Aussie rower faces off with jumping shark on boat
A shark jumped on board an Australian woman's small boat while she was completing a treacherous 14,000km journey from Mexico to Cairns.
Michelle Lee said she endured strong currents, 25-knot winds and four-metre swells in the 240 days she spent rowing alone from Ensenada after arriving in Cairns yesterday.
She was seeking "freedom and adventure" so decided to "have a crack" at the astonishing feat, and said the most unbelievable moment was when she rowed over a shark "feeding frenzy".
Subscribe to the Today newsletter here. Nine
It took Michelle 240 days at sea and she said she was knocked about by strong currents and faced 25-knot winds and four metre swells. Supplied/Michelle Lee
READ MORE: Blind surfer defies odds tackling 15 metre waves
"The sharks would come and feed underneath the boat and one of them must have jumped out to get a fish because it was quite a frenzy every afternoon at sundown and he landed on my deck and thrashed around like a maniac," she told Today.
"I just thought 'Oh, my god, there's a shark on my deck."'
A humble Michelle credited her ability to navigate dire conditions at sea to her support staff.
Michelle said she took on the challenge because she wants to live life to the fullest. Today
READ MORE: Alex Cullen takes on the ultimate burger challenge
"The currents pushed me around and Mother Nature plays a big part on my boat, with wind direction and currents," she said.
"If I didn't have the support of the amazing weather router Roger and the guys on the support yacht I wouldn't have got through.
"There's no way I would have done it on my own."
Michelle slept in a proper bed on dry land for the first time last night.
She is still trying to find her land legs after so long at sea.
"I slept so well last night, it is so nice to go to bed and not worry about your drift, your direction, not worry about if there is a ship somewhere that I've got to be on the lookout for," she said.
See what else Michelle had to say about her journey in the video above
Join the Today show family and give yourself the chance to win great prizes by signing up to our weekly newsletter, delivered straight to your inbox every Wednesday with a special message from Karl and Sarah. You can sign up for free here.
We’d love to hear from you
