Excitement and awe swept through Cape May Point on Monday afternoon as beachgoers were joined by an unexpected swimming companion – a small shark that made a brief appearance in the waters.
The shark, estimated to be about six feet in size, was captured on video by onlookers. The Cape May Point beach patrol reported that the shark was spotted in knee-deep water, just five yards from shore, as per the Inquirer. As a safety precaution, swimmers were cleared from the beach for approximately an hour until the shark swam back out to deeper waters.
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Interestingly, just last week, the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center had a rare sighting of a basking shark, located approximately five miles off the coast. Basking sharks are known to be the second-largest type of shark in the ocean, but they pose no threat to humans as their main diet consists of plankton and tiny crustaceans that they filter from the water using their large mouths.
Basking Shark off Cape May, New Jersey
🚨Rare Sighting Alert! 🚨A SECOND BASKING SHARK sighting just off the coast of Cape May, New Jersey! This individual was estimated to be 15-20ft in length cruising along at the surface about 5 miles offshore. They are the second largest shark species alive today! We know this is a different individual from the one we had last week because the notches do not match on this dorsal fin. 📸: Naturalist Melissa
Posted by Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center on Thursday, August 1, 2024
The recent basking shark sighting marked the second encounter for the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center within a few weeks. The previous sighting was of a 15 to 20-foot basking shark near Wildwood. Scientists were able to confirm it was a different shark from the one seen earlier, based on unique markings on its dorsal fin.
Adding to the excitement, on July 14, the Pearson’s Pursuit Inshore Fishing team spotted a large shark off the coast of Sea Isle City. Additionally, three days later, a great white shark named Scot was tracked on the OCEARCH app, resurfacing about 32 miles off the coast of Wildwood.