Meet social media's king of perilous shark fishing through his insane Instagram

Instagram/Elliot Sudal

Most people don't think of fishing as a contact sport.

But Elliot Sudal, a boat operator from Nantucket, gets down and dirty when reeling in sharks on the beaches of Nantucket.

You might remember Sudal from a viral shark wrestling video that catapulted him to fame in 2013. He's still fishing for sharks, and he uploads insane photos of himself with his catches to @acksharks, his Instagram account.

Zachary Weiss of the Observer tracked Sudal down for an interview. He found that what started as a dangerous hobby has now opened professional opportunities for Sudal.

"I just sort of liked doing this recreationally until last year when this thing [the video] happened, and now I'm this poster child for shark fishing," he told the Cape Cod Times.

The account is filled with pictures of Sudal doing what he does best - grabbing huge sharks with his bare hands, bringing them onto the beach, and then setting them free. 

Here are some of his coolest catches.