Way back in 1969, I hooked a small great white shark whilst fishing for bluefish off the KwaZulu Natal coast.It was probably about as big as the one shown here.
I managed to drag it through the surf where a fellow angler managed to cut the wire trace, letting the shark go free. I wasn't going to tangle with that thing!
Since then I caught several sharks but none of them were great whites.
A couple of years ago I hooked what could have been a bullshark off Exmouth WA on 30lb bottom tackle. After playing it for 30 minutes or so it bit through the trace thank goodness.
I seem to have a talent for attracting sharks, and eels. I don't like either.