Even the smallest of sharks can put the fear of God in you, so imagine how this family felt when something swam past them that was almost as big as their 22-foot boat.
Siblings Sean and Serena Colbert were out on the water with their cousin Mallory Fey in Cape Cod Bay, Massachusetts, last Friday.
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They were about halfway back from Provincetown on their boat when they looked into the water and spotted a ginormous shark swimming alongside.
"It definitely wasn't scared of us," Serena told WBZ.
Despite growing up in the area, the trio were stunned by the 'massive creature', which they estimated must have been 16 or 17 feet long - almost as big as their 22-foot boat.
"It was huge," Serena said.
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"It seemed like it was the size of our boat."
Mallory agreed, adding: "It was like the biggest thing I've ever seen."
The shark swam around for several minutes, giving Serena, Sean and Mallory enough time to not only get a good look at the beast, but also capture it on camera.
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"Seeing it on TV you don't realize how massive and quick it is," Sean said.
In fact, Sean must be really pinching himself right now, as he was just about to take a dip in the water when they first spotted the dorsal fin. NO THANKS.
Speaking to press on Monday night, the three young boaters were understandably still stunned by what they had encountered.
"It was pretty graceful the way it was swimming around the boat, it was pretty cool," Serena continued.
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"Just to see it in person was unbelievable."
Brother Sean also referred to is as a 'once in a lifetime thing', while Mallory added: "Might have been one in a million, but it was pretty surreal."
Their shark sighting was one of just many in Massachusetts recently.
Beaches in Plymouth were closed for around an hour after a great white snatched a fisherman's catch right off his line as he was reeling it in, while Harbor Cruise workers also spotted a great white in the bay off Barnstable.
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According to the Boston Globe, since the beginning of July there have been at least 53 beach closures on the Cape and its islands - 36 of which have occurred since 1 August.
Some beaches have also had to be closed twice in one day.
Featured Image Credit: WBZ