Caught on video: NJ father-daughter duo encounter great white shark during fishing trip

"This was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Mike Cavallo says. "It was a really cool experience."

Alicia Vitarelli Image
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Father-daughter duo encounter great white shark during fishing trip
Mike Cavallo says a shark researcher from Massachusetts confirmed that it was in fact a juvenile great white shark, estimating it to be eight to nine feet long.

POINT PLEASANT BEACH, New Jersey (WPVI) -- A father-daughter fishing duo got quite the surprise when they were about to reel in a black sea bass off Point Pleasant Beach in Ocean County.

It turns out they weren't the only ones interested in that catch. A great white shark also swam in for a swipe, and it was all caught on camera.

Mike Cavallo and his 14-year-old daughter, Kaylee, host a fishing channel on YouTube called M&K Outdoors.

They were shooting a new episode when the great white made an appearance.

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"This was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Mike says. "It was a really cool experience."

He says while they were surprised, they weren't scared.

"Not at all," he says. "I was just more excited than anything. Nobody would have believed me if I wasn't rolling. Within five minutes of me turning the camera on, the shark showed up. The stars aligned. It was pretty cool."

They were on the Brick-based charter boat FinChaser off the coast of Point Pleasant beach when they encountered the great white.

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"I have a few apps where we follow like shark encounters," he says. "Kaylee's very into sharks. One of our favorite movies is 'Jaws,' so we're really into it. I love following all of the great whites that are pinged off the Jersey shore coast."

Cavallo says a shark researcher from Massachusetts confirmed that it was in fact a juvenile great white shark, estimating it to be eight to nine feet long.