A hooked gamefish will sometimes jump into the side of the boat toward the end of its fight. It’s not common, but if you fish a lot, especially for species prone to jumping (like bass), you’ll have one or two every few years that crash into the boat in an attempt to throw the hook.

Before I hit the “play” button on the 45-second YouTube video below, I assumed that was the case — a hooked tarpon was trying to throw the hook and ended up airborne over the bow of the boat.

Nope.

These anglers were targeting tarpon near Marco Island, Florida. The angler on the deck is casting while his partner is taking a short break. The action is caught by a cameraman in the stern.

At no point does the front angler indicate a tarpon is following his lure; he doesn’t attempt to set the hook on a boatside fish and miss it. No, this unhooked tarpon is seemingly cruising fast and, for whatever reason, decides to perform this maneuver straight out of SeaWorld. 

Incredibly, the jumping tarpon passes between the sitting angler and the steering wheel. It brushes one of the stored fishing rods with its tail and narrowly misses the angler’s head. The big tarpon never touches the boat. Crazy.