New Video Shows 2 More Sharks Off The Jersey Coast

For the second time this week, a video has shown two basking sharks swimming together off the coast of Cape May.

The sharks were spotted three miles off the coast of Cape May on Thursday, the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center said in a social media post titled, "Rare Sighting Alert!"

Earlier in the week, another video showed beachgoers in Cape May watching a shark's dorsal fin and tail visible above the shallow water close to shore.

What is a Basking Shark?

According to Ocena, the basking shark is "a slow-moving, plankton-eating shark that can grow to be the second largest fish in the world, reaching lengths of up to 40 feet and weighing over 5 tons.

Although basking sharks are generally thought to be harmless to humans,  they are large animals with rough skin, so caution is advised when encountering them.

How Often Shark Sightings Usually Happen off Jersey Coast

Melissa Laurino, research director and naturalist with the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center, told CBS 3 that the recent sightings mark only two times staff have spotted basking sharks so close to land in the past 10 years.

Since late July, the center said it has spotted four different basking sharks off the coast.

The two basking sharks were traveling together, which was a first, according to the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center. In the other two sightings, the sharks were traveling individually.

"This pair was enjoying the abundance of zooplankton, swimming with their mouths wide open," the Cape May Whale Watch and Research Center wrote on its Facebook page