For bride-to-be Morgan Irons, her bachelorette party started out as a picture-perfect escape on the open water, but it quickly became a personal tribute to the 50th anniversary of “Jaws” as she came face-to-face with her deepest fear.
“Any type of open water, I just am very fearful,” Irons said.
To celebrate, Irons’ future sister-in-law, Colby Taylor, planned a surprise bachelorette cruise around the picturesque Isle of Shoals, promising a relaxing day of whale watching.
“I’ve never seen a shark. My dad’s been a lobsterman his whole life, I’ve always been on the boat, I’ve never seen a shark in these waters, you have nothing to be worried about,” Taylor recalled assuring her.
That assurance quickly evaporated, according to RJ Lincoln, the ship’s first mate.
“All the gals are out back having a fun time, and all of the sudden, we hear Colby scream,” Lincoln said.
“Colby goes, ‘I see a fin!’ And we all look and everybody’s like, ‘Oh, no, that’s a bird, that’s a sunfish.’ And she’s like, ‘No, that’s a fin!’ And my heart starts racing,” Irons said.
The bride’s last sail before the veil quickly evoked images of the iconic 1975 movie.
Filmed right here in Massachusetts, the summer blockbuster became a classic American movie.
“We were quoting ‘Jaws’ going out into the ocean, so maybe we manifested the sharks? I’m not sure we meant to,” Taylor said.
As Taylor captured the sharks on camera, Irons sought refuge at the back of the boat. The group, about 15 miles offshore, ultimately spotted not one, but two sharks.
“We looked down and then this monstrosity, it looked prehistoric, like a dinosaur coming out from underneath. It was just this massive, massive body,” Taylor said.
The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy (AWSC) confirmed they were basking sharks, a species known to migrate to these waters around this time of year. As the second-largest shark species, outgrown only by the whale shark, they can reach lengths of up to 40 feet, though most adults average between 20 and 30 feet. Their immense size often leads to them being mistaken for great white sharks, particularly in Massachusetts waters.
Actor Richard Dreyfuss was back on the Vineyard 50 years after helping to create a Hollywood phenomenon: Jaws.
However, these gentle giants are filter-feeders and harmless to humans, according to the AWSC. They’re commonly seen swimming near the surface with their dorsal fin protruding, mouths wide open as they filter plankton using bristle-like gill rakers.
RJ Lincoln, despite his extensive time on the water, still found the sighting remarkable.
“To be honest, that’s the biggest basking shark I’ve ever seen. It was like 25 or 30 feet,” Lincoln said.
“It was the topic of conversation for the rest of the night,” Taylor said.
“Definitely a day I will never forget. That is for sure,” Irons added.
