Whale watchers encounter 2 great white sharks off North Shore

Whale watchers got a big surprise when they encountered two great white sharks in the water off the North Shore of Massachusetts on Wednesday.

7 Seas Whale Watch said in a Facebook post that its vessel was heading out to sea when a naturalist onboard spotted a fin in the water about 10 miles north of Gloucester.

“We could tell it was either a great white or a short-finned mako – both of which are rare – but needed a better look to positively identify the animal,” 7 Seas wrote in the post. “When the shark swam into a smooth patch of water near our boat, it became clear it was a white shark!”

A second great white then approached and started swimming in circles with the other shark at the surface as everyone on the boat looked on in awe, according to 7 Seas.

See photos of the sharks:

“We have only seen this species a handful of times in the 42 years we have been in business,” the post stated.

There have been several other recent sightings of sharks off Cape Cod and Nantucket as well, according to the Chatham-based Atlantic White Shark Conservancy’s Sharktivity app.

The Sharktivity appwhich is available to download on iPhone and Android, tracks sightings fed by researchers, safety officials, and users who upload photos for confirmation.

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