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Cape Cod Shark Hunters Have Close Encounter With Great White

BOSTON (CBS) - The Cape Cod Shark Hunters crew had a close encounter while tagging a shark from their boat on Friday.

While harpooning the fin of a Great White, it suddenly lunged out of the ocean, its gigantic head came frighteningly close to the fisherman.

A WBZ-TV news crew caught the incident on camera.

"It's just really impressive, really really impressive. They're very cool creatures," said the Shark Hunters' spotter pilot, George Breen.

He says they're seeing more of the intriguing creatures around the shores of Cape Cod, earlier in the summer than ever.

Friday, they had a record 11 sightings. They managed to tag three of the sharks.

"I can't recall a day I've gone up without seeing them this summer," says Breen.

He took WBZ-TV up in his small plane for a view of the team tagging the sharks for research.

"We're tracking their habits, where they come in, what tides, what time of day, and see if we can figure them out," he said.

Researchers with the State Division of Fisheries and Wildlife were also on the boat, as well as scientists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.

You can follow Christina on Twitter @HagerWBZ.

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