Shark spotted off Narragansett, decomposing whale nearby

NARRAGANSETT, R.I. (WLNE) — A jet skier spotted a juvenile great white shark off Narragansett Bay.

Matthew DeSalvo said he was jet skiing on Saturday when he spotted a shark, took out his phone, and caught the entire encounter on video.

“I saw a fin all of the sudden in the water, I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me at first,” he said. “I didn’t know if it was a shark, it dove away, I circled around for a bit, but I didn’t get another sighting of it. Everyone knows they’re in the water around here but to actually see it is a little different.”

Jon Dodd with the Atlantic Shark Institute said they watched the video and can confirm it is a juvenile white shark.

Dodd said he isn’t surprised by the shark in the area, because of a dead whale that washed up onto the rocks.

“The whale had noticeable shark bites, so we know it’s been a target,” he said.

Although the institute can’t identify the species of the whale because of its decomposing state, they say it most likely brought the shark closer to land.