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Couple Has Close Encounter With Half A Dozen Sharks

WESTPORT, Mass. (WJAR) — A couple was surrounded by sharks when they were out on the waters in southern New England.

The couple said they encountered about a half a dozen sharks, with one of the sharks nearly double the size of their boat.

The husband spoke to WJAR about the heart-stopping moments on the water.

I hope we're able to see more of them. I mean, it was it was a wonderful encounter," Perry Long said. "There was, probably, I would say six altogether

Perry and Carmel Long were setting lobster pots from their 18-foot Tripp Angler when they spotted something near Twomile Rock.

"I always assumed was a pretty big boat. But seeing the size of these animals or these sharks. They were enormous. They had to be 20, 25-feet long," Perry Long said.

They thought, or rather hoped, they were whales, or maybe a seal.

"They looked exactly like a great white shark, with the exception that they were a lot more friendly and docile. They just appeared to be hanging out," he told WJAR.

Perry Long said they later confirmed they were basking sharks—large, powerful, daunting, but not deadly.

"They're very calm, their mouth is wide open. From what I understand, they're eating, you know, shrimp or plankton," he said.

Curious, the sharks took 10 spins around the boat before swimming off.

"We moved with them from time to time. And then, on our way back into the harbor, we saw two more," Perry Long said.

He told WJAR that he has lived his whole life on the water but said he had never seen something quite like this.

In the end, the Longs came up empty handed on the lobster front, but they came out with an incredible story to share in its place.

Huge 10ft Shark Spotted Swimming Close To UK Coast - Sparking Major Panic

Despite experiencing plenty of strange happenings on the North Wales coast, fishing enthusiast Jimmy Price, 59, was stunned to find a 10ft shark floating near the edge

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Huge shark swims into Holyhead harbour

A veteran sea angler fishing on a Welsh Island was stunned to find a huge 10ft shark loitering around by the coast.

Fishing enthusiast Jimmy Price had to do a double-take when a large dorsal fin suddendly appeared before him in Anglesey, Wales. The 59-year-old, who has experienced plenty of strange happenings on the North Wales coast, admitted that on this occasion, he was left "shocked".

Quick-thinking Jimmy whipped out his phone to capture video evidence, which saw the large mammal, measuring roughly 10ft-11ft, floating around in the water inside the nearby Holyhead Breakwater lighthouse. The shark was spotted swimming towards the port before turning at a buoy and slowly dissapearing back out to sea.

While Jimmy knew what he had just encountered, he can be heard on the video saying, "big fish that". The double-glazing fitter from Conwy was hoping to compete for fish, but wasn't expecting one that big. Making reference to the iconic Jaws movie, his colleagues responded "gonna need a bigger float" when Jimmy posted his clips on social media. Some users were in such disbelief that they labelled the video a hoax, while others pledged to steer clear of the Anglesey coast.

Veteran sea angler Jimmy Price, 59, was taken aback by the sighting (

Image:

Jimmy Price)

One woman said: "Waters are getting scary", while a Holyhead guesthouse owner added: "Christ, I was out swimming deep water in the inner harbour this morning." Users suspected it was either a bull shark or porbeagle shark - a close cousin of the Great White - before it was agreed that Jimmy had seen a basking shark, reports NorthWalesLive.

Basking sharks are the world's second-largest fish, after the whale shark – but they pose little risk and are considered to be harmless. Adults can grow to 28ft in length, some a little more, making many of them around the same size as a London bus. Locals took the presence of the one at Holyhead as a sign that waters were in good condition.

After watching Jimmy's clips, one swimmer said: "Wouldn't stop me sh***ing my budgie smugglers if that fin popped up in front of me. Lots of them around the Breakwater and the coast here. I did once cr*p myself swimming out from MacKenzie Pier and came across one quite close. No harm to humans, they're plankton eaters thank goodness!"

The huge shark was spotted by the Anglesey coast in Wales (

Image:

Jimmy Price)

The size of the shark suggested it was only young, as confirmed by Anglesey Sea Zoo, Brynsiencyn, which described the sighting as "exciting", adding: "We do get reports of these close to shore but this is the first official sighting (of a basking shark) this season!"

Jimmy, from Abergele, is a regular angling competitor and headed to Holyhead for a fishing match. He said: "I was walking along the breakwater around 8am when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I'd not seen a basking shark before but I've caught other sharks so I knew what it was. I was pretty shocked – I didn't expect to see a shark cruising around the harbour at that time of the day!"

Despite there being a couple of anglers present on the harbour, Jimmy is sure he was the only witness. He said: "I dropped my rod and started chasing it down the breakwater with my mobile phone. I wanted proof. I see lots of curiosities when out fishing – like sea otters running across the beach at Llanddulas – and I like to share them online. People are interested and it can be educational."

