Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Great white shark lured to fisherman's boat in Jaws-like incident off Jersey Shore

Video shows the shark leaping up to the boat

Lily Puckett
New York
Wednesday 19 June 2019 20:35 BST
Comments

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A man in New Jersey spotted a great white shark while out fishing on Monday - and caught the whole thing on camera.

In what he called the “best day ever on the water,” boat captain Jeff Crilly lured the shark towards his boat, Big Nutz Required II, with a bag of food.

The incident happened as Mr Crilly was sailing in the Manasquan inlet off the coast of New Jersey, known as the Jersey Shore, with his brother Scott.

In a video later posted to Facebook, the shark leaps up to the boat, giving the two-man crew a shock.

“We saw like v-waves, little ripples, in the back of the slick. We’re like – there’s something in there,” Jeff later told Pix 11. “The shark would be from tail, here at the end of the boat – it’s head would be inside the boat… easily.

Despite the seemingly immediate danger, the brothers laughed and yelled “this thing is huge!” as the shark approaches them. The cheers veer into nerves, with a chorus of “Holy s***!” as the animal appears to get closer.

Mr Crilly says he thinks the shark was about 16 to 18 feet long.

“This is the coolest f****** thing I’ve ever seen!” the narrator of the video, presumed to be Mr Crilly, says as the shark leaps towards his boat. “Once in a lifetime.”

Later, he told the Asbury Park Press "We've fished for sharks a lot and never seen anything like that.”

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

“We were amazed by how big it was," he added.

Last month, a great white shark was spotted in the nearby Long Island Sound. Those who spotted it said it was their first sighting of the animal “ever.”

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in