White sharks are becoming increasingly popular off the Cape Cod, with nine confirmed great white shark sightings in the past two days, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. >> Read more trending news What's even more rare is a white shark breaching or jumping above the surface, like we see in the video of Dr. Greg Skomal's close encounter. TRENDING NOW: White shark surprise breach off Wellfleet, MA While out on research trips, we've seen white sharks breach and we've received multiple reports of breaching white sharks this year from fishermen and boaters. While encounters like this one are rare, this video shows that they’re certainly possible. White sharks are wild and unpredictable animals. This is a good reminder of the importance of not becoming complacent and always staying vigilant when in or on the water. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Cape Cod National Seashore Posted by Atlantic White Shark Conservancy on Monday, August 6, 2018 Skomal is a well-known shark expert who with other researchers from The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, was on a trip to tag the great whites on Monday when the shark took them by surprise in the waters off Wellfleet. The great white shark leaped right out of the water with its jaws wide open, coming inches from Skomal's feet. The conservancy says it is incredibly rare to see sharks breach like that because it requires so much energy. As sharks continue to pop up in the waters off the Cape, Skomal tagged his eighth shark of the year about a quarter mile off Monomoy Island. Researchers say the video is an important reminder to stay vigilant in the waters. Cox Media Group<doc-sep>Amazing footage shows a scientist’s dangerously close encounter with a 12-foot great white shark. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries researcher Dr. Greg Skomal got the shock of his life when a shark nearly took a bite out of him as he stood at the bow of a boat outside Wellfleet, Massachusetts. Skomal was attempting to capture underwater footage using a GoPro mounted to a painter’s pole. As he was recording, a great white breached directly below him, causing Skomal to leap back. The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy captured and posted footage of the close call and posted it on their Facebook page on Monday. The video records the captain yell, “Holy crap! it jumped right out of the water!” The conservancy said scientists received multiple reports of breaching white sharks from fishermen and boaters – but encounters are rare. “White sharks are wild and unpredictable animals,” the group said. “This is a good reminder of the importance of not becoming complacent and always staying vigilant when in or on the water.” Get The Brief. Sign up to receive the top stories you need to know right now. Please enter a valid email address. * The request timed out and you did not successfully sign up. Please attempt to sign up again. Sign Up Now An unexpected error has occurred with your sign up. Please try again later. Check the box if you do not wish to receive promotional offers via email from TIME. You can unsubscribe at any time. By signing up you are agreeing to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Thank you! For your security, we've sent a confirmation email to the address you entered. Click the link to confirm your subscription and begin receiving our newsletters. If you don't get the confirmation within 10 minutes, please check your spam folder. Write to Gina Martinez at gina.martinez@time.com.<doc-sep>
White sharks are becoming increasingly popular off the Cape Cod, with nine confirmed great white shark sightings in the past two days, according to the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy. What's even more rare is a white shark breaching or jumping above the surface, like we see in the video of Dr. Greg Skomal's close encounter. Skomal is a well-known shark expert who with other researchers from The Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, was on a trip to tag the great whites on Monday when the shark took them by surprise in the waters off Wellfleet. The great white shark leaped right out of the water with it's jaws wide open, coming inches from Skomal's feet. The conservancy says it is incredibly rare to see sharks breach like that because it requires so much energy. As sharks continue to pop up in the waters off the Cape, Skomal tagged his eighth shark of the year about a quarter mile off Monomoy Island. Researchers say the video is an important reminder to stay vigilant in the waters. White shark surprise breach off Wellfleet, MA While out on research trips, we've seen white sharks breach and we've received multiple reports of breaching white sharks this year from fishermen and boaters. While encounters like this one are rare, this video shows that they’re certainly possible. White sharks are wild and unpredictable animals. This is a good reminder of the importance of not becoming complacent and always staying vigilant when in or on the water. Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries Cape Cod National Seashore Posted by Atlantic White Shark Conservancy on Monday, August 6, 2018 RELATED: 2 Cape-area beaches closed after shark sightings Cox Media Group