Couple Lobstering Off Massachusetts Coast Surrounded by Massive Sharks

A couple from Massachusetts thought they were seeing a whale near their boat. It was a group of sharks!

Perry and Carmel Long were catching lobsters from their 18-foot boat off Westport, Massachusetts. According to WIS10, sharks started surrounding their boats. At first, Carmel thought it was a group of whales, then Perry exclaimed that it was not a group of whales, but sharks!

According to WIS10, there were around a half-dozen sharks, one of which was nearly double the size of their boat. But these weren't great whites. They were basking sharks, which are huge, but not dangerous. Perry told WIS10,

I always assumed it was a pretty big boat. But seeing the size of these sharks, they were enormous. They had to be 20, 25-feet long. They looked exactly like a great white shark, with the exception that they were a lot more friendly and docile. They just appeared to be hanging out.

It's not the first time a big ol' fish was mistaken for something else. A couple in Maine took an amazing video of what they thought was a minke whale, but it wasn't. It was a pygmy sperm whale, which is even rarer than a minke!

READ MORE: Mistaken Identity: That’s Not a Minke Whale Seen in Maine, It’s Even Rarer

What did the sharks do while surrounding this boat off the coast of Massachusetts?

Perry and Carmel said that they were hoping they were looking at seals or whales, but realizing they were actually sharks was alarming. The sharks were more curious than anything else, and circled the boat about 10 times before swimming off. It was a thrill to Perry, who has been on the water pretty much his whole life and had never seen anything like it. He has a great story, but didn't catch any lobsters that day.