Video: Fisherman’s Leg Pierced by Marlin Spear

A Honolulu man is lucky to be walking after a 500-pound marlin’s spear pierced his leg in a fishing accident.

FOX affiliate KHON reports that angler Russell Ching was fishing with a few friends off the island of O’ahu when he hooked the big marlin. After a 90-minute battle, the marlin succumbed to exhaustion, so no one was concerned about its sword-like snout as they pulled the fish aboard. But when the men’s grip slipped and the weight of the fish took over, the spear penetrated Ching’s leg, going all the way through.

“As we dragged it in…I was kind of in a bad position, and it just went through my leg,” Ching told KHON. “When it first went in, I couldn’t believe how easy it went into my leg. I mean, it was like a hot knife through butter.”

As if being skewered wasn’t bad enough, Ching was pinned to the inside of the boat by the spear, and he couldn’t move under the weight of the fish. Ching said bleeding to death was his initial fear. Fortunately for him, the spear missed the major arteries in his leg. “I kept asking my friend if it was bleeding, but he said he wasn’t too concerned about that,” Ching said. “Plus, the bill kind of plugged it up.”

Ching’s friends drove the boat back to shore, where he was able to receive medical attention. In addition to Ching keeping the part of the spear that impaled his leg, a friend recorded the incident. Ching is recovering well and is already making plans to be back on the water soon.