Latest news with #BlockIsland
The Sun
3 days ago
- Lifestyle
- The Sun
Watch nailbiting moment enormous 20ft shark stalks human prey in terrifying Jaws-like scene…before boat makes hasty exit
THIS is the nerve-racking moment a huge 20ft shark emerges from the water before stalking a tiny boat - bringing to mind classic thriller Jaws. Tense footage showed the humongous beast lurking behind the small vessel in a pond on Block Island as it came dangerously close to two passengers. 3 3 3 The video was captured in Rhode Island by local Jen Seebeck who was eating at the Dead Eye Dicks restaurant by Great Salt Pond when she spotted the enormous dorsal, The Atlantic Shark Institute reported. The boat was seen slowly drifting towards the edge of the lake, while two dark shapes appeared to rise from the water. The two fins could easily have been mistaken for two separate sharks, due to the distance between the pair. But shockingly, they were actually part of the same beast - representing the top fin and tail of the 20ft predator. The boat carrying two passengers then started to speed away, possibly following the crew's sudden realisation. The nailbiting scene has sparked comparisons to the classic film Jaws - which is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One person even referenced Steven Spielberg's shark thriller in the video, as they shouted: 'There's a shark in the pond!' It is currently unclear what exact species the nimble shark captured in the footage is. The Atlantic Shark Institute said: "Sharks are arriving in Rhode Island daily as water temperatures continue to rise and more and more species of shark find them suitable to their liking. 'Hopefully this shark will find its way out of Great Salt Pond soon and continue on its way!' Block Island has recently been named one of the 10 best summer destinations in the United States, according to USA Today. It comes after another enormous shark was spotted dangerously near a beach in a popular Spanish tourist spot. A viral video showed the colossal beast skulking around the waters just off the coast of Marbella. And earlier this month, the biggest shark ever tagged by researchers was spotted prowling up the US east coast. Known as "The Contender", the massive white shark was seen skulking around the North Carolina coast. The behemoth was previously seen following the Gulf Stream south near Florida. Weighing 1,600 pounds, the beast was first tagged on January 17 this year about 45 miles off the Florida-Georgia border. It was the largest ever shark tagged by research group OCEARCH in the area.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- General
- Daily Mail
Terror in Rhode Island as enormous TWENTY FOOT shark is spotted swimming in pond
A 20-foot basking shark was spotted swimming near Rhode Island 's Block Island on Monday. Footage of the large animal first surfaced on Memorial Day, after Jennifer Seebeck spotted a large dorsal fin rising out of the waters in the Great Salt Pond, on an island off the south coast of the state. Seebeck had been dining at nearby restaurant Dead Eye Dick's when she managed to capture the shark near the surface of the water. In the clip, the shark can be seen going through the waters and past a seemingly vacant small boat. Other diners in the background can be heard passing comment on the animals appearance and laughing. The Atlantic Shark Institute shared the clip to their social media pages, causing it to go viral. In it, the organization said: 'We got a number of calls yesterday as people on Block Island, RI were treated to quite the scene, kicking off the 2025 summer season! 'Clearly a very large shark and reminiscent of a scene from Jaws on this 50th anniversary of the film.' View this post on Instagram A post shared by Atlantic Shark Institute (@atlantic_shark) They added: 'Sharks are arriving in Rhode Island daily as water temperatures continue to rise and more and more species of shark find them suitable to their liking. 'Hopefully this shark will find its way out of Great Salt Pond soon and continue on its way!' The institutes director Jon Dodd later revealed that the animal was a basking shark that was around 20 feet long. He told WBZ-TV: 'They are harmless filter-feeders but that wouldn't matter much if you were in the water when one came cruising by!' The New England Aquarium say that basking sharks are the second-largest fish species after the whale shark and eat plankton. Dodd also told Fox that basking sharks prefer cooler waters and are regularly spotted around Rhode Island during the summer months. He said: 'This is a shark that we will see fairly consistently. They're considered vulnerable according to the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature). 'In many parts of the world they're considered endangered', Dodd added. He also believes that the shark probably likely ended up in the pond after making a mistake on his travels. 'This guy just made a mistake. He must've been cruising up the west side of Block Island and said, "Hey, let me explore what's going on in this pond", and found himself in the wrong place.' The shark is since have believed to have left the pond around a day after being spotted. Dodd added that the sighting was a good sign for marine conservationists. In 2018 a group of fishermen filmed themselves releasing a huge great white shark that they managed to catch less than a mile away from a Rhode Island Beach. First mate Michael Lorello said the predator measured six feet long and was caught not far away from the popular pleasure beach of Misquamicut.
