Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, a giant shark made a splash off the coast of Block Island this week, sparking Jaws-era déjà vu while reviving 50 years’ worth of collective cinema-induced trauma.
While this shark isn’t likely to chomp down on a beachgoer, it turned heads on the shoreline.
The video, captured by locals Jennifer Seebeck and John Bucket, shared by the Atlantic Shark Institute, shows the enormous 20-foot shark gliding beneath the surface.
“Clearly a very large shark and reminiscent of a scene from Jaws on this 50th anniversary of the film,” the institute wrote on Facebook.
Though it evokes movie mayhem, this gentle giant is no man-eater. The basking shark, the second-largest fish in the ocean behind the whale shark, feeds on plankton and small fish. Its rounded fins and filter-feeding mouth distinguish it from the pointy menace of Jaws fame: the great white.
Still, timing is everything. The cinematic parallel is uncanny in a region steeped in Jaws lore.
Cue the ominous music, but don’t cue a panic. For now, the biggest danger this shark poses is crashing someone’s social media feed.
Watch above via Fox23/Instagram.