Near OCEAN CITY, Md. - It’s not every day you can take a 'selfie' with a shark, but that was the reality for Jeremy Michalski over the weekend while flounder fishing off the coast of Ocean City.
Michalski was out on his 25-foot boat when he noticed something unusual in the water. He quickly realized it was a massive shark, about the same size as his boat.
"I had my line down, and I looked up, and this massive shark just swam about 50 feet off the boat," Michalski recounted. "I thought it was a great white. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, this thing is huge. Bill, come see this thing!'"
The encounter left Michalski in awe, as he watched the shark leisurely glide past his boat. He later identified it as a basking shark, one of the largest species in the ocean.
Salisbury University professor Noah Bressman confirmed Michalski’s observation, explaining that basking sharks, while rare in this area, are known to inhabit northern waters. "The furthest south I've seen them personally is in New Hampshire, but they're around," Bressman said. "Particularly in the summer, they'll feed on plankton that's near the surface. They're harmless filter feeders that often cruise at the surface, like in that video."
Michalski was initially alarmed, but as the shark drew closer, he noticed key details that set his mind at ease. "It got so close to the boat, I could tell it didn't have teeth, and it was opening its mouth so wide," Michalski said. "I realized this is a filter feeder. After some research, I learned it’s the second-largest shark on the planet."
The close encounter allowed Michalski and his friends to capture the moment on video, where they can be heard expressing their amazement and confusion. "Great white? I don't think it is. Oh my god! I don't know what it is," one exclaimed as they watched the shark.
While some might find the encounter terrifying, Michalski sees it as a rare and memorable experience. "At least you know it’s not out here to eat you," he joked.
The sighting of such a large basking shark so far south is uncommon, making Michalski’s experience even more extraordinary. Now, he’ll have a story to tell about the day he crossed paths with one of the ocean’s gentle giants off the coast of Ocean City.
