The great white shark circled the boat and crew members filmed it slamming its head against the side of the boat.
It was a scene straight out of the movie Jaws, but with far fewer screams and a much happier ending for boater and inquisitive shark.
In the video, one of the boaters can be heard saying, “Is he going to bite the boat?”
The shark had been feeding on a nearby whale carcass off the coast of Massachusetts when it swam up to investigate a boat loaded with fishing poles.
In the video, stunned men on the boat can be heard repeatedly saying “Oh my God” as the shark repeatedly rams the boat before returning to its whale-like prey.
Not a bad fish, but it gets a bad rep
Sharks wouldn’t go out of their way to eat humans — in fact, they’re sociable, inquisitive fish that are “intelligent, incredibly curious creatures,” marine biologist Alison Koch told Smithsonian magazine.
Despite what Steven Spielberg’s famous movie would have you believe, shark attacks are rare, but the movie’s poor box office success dealt a blow to public opinion of the large animals, who have never been fond of humans.
Since 1837, there have been 1,632 unprovoked shark bites in the United States.
Sharks typically approach humans with “laid-back or low-key behavior,” R. Aidan Martin, director of the ReefQuest Shark Research Center in Vancouver, Canada, told National Geographic.
He said the way the fish approaches humans is completely different to the way it attacks its main prey, seals and sea lions.
“The shark surges to the surface and crushes its prey with incredible force,” Martin said.
Sharks don’t go out of their way to eat humans, but their curiosity can get the better of them, and they may be intrigued enough to “taste” something unfamiliar, according to National Geographic.
Julia is a popular reporter for USA Today, covering a variety of topics from business and government to technology and pop culture in her hometown of Miami. LinkedIn Or follow her X, formerly Twitter, Instagram and Tick tock: @juliamariegfigure
