Father and son’s encounter with massive great white shark leaves people in shock

Call it a real life Jaws A situation that ended much happier. Frank and Mike Pitten, father and son, were spending the summer in Scituate, Massachusetts, when a great white shark swam under their boat. The two men were stunned. “I looked at Michael and thought, you know, this is a once-in-a-lifetime event,” Frank recalls. And he didn’t take it lightly.

The family didn’t intend to look for sharks during their outing, but they definitely got more than they bargained for. The brave couple even managed to capture the creature on video.

In an interview with NBC 10 Boston, the couple explained that they were actually looking for a humpback whale carcass that had been spotted in Cape Cod Bay. Sharks had been reported along the Massachusetts coast recently, including two sharks that were seen eating a whale carcass about six miles off Scituate, but it didn’t seem likely that they would see them.

Related: Shark Expert Explains What NOT to Do When Faced with a Shark

“I never imagined there would be a shark that big six miles off Scituate,” Frank told the outlet in an online video, referring to the surprise guest on their trip: a massive great white shark that swam right under their boat.

“When I saw this thing coming towards me, I was shocked,” Miked added. Especially since the two were traveling in a 30-foot boat. But the shark was also quite large. “The shark we saw was about 20 feet and the most shocking thing was its girth. You could probably fit most of the sharks we’ve seen in there,” Mike added.

In fact, this great white shark appeared to have scared off a group of five smaller sharks that were also trying to feast on the carcass.

The animal didn’t seem to notice the boat as it moved forward. Mike even decided to lean over the side of the boat to experience this once-in-a-lifetime experience. The video has since gone viral, which is understandable since many people have never seen a shark that big up close.

Fortunately, the Pittens were unharmed during their encounter, but both agree that it was definitely exciting.

“Even 10 to 15 minutes after we got there, I was wondering if we had really just seen this or if it was a dream because it looks like something you only see on Shark Week,” Mike told NBC 10.

“We both came in and said this might be the coolest thing we’ve ever seen,” Frank agreed.

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