Kruz Mettner, 19, was out shark fishing with two friends on Sunday when he kayaked out around 300 metres to see what he could find.
He lowered a “big cod head” as bait, but wasn't expecting to catch a tiger shark.
According to the National Geographic, tiger sharks are considered to be a near threatened species because they are hunted for their fins and flesh – their livers are rich in vitamin A, used in vitamin oil.
They are second only to great whites in their tendency to attack humans. Large ones can grow up to nearly 7.5 metres in length.
They are identifiable by their colour and marks, with younger ones sporting dark patterns that sometimes turn to vertical stripes.
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Mr Mettner told the Western Australian that he didn't know it was a tiger shark at first and that he was pulling the shark in for around three hours before it got to the beach.
“When we first saw her tail, we thought we’d got something quite different, because most of the tigers have headed south this time of year.
“It was me fighting with her all that time and the other two filming. The only time it was a team effort was the last bit when [we] pulled her onto the beach.
“We always try not to kill the sharks. Unless they turn out to be really sick when we catch them, we always return them.”
He added: “Before we let her go, we measured her at 4.1m. She was a big girl. The end of my rod ended up snapping off.”
Mr Mettner said he hopes to become involved in shark tagging with the Department of Fisheries.
