An angler had a lucky escape after the 600lb Marlin he hooked tried to get its own back on him.
Stephen Schultz, 18, hooked the massive billfish off Panama on a big game fishing trip with his father and was near to landing the giant fish in his boat.
However, footage from CBS 5 shows that the Marlin, which is more than a couple of metres long, had other ideas.
After leaping from the water several times during the fight, the fish suddenly jumped straight out of the sea and launched itself straight at the angler.
A report from CBS 5 says that Schultz was knocked to the floor by the impact and had blood pouring out of his mouth and nose.
"The fish suddenly jumped straight out of the sea and launched itself straight at the angler..."
CBS says: "It took two hours to go the thirty miles back to shore and boat radioed ahead so a plane would be waiting. Stephen was flown 100 miles north to National Hospital in Panama City where x-rays showed Stephen's left sinus walls were broken in four places. He also suffered an inch-and-a-half cut in the back of throat and numerous lacerations inside the cheeks."
The Marlin, though, did have a lucky escape as it was quickly cut free and returned, relatively unharmed.
For the spectacular footage (in streaming Macromedia Flash) check out the CBS 5 site.