Whoa, that’s close! Fishermen capture great white shark on video

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    Ocean City, MD (WBAL) — A couple of fishermen had the trip of a lifetime — not because of what they caught, but rather, what they saw.

You can hear the excitement in the fishermen’s voices as a great white shark brushed up against their charter boat, Fish Finder, just miles off the Ocean City coastline.

Steven White recorded the video.

“All of a sudden, this big white shark showed up right as I’m sitting right next to the boat. It decided to swim around, give us a show for about 10 or 15 minutes,” he said.

White said it was around 3 p.m. Monday as they wrapped up for the day.

“She showed up and every bit of 15- to 18-foot long, 2,000 to 3,000 pounds — just a massive animal,” White said.

The captain of the boat got the great white to come closer by putting extra bait in the water.

“Other than an aquarium, that’s the first white I’ve ever seen in the wild, or on TV. I have a whole new perspective about what a really big fish in the ocean looks like,” White said.

Jennie Janssen, assistant curator of Blue Wonders at The National Aquarium, said great whites do make their way past the Ocean City area every year, but to actually see one is pretty rare.

“What an incredible experience to be able to be on that boat,” Janssen said “It’s not uncommon for them to be in the waters here. They typically migrate through this area every year, around this time, so it’s not uncommon, but it is definitely a treat if you’re able to be in that close proximity with them.”

For White, it’s a fish tale that won’t soon be forgotten.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, definitely,” he said.

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