A guide to legendary sharks such as Big Mo, the Harbor Master and the Black Demon, sorting documented facts from folklore and fish stories.
Chasing Legends on a Great Shark Hunt
We know legends die hard but where are they born? All legends, no matter how big they get, start with a hero and a good story. These stories start out as ordinary feats of greatness. The good stories get retold. They get embellished. They get blended with other stories, other myths. Those stories get told […]
Artist Jonathan Morrill brings legend of Old Hitler to life
While researching old news footage of the shark attacks that occurred after the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, made famous by Quint’s ominous telling of the tale in the movie “Jaws,” artist Jonathan Morrill stumbled across the legend of Old Hitler. He was so enthralled by Florida’s favorite fishtale, that he knew he had to […]
Introducing the official Sharkophile apparel store
When we officially launched this site last year, we had a batch of long-sleeve fishing shirts printed up to help spread the word about our fledgling operation. They also had the unintended consequence of being so comfortable, they got worn every where. As a Floridian who is outdoors quite a bit, they were the perfect […]
How the legend of Old Hitler landed on Discovery’s Shark Week
This story was originally published on Sharkophile.com on July 23, 2017. “Is that Old Hitler?” the young boy asked me as I was waiting for my luggage at the airport in Fort Myers. The boy’s mom looked horrified that her son was making Hitler references to strangers in the middle of a busy airport terminal. I […]
Shark nicknamed ‘Old Hitler’ is legend on Gulf
BOCA GRANDE — For decades, legendary hammerhead Old Hitler has been the subject of fishing folklore up and down the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Depending on the source, Old Hitler has a head as wide as a pickup truck, and is longer than most of the fishing boats it’s been spotted from. […]
Record hammerhead shark brings talk of legend
Just off the sandy white beaches in the aquamarine waters of Florida lurks a monster with a head as “wide as a truck” that could “eat a 200-lb tarpon in two bites.” Or, so the legend has it. Earlier this month, Port Charlotte’s Clyde “Bucky” Dennis pulled his second world-record, great hammerhead shark from the […]
The search for Old Hitler, Florida’s legendary hammerhead
For decades, legendary hammerhead Old Hitler has been the subject of fishing folklore up and down the southern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. Depending on the source, Old Hitler has a head as wide as a pickup truck, and is longer than most of the fishing boats itâ s been spotted from. Read more: […]