Anglesey is considered a hotspot for shark sightings (

Image:

Getty Images)

Basking sharks can be spotted in any of Britain's coastal waters between May and September, with sightings most common in the late summer as the water warms. Southwest England, west Scotland and northwest Wales report the most sightings.

Waters between Anglesey and the Isle of Man is considered a hotspot. A 16ft basking shark was spotted off Holyhead by a lobster fisherman back in 2016. It was also likely a younger shark, as adults are known to steer clear of shallower coastal waters.

Footage of the mammal was posted on social media, which saw users in awe of the stunning marine wildlife off the North Wales coast. For Jimmy, seeing it was the highlight of his day. He said: "In the competition, I caught a few fish but not enough to be in the money."

Huge Shark Spotted Swimming Into A Harbour In Wales

An experienced sea angler fishing off Anglesey was shocked to see a large dorsal fin appearing in front of him. Jimmy Price said he has seen a lot on the North Wales coast but this one made him drop his rod and reach for his phone to snap the evidence.

His footage shows a basking shark, around 10ft-11ft long, loitering in the water inside Holyhead Breakwater. After casually swimming towards the port, the shark turned at a buoy and slowly meandered back out to sea, reports North Wales Live.

Although Jimmy instantly recognised what it was, he can be heard on the video exclaiming, "big fish that". The double-glazing fitter from Conwy was about to compete for fish but he wasn't expecting anything that big.

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Read next: The jaw-dropping moment a massive shark bursts out of the water near Welsh coast

Referring to the classic line in Jaws, angling colleagues quipped "gonna need a bigger float" when he shared his video clips on social media. Not expecting sharks so near to shore, some labelled the video a hoax.

Others pledged to steer clear of the Anglesey coast. "Waters are getting scary," said one woman. A Holyhead guesthouse owner shuddered: "Christ, I was out swimming deep water in the inner harbour this morning." A common online reaction was "OMG!"

They needn't have worried. Although online users speculated it was bull shark or porbeagle shark ("close cousin of the Great White"), the consensus was that Jimmy had seen a basking shark.

These are docile plankton feeders that pose little risk. They can be huge - basking sharks are the world's second-largest fish, surpassed only by the whale shark – but they are harmless. Adults typically reach 28ft in length, some a little more, about the same as a London bus. Given the presence of one at Holyhead, it was taken as a sign that local waters were in good condition. But if you're in the water at the time, it can be an unnerving experience. After seeing Jimmy's clips, one swimmer said: "Wouldn't stop me sh***ing my budgie smugglers if that fin popped up in front of me."

Which is what happened to a Holyhead woman when she encountered a basking shark. "Lots of them around the breakwater and the coast here," she said. "I did once cr*p myself swimming out from MacKenzie Pier and came across one quite close. No harm to humans, they're plankton eaters thank goodness!"

The juvenile basking shark cruised up and down the breakwater -Credit:Jimmy Price

The size of Jimmy's fish suggested it was only a juvenile. Anglesey Sea Zoo, Brynsiencyn, confirmed as much, saying it was an "exciting" sighting and adding: "We do get reports of these close to shore but this is the first official sighting (of a basking shark) this season!"

Jimmy, from Abergele, is a regular angling competitor and on Sunday (June 16) he drove to Holyhead for a fishing match. Arriving early, the 59-year-old said: "I was walking along the breakwater around 8am when I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

"I'd not seen a basking shark before but I've caught other sharks so I knew what it was. I was pretty shocked – I didn't expect to see a shark cruising around the harbour at that time of the day!"

Britain's only lifesize model of a basking shark is housed at Anglesey Sea Zoo, its mouth agape for feeding. To get the 26ft-long shark inside, its tail fin had to be removed

Britain's only lifesize model of a basking shark is housed at Anglesey Sea Zoo, its mouth agape for feeding. To get the 26ft-long shark inside, its tail fin had to be removed (Image: Anglesey Sea Zoo)

The shark cruised up and down the breakwater -Credit:Jimmy Price

At 1.7 miles in length, Holyhead Breakwater is the longest in the UK. Although a couple of anglers were already fishing the harbour, Jimmy is sure he was the only witness. "I dropped my rod and started chasing it down the breakwater with my mobile phone," he said.

"I wanted proof. I see lots of curiosities when out fishing – like sea otters running across the beach at Llanddulas – and I like to share them online. People are interested and it can be educational."

Basking sharks can be found almost anywhere in British coastal waters between May and September – but sightings are more common in later summer as the water warms. Typically they're found around southwest England, west Scotland and northwest Wales.

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