It’s the reason many people are afraid of the ocean.
Recently off the New Jersey coast, a great white shark was sighted that was every bit as big as the artificial one in Steven Spielberg’s 1975 horror masterpiece, “Jaws.” As is apparent in a video that’s been getting lots of attention online, the thing is absolutely incredible – literally a living monster of the deep.
Just do on online search for “Great white shark shocks New Jersey fishermen” or a similar phrase and you’ll behold something as magnificent as it is scary. Be advised, the guys in the boat use some salty language, but you can always turn down the sound and still absorb the immense scope of what you’re seeing.
The stunning video exists because at about 4:30 p.m. June 17, New Jersey resident Jeff Crilly and and five other crew members aboard the “Big Nutz Required II” (a 31-foot Bertram sport boat) experienced a once-in-a-lifetime sighting about 30 miles south east of Point Pleasant, N.J.
Interestingly, Crilly is an experienced captain who has won several shark fishing competitions, and he and his crew were coming in from a day of fishing for Mako shark during the annual Mako Fever tournament off the coast of Toms River, N.J.
The rare and unlikely moment unfolded when Crilly noticed unusual ripples in the water below them and spotted the titanic animal, which was 16 to 18 feet long and weighed about 2,000 pounds.
“We’ve fished for sharks a lot and never seen anything like that,” Crilly said. “We were amazed by how big it was.”
The huge beast chomped on a chum bag and then “marked” the boat, leaving a few scratches and gashes on the side of the vessel as reminders of its total, outright superiority in its environment.
Crilly posted the video on social media. I’ve watched it several times and I find the great white’s movements and sheer bulk fascinating on several levels. It’s elegant but sinister, graceful but hideous.
Wow, a ton of shark! I can hardly comprehend it. The behemoth’s “bite radius” had to be nearly three feet.
As it operates, it exudes confidence and fearlessness. And for good reason; it certainly knows no danger because it has no predator and few, if any, peers.
Crilly said he was concerned that the mammoth fish might decide to bash the boat hard or even try to come on board (kind of like in the movie). His concern was valid; the shark was clearly big enough to – if it wished – flop onto the boat’s stern or one of its gunwales, and its size and weight would have resulted in a situation that would have been dangerous at best, and potentially life-threatening.
“We definitely were afraid of it coming into the boat,” Crilly said, “because it easily nosed its head up past the silver rub rail and it could’ve easily pushed the boat down, or worse, jumped in.”
But Crilly and his crew are not your average fishermen. They’re devout shark people and the presence of the colossal great white gave them the thrill of a lifetime.
“It was just the coolest thing ever, seeing something so big and beautiful in the ocean like that,” Crilly said. “We’ve never seen anything like this and chances are we never will again.”
I’m not entirely sure, but I think that might be best. I know Crilly and Co. are familiar with being around sharks, but this was no ordinary shark and a second encounter with something so deadly might end with a far more grisly result.
Anyway, I’ll be OK if I never see something like that in person the first time. But if I do, I’m gonna need a bigger boat.
Doug Davison is a writer, photographer and newsroom assistant for the Houston Herald.
Email: ddavison@houstonherald.com.
