Corpus Christi man catches massive 13-foot-long hammerhead shark off the coast of Padre Island

Corpus Christi resident Eric Ozolins caught this massive 13-foot-long greater hammerhead shark on the weekend of June 4, 2016. Corpus Christi resident Eric Ozolins caught this massive 13-foot-long greater hammerhead shark on the weekend of June 4, 2016. Photo: Courtesy/Eric Ozolins Photo: Courtesy/Eric Ozolins Image 1 of / 98 Caption Close Corpus Christi man catches massive 13-foot-long hammerhead shark off the coast of Padre Island 1 / 98 Back to Gallery

A Corpus Christi fisherman caught a giant hammerhead shark last weekend off the coast of Padre Island.

Eric Ozolins posted photos of the catch of a lifetime on Sunday, a massive grey great hammerhead shark. The creature measured 13 feet long, and had a girth of 80 inches.

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“It was caught on Padre Island, and an hour and 15 minute fight on an 80W with a hammered drag,” Ozolins said in his Facebook post.

He also said someone previously leaked information regarding his catch, so he wanted to clear the air and stop rumors from spreading around about it.

Ozolins also said he will be posting a release video soon once he’s ready to do so.

According to his Facebook, Ozolins studied fishing at the Texas A&M University in Corpus Christi.

He’s a great shark fisherman,” said Padre Island National Seashore education coordinator William “Buzz” Botts.

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Botts said greater hammerheads commonly show up in the waters in the gulf, with Ozolins' catch being on the larger side of the sharks.

“Thirteen (feet) is about as big as they get,” Botts said in an interview with mySA.com.

One of the difficulties with hammerhead sharks is that they have a low tolerance to stress, Botts said, with many of them dying after being brought to shore by fisherman. If they are released quickly, they tend to survive the ordeal, Botts said.

They are documented as being involved in some human fatalities, but many times they are attracted to traditional food such as stingrays.

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Hammerhead sharks regularly come close to the shore in order to hunt stingrays and give birth to shark pups, according to a previous mySA.com article.

“They follow the food,” Botts said.

Thanks to the Sportfish Center, you can track the paths of several sharks here.

twhite@mysa.com

Twitter: @tylerlwhite