A group of children got the surprise of a lifetime while fishing at Newport Pier on Monday afternoon — reeling in a 6- to 7-foot hammerhead shark, according to Sunny Isles Beach police.

After pulling the shark ashore, the kids released it, but the animal became stranded in shallow surf. Ocean Rescue lifeguards quickly jumped in, clearing nearby swimmers from the water before safely guiding the shark past the pier and back into open waters.

While unusual, hammerheads are occasionally spotted off South Florida’s coast. Authorities remind the public to give sharks plenty of space and let trained professionals handle any encounters.

In this case, both the children and the shark walked — or swam — away unharmed, making for a wild South Florida fishing story no one’s likely to forget.