Video: Multiple Shark, Whale, and Dolphin Sightings This Summer Proves NJ Deserves its #3 Cleanest Water Ranking

It’s that time of year again: they have been coming frequently; they can be a cause of alarm to some, a source of entertainment for others; sometimes, they cause our local beach officials to consider closing the beach for safety reasons.

However, these are not the weekend beach tourists we are speaking of now, that swarm our shores, creating millions of dollars in revenue for towns and the same amount of headaches for locals.

Instead, residents from all over the Garden State have been reporting on a more exciting arrival to our waters this summer season: more sharks, whales, and dolphin sightings than usual.

Earlier this summer, a great white shark was caught on a phone camera investigating a boat off of the coast of Cape May. Check out the video below of the 16-foot predator filmed as it takes a look around the boat before taking a chum bag hanging from the side.

Sharks are not new to New Jersey shores- in fact, Jaws was based on encounters that occurred here in 1916. Over the course of 12 days, several shark attacks took place, but different theories exist on whether the culprits were bull sharks, great whites, or both. New Jersey has a variety of sharks in multiple locations, such as the Raritan Bay shark. Many sharks such as sandbar and thresher sharks stay close to shore and are caught or seen by fishermen regularly throughout several bays and inlets. Mako shark fishing draws competitive fishermen from all over the Northeast coast of this country to our portion of the North Atlantic.

This year, however, there have been more frequent sightings closer to the shoreline, instead of the deeper waters for mako fishing. Just last month, a shark was sighted heading from Monmouth Beach toward Long Branch not too many yards from the beach. The type was not clearly determined at the time, but as in the case of the famous 1916 attacks that took place in Spring Lake all the way to to Matawan- and happened in freshwater too- it could be anything from the feared man-killer bull shark, or even a hammerhead. The hook, line, and sinker? New Jersey has no shortage of sharks in its water.

Sharks are not the only frequently sighted sea creature of that size in the Garden State’s waters. Many joggers along the Navesink River can tell you they have seen dolphins frequently, and there have been so many humpback whales seen by boaters that officials issued a statement of caution and to avoid these gentle giants, who can easily damage a boat when breaching too close.

These multiple sightings are not a cause for concern for beachgoers, but rather an encouraging sign that our waters are healthy and clean, say officials.

According to my9nj.com, New Jersey has been ranked third out of 30 states reviewed for their water by the National Resource Defense Council. Experts see a direct correlation between the increase in sightings of these large sea creatures and the clean water ranking. Some experts believe that this previous “brutal” winter helped to kill off bacteria from the water and helped the bunker fish population to thrive, attractng these larger predators, which is a sign of a healthy ecosystem that New Jersey can be proud of.

To read more, visit: http://www.my9nj.com/story/26289394/new-jerseys-clean-water-attracting-sharks-whales-dolphinshttp://www.my9nj.com/story/26289394/new-jerseys-clean-water-attracting-sharks-whales-dolphins