant fish took up most of the space on the boat and the experienced fisherman knew that he needed to get out and get help as fast as possible if he wanted to keep living.

"I didn't give it a chance to look me in the eyes. I wanted to get up and get on top of the gunnel because it was thrashing around madly," Mr Selwood told Australian Broadcasting Corp.

Selwood got in touch with a coast guard, Bill Bates, who initially couldn't wrap his head around the report.

"Often a fisherman will bring a small shark on board, maybe two or three feet, and they're still ferocious.That's what I was expecting, but I was totally wrong," said Bill.

Luckily, the brave man escaped and lived to tell the tale with only a cut on his forearm and some bruises.

"Flash Gordon wouldn't have caught me," Selwood said, referring the comic book hero of the 1930s.

There is still no explanation as to why the shark leaped onto the anchored boat but the strange incident won't keep Selwood away from his hobby. He plans to replace the damaged equipment before returning to the fishing spot he's been visiting for over 50 years.

What a trooper!

You can get more details of the terrifying encounter straight from Selwood's mouth in his interview with ABC News:

We're glad he's safe and sound!

Have you ever had a close encounter with a wild animal? Let us know!