Beachgoers were met with an unexpected swimming companion when a small shark appeared in the waters Monday afternoon in Cape May Point.
The shark appeared to be about six feet in size and was briefly caught on video. The Cape May Point beach patrol said the shark was in "knee-deep water" and within five yards of shore, the Inquirer reported. The beach was cleared of swimmers for about an hour until the shark swam out to a deeper waters.
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SHARK IN CAPE MAY!
Posted by Wildwood Boardwalk on Monday, August 5, 2024
Last week, the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center spotted a basking shark about five miles off the coast. Basking sharks are the second-largest type of shark in the ocean, but they're largely harmless to humans and eat mostly plankton and tiny crustaceans that they filter out of the water with 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
It was the second basking shark that the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center had sighted in the past few weeks. The first was a 15 to 20-foot shark in the waters near Wildwood. Scientists said it was different from the one seen Aug. 1, noting it had different notches on its dorsal fins.
On July 14, the Pearson's Pursuit Inshore Fishing team also spotted a large shark off the coast of Sea Isle City. Three days later, a great white shark named Scot pinged, meaning he surfaced briefly, on the OCEARCH app about 32 miles off the coast of Wildwood.