As soon as the final bell of the school year rings, Victoria Sorrentino, junior, and her family of six make their way to Hilton Head Island, NC. There, she and her family spend a week at the warm beach.

However, unlike most teenage tourists, Sorrentino doesn’t spend her time lounging by the hotel pool or tanning on the shore. She and her family go shark fishing.

“Every year, we take our annual trip to Hilton Head Island, and about three years ago, we decided to on a guided shark fishing tour,” Sorrentino said.

On the tour, the Sorrentino family got to know the captain of the ship well. After the experience, they decided to make shark fishing an annual excursion.

“Every year, we take the same boat out. We usually stay out there for two to four hours,” Sorrentino said.

Across the years, the family has caught sharks of impressive sizes. Sorrentino’s father once caught an eight-foot long tiger shark.

“It was really big. We couldn’t even pull it up, so we just cut the line,” Sorrentino said.

Accorcing to Sorrention, the the largest shark she caught was about three feet in length.

“It’s actually pretty cute, because sometimes we catch baby sharks, and they’re basically just miniature versions of the adult sharks, but then it’s sad because sometimes the first mate on the ship takes the shark and chops it for meat later,” Sorrentino said.

Having tried shark meat, Sorrentino thinks it’s good. She and her family sometimes catch to keep and eat later, but mainly the catch and release.

Shark fishing can be slightly dangerous, according to Sorrentino. The sharks struggle a lot, which makes it hard to keep hold on them. In order to keep the sharks from hurting themselves or the people on the boat, one must grip the tail and under the jaw.

“One time, the first mate caught a huge shark, and while he was pulling it up, he lost grip of it and the shark’s tail hit him in the groin,” Sorrentino said.

Sorrentino has not received any injuries from the trips.

Sorrentino looks forward to the next shark fishing trip, which she’ll go on this upcoming summer vacation.