The 'unreal' moment a 17-foot great white shark brushes up against a family's boat in Cape Cod
CAPE COD BAY, MASSACHUSETTS: A Massachusetts family has shared the heart-stopping moment they spotted a great white shark brushing up against their boat during a sailing trip. Siblings Sean and Serena Colbert, and their cousin Mallory Fey were out in the ocean between Plymouth and Provincetown last Friday, August 9, when they spotted the fin of the shark, which can grow up to 20 ft in length and weigh 4,200 lbs, emerge by their boat, according to the Daily Mail.
While shark sightings are quite common in the area, Sean realized that an opportunity to capture the beast on film in such clear waters would not present itself to them any time soon. He whipped out his smartphone and can be heard exclaiming, "That is unreal!" as the shark swims towards their boat and underneath it before going on its way.
In the background, Serena or Mallory gasp, 'Oh my God!"
The video of their encounter quickly went viral on the internet, and the trio found themselves describing their surreal experience during an interview with CBS Boston.
"It was like the biggest thing I’ve ever seen," Mallory said. "That is a massive creature."
The family estimated that the shark was anywhere between 16 to 17-feet long.
Serena concurred. "It was huge. It seemed like it was the size of our boat," she said, adding, "It definitely wasn't scared of us."
Sean said he was thanking his lucky stars after the close shave with the shark -- which is responsible for the largest number of reported and identified fatal unprovoked attacks on humans -- because he was just about to jump in for a dip when he spotted its dorsal fin.
"Seeing it on TV you don’t realize how massive and quick it is," he said, adding that it was a "once in a lifetime thing."
Serena and Mallory were of a similar opinion. "Just to see it in person was unbelievable," Serena said.
The family wasn't the only one who found themselves having brushes with the beasts that weekend either.
CBS Boston reported that there were several more great white shark sightings in Cape Cod on August 12 and that the beaches in Plymouth were briefly closed after one of them snatched a fisherman's catch right of his line as he was reeling it in.
In fact, since the beginning of July, there have been at least 53 closures on the Cape and Islands, 36 of which have occurred since August 1.